Letter posted on Web by man who crashed plane into Texas office building reveals anger at IRS

Stack’s letter on Internet reveals anger at IRS

AUSTIN, Texas — In a letter posted on the Internet, the software engineer who slammed his plane into an office building housing federal tax employees Thursday expressed his anger at the government, specifically the Internal Revenue Service.

A U.S. law official says investigators are looking at an anti-government message on the Web linked to Joseph Stack.

By Thursday afternoon, the Web site opened to a page saying it had been taken offline “due to the sensitive nature of the events that transpired in Texas this morning and in compliance with a request from the FBI.”

Federal law enforcement officials have said they were investigating whether the pilot, who is presumed to have died in the crash, purposely slammed into the Austin building in an effort to blow up IRS offices.

The letter is dated Thursday and the signoff is: Joe Stack (1956-2010). The rambling letter begins: “If you’re reading this, you’re no doubt asking yourself, ‘Why did this have to happen?’ The simple truth is that it is complicated and has been coming for a long time.”

Other excerpts include:

“We are all taught as children that without laws there would be no society, only anarchy. Sadly, starting at early ages we in this country have been brainwashed to believe that, in return for our dedication and service, our government stands for justice for all. We are further brainwashed to believe that there is freedom in this place, and that we should be ready to lay our lives down for the noble principals represented by its founding fathers. Remember? One of these was ‘no taxation without representation.’ I have spent the total years of my adulthood unlearning that crap from only a few years of my childhood. These days anyone who really stands up for that principal is promptly labeled a ‘crackpot,’ traitor and worse.”

“… in my lifetime I can say with a great degree of certainty that there has never been a politician cast a vote on any matter with the likes of me or my interests in mind. Nor, for that matter, are they the least bit interested in me or anything I have to say.”

“How can any rational individual explain that white elephant conundrum in the middle of our tax system and, indeed, our entire legal system? Here we have a system that is, by far, too complicated for the brightest of the master scholars to understand.”

Stack said that in the early 1980s, he was introduced to a group of people who had “tax code” discussions. “In particular, zeroed in on a section relating to the wonderful ‘exemptions’ that make institutions like the vulgar, corrupt Catholic Church so incredibly wealthy.”

“The intent of this exercise and our efforts was to bring about a much-needed re-evaluation of the laws that allow the monsters of organized religion to make such a mockery of people who earn an honest living.”

Stack describes moving to Austin and having a hard time finding work.

“To survive, I was forced to cannibalize my savings and retirement, the last of which was a small IRA. This came in a year with mammoth expenses and not a single dollar of income. I filed no return that year thinking that because I didn’t have any income there was no need. The sleazy government decided that they disagreed.”

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“I know I’m hardly the first one to decide I have had all I can stand.”

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“I would only hope that by striking a nerve that stimulates the inevitable double standard, knee-jerk government reaction that results in more stupid draconian restrictions people wake up and begin to see the pompous political thugs and their mindless minions for what they are. Sadly, though I spent my entire life trying to believe it wasn’t so, but violence not only is the answer, it is the only answer.”

“I am finally ready to stop this insanity. Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let’s try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well.”