Plane Crashes into IRS Building in Austin, TX

Plane Crashes into IRS Building

Today a man supposedly angry with the IRS flew his small plane into the Internal Revenue Service building in north Austin. Two bodies have been found, one the pilot of the plane and the second a person within the building. Two other people are hospitalized as a result of the crash.

Prior to this act of anger and violence, the man, Joe Stack, posted a letter on his web site and set fire to his home. The letter can be accessed through the Austin American Statesman by clicking here. It is indeed sad to read. He tries to explain going back years to speak of events that have influenced his thinking. His suffering is evident, but the outcome unforgivable.

I ask why, but know there is no real answer. I'm sure that each of us has felt overwhelmed and perhaps defeated at times, but to come to this extreme measure is unthinkable. To attack this office building full of individuals who have families, problems, lives of their own is insane.

Last week we read of a female professor in Alabama who shot and killed 3 fellow professors and injured 3 others because she was angry at not receiving tenure. Her anger had been in evidence prior to this event, but was not identified as such except now in retrospect.

We have serious anger issues in this country. If something does not seem to go to a person's liking then violence is the answer. These are not some poor, under-educated individuals, but people with higher educations. We cannot say this happened because they are underprivileged and uneducated, on the contrary they were highly educated.

I am deeply troubled by violence. What are the answers? Where do we go from here? What can we do to overcome or alleviate the anger that we see around us? I find myself feeling fearful of others... even people in my own town...