Did Joseph Stack Have a Last Second Change of Heart?

Neglected throughout the coverage of Joe Stack and his small plane crashing into an Austin building that housed a department of the IRS is the fact that Stack didn't fly directly into the building. He actually crashed into an embankment in front of the building, ricocheting off the ground into the first floor offices, which as it turned out, were the only offices in the entire building that were not leased. This from the San Antonio Express News:

Stack’s Piper aircraft slammed into an embankment just outside the building occupied by 300 people. The aircraft struck on the building’s first floor, next to an empty break room.

“It was a combination of luck as to the fact the plane obviously did not go through inside the building,” said Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo.

Stack could have flown directly into the building. It's certainly easier to fly straight ahead than to take a sudden nose dive. It would have done a lot more damage, caused a lot more destruction, and taken a greater number of casualties. In fact, it could have been really, really ugly. But Stack, at least according to the investigation and a number of eyewitnesses, did indeed take a last second dive. The result: only one person died. The question is why?

Based on the evidence, I believe Joseph Stack had a last second change of heart. Though he tried to talk himself into a life of martyrdom by writing his manifesto, it didn't quite take. When the moment of destiny came, the musician, family man, and software-engineer steered clear of causing mass destruction. He was willing to be the sacrificial lamb, but not the wolf; to die for the cause, but not take lives for the cause. Maybe he knew being the wolf would only muddle his message. Indeed, it has.

I'm not saying Joseph Stack was acting rationally through the whole ordeal. The full text of his manifesto shows a troubled soul incapable of taking responsibility for his actions and casting judgment on everyone else. But his last second maneuver, if it was that, clearly saved lives.

Here's another theory. Maybe Joseph Stack was only trying to kill himself. Maybe he wanted to go out in a grand exit that attracted the attention of the world, left the IRS doubting their methods, and stirred a nation into questioning our confusing tax code. Obviously, he achieved that to some extent, although anyone who calls this man a hero is fooling themselves. However, one phrase in particular from his manifesto seems to cast doubt that he intended to harm others.

"I saw it written once that the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting the outcome to suddenly be different. 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." [emphasis mine}

It might be stating the obvious, but you usually don't tell someone to sleep well if you are expecting them to be dead. And Stack says "take my pound of flesh", not that he wants to "take their pound of flesh."

Still, why operate heavy machinery and risk endangering others if your only target is yourself? Why not set yourself on fire in front of the building or jump off the bridge at 183 and Mo-Pac, an overpass easily in view from the office? These acts would have grabbed headlines without risking other innocent lives. More importantly, why did Stack load an extra drum of fuel at the Georgetown airport, confirmed by the FBI in the wreckage, if he didn't hope to hurt others with a bigger explosion?

These questions may never be answered. But one myth that definitely needs dispelling is that Stack flew his plane into the building. He didn't. He stopped just short and crashed into an embankment. To push any other narrative is a disservice to the facts.

Facebook Shuts Down Page Dedicated to "Philosophy of Joe Stack"

Apparently that manifesto resonated with quite a few people. How else do you explain this group formed on Facebook one day after Stack flew his plane into a building housing offices for the IRS?

The group said they didn't support Stack's actions, just his philosophy. To which I can only ask, philosophy? What philosophy? The manifesto started out as a reasonable history of his tax problems before turning into a bitter rant against every institution in America. Politicians. Check. Health Care. Check. Tax Code. Check. Capitalism. Check. Accountants. Check. Corporate Greed. Check. Religion. Check.

Who exactly did Stack leave out? It's hard to tell what side of the aisle he's on, or whether his philosophy leans towards smaller government or bigger government. That's why the fact that some on the Left have tried to use this incident to paint him as a "teabagger" or supporter of the tea party movement is so egregious and dishonest. He never belonged to any such group. Stack seems to be maddest at the IRS, and let's face it, they have the most power of any federal agency. They are the only group I know of that puts the burden of proof on the accused and says prove you're not guilty, instead of the other way around. But in Stack's case, the attack was a personal vendetta stemming from his own tax troubles, not a broad attack on government. The IRS office he attacked wasn't even the biggest IRS office in Austin.

It's also clear that Stack is no fan of free enterprise. He seems to despise anyone who made more money than him and/or received tax credits that he didn't qualify for, from organized religion to corporations. In fact, he finishes his manifesto with the following phrases:

"The communist creed: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need. The capitalist creed: From each according to his gullibility, to each according to his greed."

I can't say the man was a Communist, but he seemed to favor Marxism to our current system. And like many Marxists, he turned to violence, failing to see a morality beyond his own judgments. For the Communist, Life is less precious than the grand ideal of a utopian world where the workers "own" everything and private property doesn't exist. Yet something seems backwards about an independent contractor who owned a house and a plane bashing the system that allowed him to gain such wealth.

Facebook was right to shut this group down. Though there might be kernels of truth that many can relate to in Stack's ramblings, the overall philosophy seemed to be nothing more than "I am right. Everyone else is wrong." In other words, the delusions of a mad man.

BREAKING: Plane Crashes into Austin Office Building

I can see the smoke from my apartment and hear the sirens of emergency vehicles responding. Not sure of all the details yet. This is what News 8 Austin is reporting:

News 8 has received calls from viewers saying they saw a small plane crash into a building in the 9400 block of Research Blvd. (said to be the Echelon Office Building). TXDoT cameras in the area show fire and smoke coming from the building. The crash ignited a two-alarm fire.

Eye witness Thad Lindsey said he saw a 30-foot fireball and a cloud of smoke. “Then it started raining debris. All of the windows were blown out. I couldn’t see any more,” he said. Initially, it was reported the Austin Resident Agency Office of the FBI was housed in the building. However, the FBI's offices are adjacent to the building.

I can't imagine this being an intentional act. However, it's going to wreak a huge amount of damage and create traffic chaos at one of Austin's busiest highway intersections (Mo-Pac and 183). Avoid the area if you can.


UPDATE: It was intentional. So much for my imagination. The apparent target? The Internal Revenue Service. This is an account of the plane's movement from an eyewitness in the building:

“It wasn’t heading into the direction of the building but all of a sudden it took a right and headed straight into it,” said William Winnie. “It didn’t look like it was in distress. It wasn’t wavering at all."

The pilot is reportedly 53-year-old software engineer Joseph Stack, killed in the collision. Apparently, he wrote a manifesto and had a domestic dispute with his wife last night, allegedly setting his house on fire before heading to the Georgetown airport, north of Austin, where he put his deadly plan into action by taking off in a leased Piper Cherokee at 9:40 am. 

The scene from the highway where the incident took place looks demoralizing, the guts of the building spilling out into the parking lot. It reminds one of Oklahoma City more than 9/11, not just because the alleged perpetrator is homegrown, but because the suburban building is longer and wider than it is tall, and thus still standing.

UPDATE 2: I haven't focused on the injuries yet, which were minor except for a handful of cases. Those cases are described as severe burns and are being treated at Brooks Medical Center in San Antonio. However, there is still one person unaccounted for, and Austin churches have been staying in correspondence and sending out prayer requests for this gentleman. May his family and all the families affected by this tragedy stay in our prayers.