Joe Stack Attempts to give America a Wake-Up call

[Papasito]

I'm not justifying his actions
I'm simply stating that he had a valid point and took inappropriate action.

[TKshreve]

I'm not justifying his actions
I'm simply stating that he had a valid point and took inappropriate action.

I think you make a good point. Likewise, I do not approve of his actions. However, his testimony of being railroaded by politicians and the IRS is very sad. Three things come to mind [[assuming his letter is an accurate account of his problems):

1) There most likely would be no plane crash had he not been continually thrown under the bus by big business and government alike.

2) Nobody would have ever read his letter had he simply put a gun in his mouth at home. Instead [[and I presume he would consider it a success) millions of people will read his testimonial and decide whether it holds water or not.

3) How was collateral damage kept to such a minimum seeing he flew a plane into a public building that employs 100+ people?

[Ragtoplover59]

How many hundreds or thousands of people a year, give up, and end their lives quietly over as many issues?
The fact that this thread is even here to talk about it, is a testament that his agenda was a success.

[Flanders]

I think you make a good point. Likewise, I do not approve of his actions. However, his testimony of being railroaded by politicians and the IRS is very sad. Three things come to mind [[assuming his letter is an accurate account of his problems):

1) There most likely would be no plane crash had he not been continually thrown under the bus by big business and government alike.

2) Nobody would have ever read his letter had he simply put a gun in his mouth at home. Instead [[and I presume he would consider it a success) millions of people will read his testimonial and decide whether it holds water or not.

3) How was collateral damage kept to such a minimum seeing he flew a plane into a public building that employs 100+ people?

I read that most of the agents were "out in the field" and only a few were inside the building at the time of the crash.

[TKshreve]

I read that most of the agents were "out in the field" and only a few were inside the building at the time of the crash.

Do you think he could have targeted the building at this point and time on purpose?

[Flanders]

Do you think he could have targeted the building at this point and time on purpose?

Perhaps, given his state of mind [[or the lack thereof) maybe body counts were not as important to him as destroying a building that was a symbolic physical representation of the IRS, with the potential of recreating on a smaller scale the destruction of the Twin Towers [[international monetary trade) and Pentagon [[military power) 9/11 jet crashes.

[rb336]

possible, but if he wanted to do it so no one would get hurt, why not wait until midnight?

[Flanders]

possible, but if he wanted to do it so no one would get hurt, why not wait until midnight?

Flying at night would cause him to rely more on his instruments and maybe risk hitting something other than his intended target first [[telephone/electrical wires, poles) at that low of an altitude in a very congested area of the city. He struck the seven-story building between the second and third floors to ensure maximum damage to the building, including the resulting fire.

[rb336]

Flying at night would cause him to rely more on his instruments and maybe risk hitting something other than his intended target first [[telephone/electrical wires, poles) at that low of an altitude in a very congested area of the city. He struck the seven-story building between the second and third floors to ensure maximum damage to the building, including the resulting fire.

There you have it -- he was bent on MAXIMUM damage and didn't give a rat's ass about fatalities, unless he was also planning on maximizing those too

[Meddle]

Do you think he could have targeted the building at this point and time on purpose?

Another option would have been a weekend or a Federal holiday.