Well, there is not really a mystery here; the pilot’s apparent suicide note tells the story. Joe Stack, pilot of the Piper aircraft that he flew into an Austin federal building housing the IRS, the CIA and the FBI, explains why he did it: total frustration being shafted by tax authorities, after a decades-long battle; compounded by his rage over the bank bailout. You can read, or skim, the lengthy suicide note here on the NPR website. (Note, I am hearing reports that his missive is being pulled from different websites; we have archived a copy of the code from NPR in case this happens).
In his exit manifesto, after talking about much history and tax code lore that I will run past our CPA for her opinion, Mr. Stack wrote: “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.
“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 would say that Mr. Stack was expressing a sentiment that many Americans feel. And indeed, he did something about it. The chart confirms this so well that at first glance, before even reading a news article, I wrote to Fe: “this is domestic terrorism; it’s suicide.” When one’s method of suicide involves flying into a government building, well, that’s a special kind of activism.
Now, how could I tell from the chart? We have to do some footwork, but trust me this is like doing the hop, compared to the tango.
The whole chart comes back to Mars retrograde. It’s almost that easy.
In a death chart, the first thing you check is the ruler of the 8th house, of death; which happens to be the 8th house of death and taxes (and really, really hot sex — go figure). That would be Scorpio on the 8th cusp therefore Mars is the ruler. Doing this kind of astrology, you stick to traditional planets, for a while.
We find Mars retrograde in the 4th house of domestic matters; the home, and the homeland.
Next, check the ascendant. Aries is rising and Mars rules Aries. The ascendant ruler and the chart’s theme ruler are the same planet: Mars retrograde in the 4th house. That retrograde is suicidal; self-inflicted.
Last, the Aries Moon (ruled by Mars) is conjunct Eris in the 12th house. That’s a little weird — the 12th suggests what we do not know. But there’s always plenty of this going around. My take is, we know what we need to know; let’s see what the media does with this, and what the government does with it.
The bigger issue is, do we have a trend? Well, as I’ve been saying, weird things tend to happen right before the Sun changes signs. That is the case now — the Sun is dangling in the last arc minutes of Aquarius, as you can see in the chart; its position is 29 degrees and 53 minutes. That’s about as close to the edge as you can get — the Sun goes into Pisces, the last sign, in about one hour from now.
The good thing is that most people want to live.
I just found a copy of the weekend USA Today.
The headline is, “In Austin, a chilling echo of terrorism.”
My translation: it’s not terrorism unless an Arab does it. If an American does it, it’s an “echo of terrorism.”
so I am still trending on this one….. there is this plane/IRS offices thing, and there is the bulldozed house I linked to at some point, then this evening, I got the most intriguing email on a little local list I am on…
first is the background context:
Tim DeChristopher’s Wild Legal Ride — LA Times:
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/nov/22/opinion/la-ed-leases22-2009nov22
guy who successfully posed as a serious bidder in auction of lots of gas and oil leases to protect the land from corporate misuse, got caught because of not having the money to actually pay for the land he won, tried to put the system on trial, got stopped (see link above)
So today this floats into my inbox: a locally emailed article reacting to the November 2009 legal decision in DeChristoper’s case. The article is basically calling for an activist response to corporate hegemony:
(excerpt):
(by Derrick Jensen and Lierre Kieth — I do not know if this saw print anywhere, trying to find out, it got emailed to a small gardening email list. Well, a rather radical one, but still…..)
“When a government becomes destructive of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it.
Do you believe that the United States government takes better care of corporations, or human beings?
I don’t know anyone who believes the United States government takes better care of human beings than it does corporations.
Do you believe that your vote counts as much as the votes of owners of transnational oil and gas corporations? Do you believe your vote counts as much as the money of owners of transnational oil and gas corporations?
The United States government is not a democracy. It is a plutocracy: government by, for, and of the wealthy.
It is a kleptocracy: government by, for, and of thieves. These thieves, these extremely wealthy thieves, these thieves who own corporations and the thieves who serve them in the U.S. government, steal communities, and they destroy the land. When they destroy the land, they steal not only the present but the future.
The purpose of a corporation is to amass wealth. That is its function. The function is not to protect communities, not to promote democracy, not to promote the health of the land. Corporations have no morals, and those who run them do not scruple at destroying life on this planet. Indeed, that is precisely what they are doing.
If aliens from outer space came to this planet and did the harm that oil and gas corporations are doing, we would stop them using any means necessary. If aliens from outer space were making it so there were carcinogens in every mother’s breast milk, we would stop them. If they were putting in oil and gas wells all over the planet, we would stop them. If they were changing the climate, we would stop them. If they were destroying landbase after landbase, we would stop them. And if they set up governments to “legalize” their sociopathological behavior, we would stop them.
When a government becomes destructive of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it.
………
etc…….
going on to say basically, use whatever you have to turn this around, use it wisely, but use it — call for action…………..
Eric,
Do you have his birth info yet? I heard it mentioned (date of birth) but didn’t tape it, but the info’s out there. At least the date.
From Nancy Sommers at Starlight News:
HARBINGER
Yesterday, we saw what can happen when the fiery rhetoric of paranoid, anti-government rage morphs into violence. We are being told that the purposeful flying of a plane into the Austin, Texas, IRS offices was not an act of terrorism. That is simply not true. It was a deliberate act of homicidal and suicidal brutality that terrified a city to make a political statement. There is no record of Joseph Stack being mentally unstable. But there is a written record, posted for the world to see, of his self-indulgent feelings of victimization and his fury at a government that dared to ask him to pay his share of taxes for the common good. Sound familiar?
We are living in a world where the twin flames of anger and fear on the fringe are daily doused with gasoline by a right-wing media more interested in lucrative ratings than in the dangerous consequences of its demagoguery. The false narrative being perpetrated is one of increasing victimhood: endless suffering and powerlessness at the hands of an evil government that wants to take our money, control our lives, and destroy our country. Ultimately, this smoldering victimhood leads to a volatile and self-righteous anger, which taken to its extreme will inexorably erupt into violence. While we obsess about the hapless underpants bomber, this imminent danger is metastasizing in our midst, jealously and rather ingenuously protected by “free speech”, and pandered to by conservative politicians too stupid and too cowardly to stand against it.
There are many unsettling and volatile astrological configurations coming to the US in the next five years: Uranus conjunct the IC (if you accept the Sagittarius rising chart), Uranus square Venus, Uranus square and Pluto opposite the Sun. These aspects bespeak rebelliousness, restiveness, profound transformation, and dramatic, possibly violent events. Exactly how they will manifest is anyone’s guess, although we are likely to see some combination of domestic and foreign crises before things settle down. Certainly, the charts of Iran, China, and Russia all suggest that these nations will be impacted by the disruptions and challenges indicated by the coming Uranus/Pluto square (2012 – 2015). Yesterday’s act of domestic terrorism in Austin, Texas, seems to me to be an ominous harbinger of some of what we can expect on the home front. In other words, Joseph Stack is likely to be seen as more of a precursor than an anomaly if we continue unimpeded on the road of irresponsible and incendiary rhetoric upon which we now travel.
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-410629
I’ve been away from TV for a few days — just saw this on CNN.com. Very impressive fire…the whole structure looks involved.
ef
“The hope may be in this: it is becoming impossible to sustain the denial. So. We get to see what humanity is really made of, when certain fictions are burned off….. A harsh view, I know, but it is what I see.”
Not harsh, just (and pardon the expression) saying it like it is.
Kitty, yes to this: “But if all we do is point our finger at this guy and say “he was crazy”, we get to avoid looking at ourselves and the actual state of affairs.”
The hope may be in this: it is becoming impossible to sustain the denial. So. We get to see what humanity is really made of, when certain fictions are burned off….. A harsh view, I know, but it is what I see.
Thinking about it some more … I’m not sure “worrisome” is the right word there.
And as I’m trying to decide what to say about this, I’m observing my hesitation. I need to add fear to the list in my previous comment: frustration, despair, anger and fear. I’m seeing my own fear at this moment, the fear of expressing my thoughts openly. (Ironic for living in a nation that was founded, among other things, upon the principle of free speech.)
OK, here’s what my impression is. We’re entering a time of revolution, and the first shot has been fired.
Keith called him insane? That’s not accurate. The guy knew exactly what he was doing. Irrational maybe – maybe – but he seems pretty rational to me. That’s the thing. I’m not saying he did the “right” thing; and it’s not nice to kill people. Keith seems to have missed how much this seems like an episode of South Park.
A Piper Cherokee! Not a 767. All that’s missing was the whole building collapsing on its footprint 45 minutes later, Obama telling us to go out to eat, and Texas declaring war on itself.
Or reflecting our collective insanity, perhaps? But if all we do is point our finger at this guy and say “he was crazy”, we get to avoid looking at ourselves and the actual state of affairs.
As I observe the people around me (“in real life” as well as online) I’m seeing a lot of frustration, despair and anger. It’s getting doggone difficult to be around a lot of them. They seem to be feeling powerless to do anything. When humans are in that state, they usually either turn their rage against themselves or act it out against others. In the case of the Austin plane crasher, he did both. The note he left essentially describes an act of hara-kiri. If he was indeed a reflection of our collective condition, that’s a tad worrisome.
I agree with KittyJ — although it is a combo, to me, reflecting the collective in an insane way — but this may be a trend being born: “if the “controllers” are coming after my life, (read, my survival) I will make sure they can’t get it.
This guy didn’t kill anyone, he just bulldozed his house to prevent the bank and the IRS from taking it: http://www.wlwt.com/news/22600154/detail.html
And I also suggest this would only be the act of someone who has bought into the paradigm so thickly slathered on out there, that “I am my stuff.”
still……
Wow! How sad this is! How sad, too that this dude chose this form of protest. Perhaps he felt it was the only way to be heard. Understandable given that most of the MSM is controlled by so few. Sadder still that this guy obviously couldn’t see the undertones of revolution already underway. A revolution of a different flavor perhaps but a revolution nonetheless. Our flavor being more Buckminister Fuller than Joe Whoopass.
For example,
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete” – Buckminster Fuller
Kinda like what we do here at Planet Waves.
Anyway.
The tax law Mr. Stack references relates to revisions to the independent contractor rules. The tax laws differentiate between an employers tax obligation with regard to employees vs independent contractors. Many employers prefer independenet contractors to actual employees as it removes responsibility for employment taxes (among other expenses). There are some professions that if historically considered ‘independent’ are taken at face value – called a ‘safe harbor’ rule. Used to be that technical workers were among those. In 1986 those rules were changed under that act mentioned to require proof of independent status.
Seems I heard that Mr. Stack twice had trouble with the California taxing authorties in this regard. While I didn’t hear details, the likely scenario is that he was an employer and his ‘independents’ didn’t pass the 20 point test that the taxing authorties use to assess independent vs employee. When this happens HUGE interest & penalties are assessed. Further, as an employer, the owner is personally liable for the employment tax obligations of the corporation/entity – an obligation that one can’t even evade in bankruptcy. It is possibly this that caused him to ‘lose his retirement’ on at least two occasions.
Sad.
I think that labelling this “the act of an insane person” is a symptom of denial. Look at that 11th house stellium – this individual’s act reflected the collective.
I’m taking a class on the psychology of terrorism right now. I’ll be interested to see what my professor has to say about this in class next week.
Keith Olbermann is saying that its an “act of an insane person.” He also mentions Facebook closing down pages that salute Mr. Stack.
There is a lot in this chart that I did not see initially. Look at the Moon, exactly square the nodes like that.
I agree that this man was desperate, but I think that this desperation is going around in more quiet ways, with people who hold it together. I know someone who has a 50K revolving credit line with $35K out from American Express; which was originally at 8% and used to finance the renovation of a business. Two late payments (on his card, by one day) and the whole thing jumped to 29% — more expensive than you can borrow on the street. That is a lot of money every month, to turn to a credit card-level of interest.
Everyone has some story like this, or is close to it. The economy is being revealed as a Ponzi scheme. The words “trickle down” still ring cynically in my ears from the Reagan admin. The “great big sucking sound” is more like it.
This is parallel to a mental freeze / freeze of potential that many feel now. We need to bring the warmth and thaw this out and tap into the potential of the energy that is within and around us. Basically in the words of my mentor/therapist, we have to make it work for us. This is not about hope but about ingenuity.
Now Huffy’s reporting that Stack posted an “anti-government screed.” (Touchy, ain’t they.) Most of the blog responses I’ve read think he was whiney. Me, I think both miss the point with this disturbed soul. From the tone and length of his letter, he seems to affirm that American mythologies die very hard and desperation is very close to the surface. This is a story that just makes me sad for everybody.
I live less than 1 mile from the crash site, as the crow flies. I am also a native Austinite. Joe’s message hits close to home in more ways than one. I won’t comment on specifics in his message, but anyone who is paying attention agrees that he was expressing truths that most Americans continue to ignore…I suppose in the hope that ignoring these ugly truths will make them somehow personally irrelevant.
What I do want to comment on specifically are the remarks made by Austin’s smart-ass Chief of Police, Art Acevedo, during his first press conference on this event…remarks that were eerily reminiscent of remarks made by George Bu(ll)sh(it) after 9/11.
First and foremost, he stated that everyone should go about their day as if nothing had happened. He further stated that people should just view this day like any other ordinary day, and that the events should not affect anyone’s existing plans for their day. He stopped short of suggesting that we all go shopping as Bush did after 9/11, but his message was just as unbelievable.
Upon being asked by a reporter how he could be certain there was nothing further to be concerned about, Chief Acevedo said–and I quote–“You’ll just have to take my word for that, now won’t you?”
Clearly, Chief Acevedo would prefer that Austin citizens shut up, quit asking questions, let authority figures tell them how to feel and what to think, and re-define their view of “a normal day” to include buildings exploding along the path of your morning commute.
Frankly, I don’t know how much more I can take either. While it is not in my nature to randomly harm others out of rage and frustration, I’m struggling to figure out what to do with the righteous anger that now inhabits my soul on a daily basis.
Kids, we ain’t seen nothing yet. This is going on with mellow, lovey-dovey planets in Pisces. We have one month of Sun Pisces coming as of 10 minutes ago, a few of Jupiter Pisces…and suddenly everything goes into Aries; that is, Uranus dips into the fire, so does Jupiter, then there is a Jupiter-Uranus conjunction on the Aries Point. Uranus alone anywhere on the cardinal cross is huge; and when other planets show up, the magnitude goes up — 1989 case in point, Capricorn extravaganza.
The last time there was a Jupiter-Uranus conjunction on the Aries Point was summer 69 – in Libra. That was Woodstock, Moon landing, Manson murders…on and on…now this one is going to be in Aries. Uranus, Aries Point — fast, sudden — Jupiter, big, global. I don’t know if the world is alert enough to get a hold of this one. The potential is amazing, but you can’t be in a stupor. It’s a power tool.
Thank you, Eric, for the quick and perceptive combination of journalism and astrology. Thanks to Fe and all / anyone else who helped Eric pull this together. It’s doubtful that any news organization, no matter how large or well staffed, has assembled anything that is as informative as this piece.
Of course, the actual situation is very tragic. That an apparently intelligent and resourceful human being could rationalize such an act… it’s enough to provoke tears (and has for me). Human life is so much more than money and our relation to it. So very, very sad.
Diary on incident from Daily Kos:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/2/18/833485/-Suicide-Plane-Attack-on-Austin-IRS-BuildingTerrorism
Jeebus, eric:
Its these tragedies that keep coming up–almost working at an accelerated pace.
Reading the front page from the bottom up, what an interesting chronology of the planets and the people whose lives are being affected. You were right when you said “we’re going to have to put our running shoes on because the news is getting real interesting”. Days like this prove your point.