Anti-IRS Rant of Software Engineer who Today Flew Plane into IRS Building • Hacker News Board

Re: Anti-IRS Rant of Software Engineer who Today Flew Plane into IRS Building

#91

Post by inc » Thu, Feb 18, 2010, 9:47 PM UTC

markpercival wrote: post #7

The site was pulled down, here's the copy of the rant: 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. The writing process, started many months ago, was intended to be therapy in the face of the looming realization that there isn’t enough therapy in the world that can fix what is really broken. Need…

The deck is stacked everywhere, but so what? Get over it. An engineer has the ability to improve the world by building better things without resorting to destruction.

Re: Anti-IRS Rant of Software Engineer who Today Flew Plane into IRS Building

#92

Post by lsc » Thu, Feb 18, 2010, 9:50 PM UTC

I was considering going to SCALE this weekend, but maybe I'll take the train or not go after all.

Like many people on HN, I am pretty close to the guy's profile. I've been negatively effected by SEC. 1706 - now, I'm far to cynical to think such things can be changed, and I'm not really the murder/suicide type but, uh, I certainly fit the profile.

Re: Anti-IRS Rant of Software Engineer who Today Flew Plane into IRS Building

#93

Post by madair » Thu, Feb 18, 2010, 9:51 PM UTC

moron4hire wrote: post #82

I find it laughable that he suggests that the solution to this problem is somehow Communism.

That's not what he says. He just quotes the creed in order to play off of it regarding capitalism.

Re: Anti-IRS Rant of Software Engineer who Today Flew Plane into IRS Building

#94

Post by lsc » Thu, Feb 18, 2010, 10:00 PM UTC

BigZaphod wrote: post #77

CoryMathews wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It did ramble and drift a bit but it all added to his story.. just very slowly. I don't think he should have flown a plane into the building. However I believe he did it because he tried the proper way spending over $5k of his own money and months of his time to change it. No one listened/cared (which is the main problem) about his problem. So when push came to shove and the government and businesses took everything…

But what, really, was his problem that no one was listening to? I couldn't really figure that part out. It seemed to me that he was just pissed off the government wanted to collect taxes and annoyed that some people were a lot richer than he was.

It looked to me like he was complaining specifically about sec. 1706 forcing independent contractors to go through body shops.

Re: Anti-IRS Rant of Software Engineer who Today Flew Plane into IRS Building

#95

Post by jsz0 » Thu, Feb 18, 2010, 10:02 PM UTC

I'm convinced that domestic terrorism is going to be a bigger problem over the next couple of decades than foreign attacks. The political discourse/tolerance in this country has gone downhill significantly even in my lifetime. I can only imagine at the extreme fringes these people have gone off the deep end. We see it over and over again. Probably the most disturbing sign of what to come is the 2008 election where the VP candidate for one of the two major parties was openly inciting hatred and smiling as people in the audience shouted horrible things.

Re: Anti-IRS Rant of Software Engineer who Today Flew Plane into IRS Building

#96

Post by johnrob » Thu, Feb 18, 2010, 10:02 PM UTC

inc wrote: post #91

markpercival wrote: post #7

The site was pulled down, here's the copy of the rant: 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. The writing process, started many months ago, was intended to be therapy in the face of the looming realization that there isn’t enough therapy in the world that can fix what is really broken. Need…

The deck is stacked everywhere, but so what? Get over it. An engineer has the ability to improve the world by building better things without resorting to destruction.

Easier said than done. In the long run, I don't see humanity surviving if it doesn't figure out how to keep smart, disgruntled people in check.

Re: Anti-IRS Rant of Software Engineer who Today Flew Plane into IRS Building

#97

Post by wedesoft » Thu, Feb 18, 2010, 10:22 PM UTC

In 2008 somebody in Germany got fed up with the high taxes on fuel. He couldn't afford to run his business (which required a car) any more. So he parked the car on a lawn in the city centre of Frankfurt, wrote "Fuel Profiteering http://www.acidware.de/ in big letters on it, and put it on fire.

I just want to say that there are other routes to explore before taking it this far.

http://www.spiegel.de/auto/aktuell/0,1518,562570,00.html

Re: Anti-IRS Rant of Software Engineer who Today Flew Plane into IRS Building

#98

Post by kelnos » Thu, Feb 18, 2010, 10:31 PM UTC

johnrob wrote: post #96

inc wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The deck is stacked everywhere, but so what? Get over it. An engineer has the ability to improve the world by building better things without resorting to destruction.

Easier said than done. In the long run, I don't see humanity surviving if it doesn't figure out how to keep smart, disgruntled people in check.

That's rather defeatist. I'd say humanity doesn't have a chance of surviving if it doesn't figure out how to address the concerns of smart, disgruntled people.

Keeping them in check just delays the inevitable meltdown.

Re: Anti-IRS Rant of Software Engineer who Today Flew Plane into IRS Building

#99

Post by kelnos » Thu, Feb 18, 2010, 10:34 PM UTC

scott_s wrote: post #59

BigZaphod wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would you be so quick to assume the terrorism label if he hadn't used an airplane to commit his crime? I do think that's going to color a lot of people's perception of this wording issue. I suspect they don't believe the term applies because he didn't claim to be acting on the part of an organized group or even a very specific ideology. His note made it pretty clear he thought of himself as some kind of lone warrior…

Read the final two paragraphs of his screed (posted in this thread). He says that he wants his act of violence to initiate change - I assume in the IRS specifically, but also in American politics in general. That's the definition of terrorism. Terrorism does not have to be initiated on behalf of a group or a specific ideology. The definition is "the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for politi…

"He says that he wants his act of violence to initiate change - I assume in the IRS specifically, but also in American politics in general. That's the definition of terrorism."

Tell that to Thomas Jefferson and George Washington...

Re: Anti-IRS Rant of Software Engineer who Today Flew Plane into IRS Building

#100

Post by Vivtek » Thu, Feb 18, 2010, 10:35 PM UTC

BigZaphod wrote: post #25

tlrobinson wrote: post #15

What are people's thoughts on the hosting company pulling the site so quickly at the request of the FBI? Would they legally be required to? IANAL but I can't think of any reason.

I certainly can't say I know the law in this respect. His rant did include the names of a few people which could possibly be bad for them, but it's too late now - it was posted online, cached by lots of spiders, copied by lots of people... Pulling it down now doesn't seem like it'd much matter.

They have a link to the copy at the Smoking Gun, right where it's down; I'd say this was a question of keeping the FBI happy without actually impeding the flow of information.