Read the updates in the Austin American-Statesman. Video reports are also available at the KVUE web site: http://www.kvue.com/
Claudia Grisales/Statesman
Austin police say a plane has crashed into a building in the 9400 block of Research Boulevard. Austin-Travis County EMS Assistant Director James Shamard said smoke is visible for at least a mile and that paramedics have set up a triage center at the scene. “We have no idea right now if there are any patients, or how many.”
EMS officials said it was a seven-story building and that two people were unaccounted for. A witness said it was the Echelon I building.
According to an FBI agent who asked not to be identified because he isn’t authorized to release information, the incident is being investigated as an accident, although eyewitnesses said the plane seemed to come in at full throttle. He said the plane was out of Waco and that Federal Aviation Administration officials are en route to the scene.
17 comments:
Apparently, this was the product of one deranged mind, not a conspiracy. Boy, this failed régime in Washington has really put the conspiracy theorists over the edge. Everything bad that happens has to be caused by right wingers, what a crock.
Robin in the Hood, when you get old enough to vote I hope you will have learned more about life, this great Country and your fellow man.
So far on this blog, no one seems to get it. This man was driven NOT by insanity, but by our current national situation which he no longer could tolerate.
This was a man who tried to do the right thing in his life. He had a good job, married, home, family and then was hit by several years of external actions that eliminated his job, savings, earnings and he lost his American dream. The man reached his mental capacity and could not accept the anguish of his disrupted life, ongoing unemployment and a government that was not receptive to his issues.
Look around, it is happening to millions of people. On various levels, we all are much like this man. It is a thin line.
Millions of people have lost "their lives" due to the need for greed by government and the corporate sector.
Now that millions lost their jobs and homes, it is the worst time in our history along with the Great Depression.
Still big business and our Congress refuse to hire Americans.
Millions of people are trying to survive this economic depression.
There are no incentives to hire Americans, hence there are no jobs.
I found this incident very sad for the employees in that building but also for the man who clearly was not a nut or deranged.
He was very lucid in his writing and his complaints and dissatisfaction with his life should be a bell ringing for our leaders, the corporate sector and for all of us.
It is another sign that all is NOT well in the U.S.
It is a wake up call to get back on track.
It is an acknowledgment that massive unemployment is destroying American lives.
It is a banner to initiate change in the way our government and the IRS deals with Americans, a need to restructure in a more humane way.
Basically, it is a cry out for help, echoing a need for change.
There is no doubt that this man's frustrated and frantic actions will make people believe he simply was a deranged man, an isolated incident.
However, it is much more than that and people should look at it from a different viewpoint, because this man's words make more sense when reviewed under the current situation.
Don once again misses the point and did exactly what I said the right wing deniers would do. And Al-Anonymous 1 says the reason for his actions was because he was a good American but couldn't overcome the big bad meanie of government abuse. Hey Al-Anonymous, we are all at one time or another victims of government abuse but we don't try to kill people with a suicide attack. Don and Al-Anon 1 needs some therapy.
The right wing hate that now exists in this country gives wounded angry people like this pilot an excuse to blame the government for his own failures and false beliefs. This current hate gives deranged individuals a veritable support network to justify their terrorist actions. Just because he acted on his own still makes him an anti-government terrorist.
No, this is not an organized right wing conspiracy. But just look at the comments and irresponsible statements made by the Tea Party sympathizers that the "government made him to it." This is a complete lie and a sign of many other deranged individuals who must blame anything other than themselves for their own failures and irresponsible thinking.
The pilot and the purveyors of hate are the new American Taliban. Look for more right wing nutcases to go down in flames because they want to make a statement and be perceived as a hero by the hate mongers. Hopefully they will not harm anyone else in the process.
Robin in the Hood is exactly right. The thoughts of Don and the first Anon sound just like the Tea Party rhetoric: Blame someone or something for their own failures and ignorance.
The irony of it all is that with these hate partiers they need the government to bail them out when they prove their inability to succeed or think rationally. Without government to protect them from themselves by having the rule of law - many of the haters would be criminals.
Just look at the banking, brokerage and mortgage criminals. They get saved by the government and then scream bloody murder when the government tries to protect consumers from these greedy outlaws.
Interestingly, the ignorance of the hate mongers is being blatantly exploited and used by master opportunists like Rick Perry, Sarah Palin, Dick Cheney, etc. -- when it is these same people and their power greed that screwed them in the first place.
Incredible!
What I would hope is that in the future the angry anti-government suiciders perform self-immolation as their statement. The Buddist monks during the Vietnam War had the courage to not make others suffer when they set themselves on fire to make a statement. American haters don't seem to have that courage.
So much talk of hate and extremism. Give it a rest. It's nothing new, just a terrible cycle our old world has seen since the dawn of civilization. Assume the Lotus position. Breathe. Imagine all things good and peaceful. Become one with a transformed world.
You "righteous" people never comprehend the theft of our individual rights.
Hood and Ralph need to clean the windows of their homes so they can see how the rest of Americans are trying to survive in this nation.
I don't agree with what this guy did, but I can understand how and where his mind snapped.
He was destructive to himself AND other people and property. There is no justification for that.
However, it should be a wake-up call to leaders that what they have done is NOT working.
There will be other acts of frustration and anger. It is the nature of the problem.
Greed is the cause of most of our ills. Power has corrupted our system.
It needs to change.
Unfortunately, most of the time people do not change unless SOMETHING profoundly definitive or tragic occurs.
I would offer that this action is a sign of our current culture and its failure for many.
It will continue to get worse until the leadership of this nation changes, but there is little hope for that. So hold on to your hats and your possessions!
Dear Non-Righteous Anonymous:
Leaders are not causing people to commit suicidal attacks. It is our own individual responsibility to take care of our own sanity. If you are abused as a child and act crazy, get therapy.
And no government makes people try to kill innocents. That is the lie behind all of this new hate in America. What hypocrisy it is blaming our government for someone's insame actions. We are not in Somalia.
Totally bogus thinking on your part.
Ralph you did NOT read what I wrote. You have THAT "righteous" mentality I spoke of.
I said:
"I don't agree with what this guy did, but I can understand how and where his mind snapped.
He was destructive to himself AND other people and property. There is no justification for that."
Our leaders are NOT without fault here.
I agree that we are responsible for ourselves, our families and our actions. That should be obvious to most.
However, what our leaders in Washington and at local levels have done to us is NOT without their own lack of responsibility to the people they are supposed to service. They shirked their responsibility in the name of greed, power and corruption.
So did the corporate sector.
This plane occurrence is another sign, a symbol, of what state our nation is in.
If you choose to dismiss what happened as "just an insane person" and as an isolated incidence, you not only are not acting in a responsible manner as a citizen, but you are in for many more surprises if the government and business continue to act irresponsibly to the people.
No jobs.
Losing homes.
Higher taxation.
Higher cost of living, but no COLA's for those elderly and disabled on fixed income.
Continued ineptness and inaction by our Congress.
You can not look at these and other issues and say that leaders do not have a hand in testing our fortitude and perseverance to their maximum.
Everyone, each of us, has a breaking point. This man reached his.
I do NOT accept what he did. It was cowardly and horrific. But I recognize that he reached his limit and acted with malice and treachery. It is unforgiveable.
However, we are an American community, and if one person reacts in such a destructive and horrific manner, we all have failed that person. We all share some responsibility.
It has taken decades to get to this point in our society.
If you can't see all this, along with the fact that we all share responsibility for one another, then you are a shallow and ignorant person.
We have and we are letting government and business ruin blatantly the American we once were supremely proud of.
We need to get back on-track.
Again, like it or not, this was yet another wake-up call that those in Washington and on Wall Street simply turn over and hit the snooze button to return to sleep.
Wake up!!!
To the Rationalizing Anon:
There you go again. You continue to outsource the blame for this deranged man's actions. With just a little modification, you could be the international apologist for the 9/11 attacks. Why not just say that American foreign policy and our backing of corrupt Islamic dictators was the reason we got attacked? "Yes, they just 'reached their breaking point' because of all the US military bases in Arabia and the selling of our oil to the devil imperialist."
What past America are you talking about? The old America where proud people used to take responsibility for their own lives and not try to defer blame of their failures on liberals, reverse discrimination, faux socialism, and illegal immigrants? Yes, we have lost that America, and your comments are a result of it.
We have always had corrupt politicians, greedy corporations, and a crazy side to this country. You think you are being compassionate or realistic by outlining the pilot's political reasons for trying to kill people? Yes, Ted Bundy's flaky mother was a product of America's poor parenting practices -- so he just snapped and did what he did. So I guess I will just warn all mothers about responsible child rearing - and if they don't take heed - we will see many more serial killers.
What you resent about my confronting your view is that your comments are in no way healthy to excuse this man's actions. Thinking you are being compassionate and understanding by laying any blame outside this man's own personal decision making cannot be justified.
I am not trying to get in some ego battle with you. I just believe it is dangerous thinking to point your finger at external reasons for an attempted mass murder. You need to learn to draw the line somewhere. Finger pointing like yours is a sign America has lost its way.
The right wing hate is very similar to the nutty thinking in this pilot's mind. And the Republican Party is fanning the flames of this hate. Are you going to be part of this problem or are you going to be part of the solution.
The first thing all American citizens need to do is have the courage to look inside ourselves and see what part of our own thinking and actions is really causing our anger and violence. Some people don't have that courage. Those of us who do have the courage may be able to raise children who will be the future leaders who reverse America's social and economic decline.
I finally obtained a copy of Joe Stack’s letter explaining, that which led up to his actions. I had thought he must be a nut case but after reading his letter I have changed my mind. I am convinced that he was neither insane or a member of some greater conspiracy. He appears to have been neither left nor right on the issues. He appears to have been a victim of circumstance. What a shame that some posters here used this tragedy to promote their political slant. It seems that many are afraid to make an objective comment here.
His letter makes some sense even though his murderous act does not. I recommend that you find a copy of Joe’s letter and read it yourself before making rash hateful comments here. It may be hard to find a copy, for reasons I can only imagine. I feel bad for Joe’s family and his victim’s families, so sad. I felt Joe’s pain and you might as well, after reading his letter with an open mind.
If it's the same letter we read (more like a journal), you can find it in the Friday Feb. 19th edition of the Austin American-Statesman. Thanks, Objective Reader, for your astute observations.
Objective Reader,
Give me a break. A suicide bomber "He appears to have been a victim of circumstance." Tell that to the family of the others killed or burned severely that "they were a victim of circimstance."
Sorry, but NOTHING, NOTHING justifies an airplane suicide attack where innocent people get killed and maimed.
Compassion is one thing; but foolish thinking is another thing all together.
The point I am making is not whether this suicide pilot was a Tea Partier or a right wing nut. What I am indignant about is the aberrant thinking from the responders who are trying to blame "the system" for a miniature version of a 9/11 style attack.
And I'm sure Joe Stack was not chronically insane. But he was undoubtably insane at the time of the incident or he would not have done what he did.
Sure, you can feel sorry for him and his family. And I am sure real life circumstances drove him to his mental break. Yet it is socially irresponsible to try to blame government, the IRS, politicians - anyone - for his actions.
I don't know this for a fact but I would bet Joe Stack did not seek psychiatric or counseling help or help from a minister or priest when he started thinking about what he was going to do. Without competent help, he probably let himself get so depressed his mind went into malfunction and his anger and frustration made him turn to vengence. Sad as it was, there really can be no other explanation.
In the end, though, excusing and justifying his actions by blaming external forces will only lead to no one learning a lesson from this tragedy. In fact, it only makes it worse.
Ralph, your punishment should be to be tied to a chair and listen to your own rantings.
You are failing to comprehend what the Anon was trying to say.
You seem to twist things around for your own obscure agenda. You are like the big bully on the block.
Did you ever ride a jackass? No? Well get onto yourself.
Wow, Ms, Objective Reader is hardly objective. She is angry because I point out that there are way too many people in the world who act or think like victims. People like her never get it. Compassion and justifying or excusing such a tragedy are not the same thing. If my "rantings" make people angry or uncomfortable, so be it.
If Mr. Stack's first name was "Hussein", would Ms. Objective Reader and all the other angry responder be so compassionate and understanding of Mr. Hussein Stack? I seriously doubt it.
The only real victims in this story are the poor souls in the building that day and the family and friends Mr. Stack left behind.
End of story.
So, a person's name would make you decide whether or not to show compassion or understanding for him or her?
Isn't that "a bit" bias????
If you weren't so bias and rigid in your thinking, I would consider some of your points worthy of more discourse.
I speak from my own experience in our society re: how often people react to my last name, especially in the professional world and even within the local community. It is racism.
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