Free-Market Analysis: That didn’t take long. The tragic incident of a man flying a plane into an IRS building in Texas almost immediately conjured up articles in the mainstream press expressing concern over the violent impacts of libertarian and free market rhetoric. Joe Stack apparently set his house on fire with his family in it (they barely escaped) and then flew a plane into a building, but the mainstream press doesn’t seem very concerned with the human dimension. It is the rhetorical arguments that fascinate. Here’s some more from the Time Magazine story that was obviously rushed into print, on the Internet anyway:
After the fireball … the black-glass windows blew out and the Venetian blinds starting flapping in the wind. The building houses regional offices of the IRS and other federal agencies. As one unidentified office worker from the building said, “If you have problems with the IRS, this is where you come in person to work them out.” According to news reports, 199 IRS employees work in the building, and all are accounted for. Toward the end of what appears to be his final note, Stack wrote, “Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let’s try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well.” (See the making of the Tea Party movement.)
