A Marvelous Prospect

Yesterday a  middle-aged man dive-bombed his Piper Cherokee into an IRS building in Austin, Texas. Why? And what will the outcomes likely be? And oh yes, what is the real answer?

Joseph Stack was frustrated (obviously) with the U.S. tax codes and the IRS, as evidenced by a scan-read of his wandering, ranting manifesto. Why did he turn to violence? Simply stated – no hope. And no moral restraint. No understanding of the fallen world in which we live and his place in it. A self-centered worldview with no where else to turn.

So, what’s the likely outcome? He ranted about tyranny, but his act will likely result in more, not less. On the news the commentators were discussing the fact that “he didn’t file a flight plan.” As a private pilot, I can tell you that I did not file a flight plan for 95% of my flights. When I was actively flying, a flight plan was for my protection, not my control. It advised the FAA of my intentions, just in case I didn’t show up when expected, they would have an idea where to look for me.

I’m betting this will change, reducing even more the individual’s freedom and ability to take off and enjoy the sheer pleasure of being in the air. A lost freedom – which equals more tyranny.We want security. When we can’t trust our neighbors to behave civilly, we accept more and more laws to force them to behave. More regulations, fewer freedoms. Chained.

So, what is the answer? You already know. First, let me say that the corrupt government that Scott ranted about is an outcome of a self-centered worldview. If this world is all there is, then while I’m here, I need to make my life as good as I can. Use whatever means possible to be good to myself. Use whatever power I can grab to slant things my direction. Not a whole lot of room for altruism there. And Scott is probably right – at least partially – about the favored treatment that cronies get when the laws are written.

But if my view of the world is that those around me have innate dignity and worth because they are made in God’s image, then I have a different attitude toward them. If I understand that God created this world and saw that it was good, and that he gave me a free will so that I could love him, I might find a cause for hope and joy. If I know that the same free will could be bent and become evil, but that the evil was overcome by Jesus’ atoning death on the cross, then I can choose to live my life in gratitude for that; I can choose to try to honor him and reflect his glory – despite my circumstances.

No, I don’t lie down and let a corrupt government crush me. I stand. I stand in power and faith. I have my eye on the far horizon – not for some pie-in-the-sky-by-and-by, but as a reason to live purposefully and self-sacrificially, knowing that I can be part of the solution – restoration, and not part of the problem.

Sources:

His manifesto: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,586627,00.html

Don’t believe my prediction about loss of freedom – read this article:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,586904,00.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Flatest+%28Text+-+Latest+Headlines%29

Joseph Stack, the 53-year-old software engineer who crashed his small plane into a seven-story office building in Austin, Texas, was part of a growing, violent anti-tax and anti-government movement that has become increasingly alarming to law enforcement agencies.

1. John says:

   February 20, 2010 at 10:01 AM

   Well, well, well…

   Texas Plane Crash Exposes Gap In US Air Security

   GEORGETOWN, Texas – After 9/11, cockpit doors were sealed, air marshals were added and airport searches became more aggressive, all to make sure an airliner could never again be used as a weapon. Yet little has been done to guard against attacks with smaller planes.

   That point was driven home with chilling force on Thursday when a Texas man with a grudge against the IRS crashed his single-engine plane into an office building in a fiery suicide attack. One person inside the building was also killed.

   “It’s a big gap,” said R. William Johnstone, an aviation security consultant and former staff member of the commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks. “It wouldn’t take much, even a minor incident involving two simultaneously attacking planes, to inflict enough damage to set off alarm bells and do some serious harm to the economy and national psyche.”