Response To The Plane Suicide Tragedy In Austin, Texas

By this time everyone nation-wide has heard or read about the tragic plane suicide in Austin, Texas. So far, few seem to comprehend the underlying cause of this tragedy and why the man acted as he did. This man was driven NOT alone by insanity as most would believe, but by our current national situation which plagued this individual’s life, one he no longer could tolerate.

By this time everyone nation-wide has heard or read about the tragic plane suicide in Austin, Texas.

So far, few seem to comprehend the underlying cause of this tragedy and why the man acted as he did. This man was driven NOT alone by insanity as most would believe, but by our current national situation which plagued this individual’s life, one he no longer could tolerate.

According to various reports, 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.

Many of the “righteous” people never comprehend the theft of our individual rights. They 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 man 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.

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 reviewing our current life situation. Congress and leaders at various levels would be smart to consider our current and future direction.

Again I must state that, “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 limitation.

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 America 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!!!

Peter Stern, a former director of information services, university professor and public school administrator, is a disabled Vietnam veteran who lives in Driftwood, Texas.