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28 Sep 2010 11:14

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U.S.: University of Texas on lockdown, warning in wake of shooting

  • It’s still early, but there’s no word of any other victims. The University of Texas at Austin is currently in lockdown because of a gunman who fired eight to ten shots in short bursts. He was reported to be wearing a black ski mask, and police have confirmed that he has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Thoughts and prayers to the University of Texas – every time there’s a school shooting, it doesn’t get any less scary. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Feb 2010 20:40

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U.S.: One widow sues another: The Austin crash becomes a legal battle

  • Vernon Hunter’s wife says Sheryl Stack should’ve known Joe was a threat. Joe Stack may have died in his ill-guided plane crash, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be any lawsuits. Valerie Hunter is suing Sheryl Stack, saying her actions – including taking her daughter with her to a hotel the night before the crash – suggest she knew something like this might happen. In other news, there’s lots of ego-waving over the incident happening right now, including this example. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Feb 2010 09:25

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U.S.: Who’s the hero in the Joe Stack IRS attack? Depends on who you ask

  • His last actions, the suicide, the catastrophe that caused injuries and death, that was wrong. But if nobody comes out and speaks up on behalf of injustice, then nothing will ever be accomplished. But I do not agree with his last action with what he did. But I do agree about the government.
  • Joe Stack’s daughter Samantha Bell • Regarding her opinion on what her father did. Without condoning the action of crashing into an IRS building in Austin, Bell condoned the intent of the action, which was to bring attention to U.S. tax laws. Ken Hunter, whose father Vernon Hunter died in Stack’s plane crash attack, disagreed completely, as one might assume considering the fact that his dad died in the attack. “How can you call someone a hero who after he burns down his house, gets into his plane… and drive it into the building to kill people?,” he said. “My dad Vernon did two tours of duty in Vietnam. My dad’s a hero.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Feb 2010 12:06

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U.S.: Plane-crasher Joe Stack’s big issue may have been unfair tax policy

  • What policy? A 1978 law limited how employers could be punished for misclassifying employees as contractors, but in 1986 an exception was made for engineers and computer workers specifically.
  • The effect The exception affected workers like Stack, forcing the employees to have to pay back taxes if the IRS found that they were misclassified. It’s an issue Obama’s still trying to reform today.
  • Joe’s issue Stack spent $5,000 of his own money lobbying to change the law to no effect. The change forced him to pay significant backroll taxes due to his contractor status. He compared himself to a slave. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Feb 2010 20:37

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Politics: Plane-crasher Joe Stack: Terrorism or a really pissed off crazy dude?

  • I know this guy wasn’t part of al Qaida or a white power group, but how can this not qualify as an act of terrorism given the obvious political motive, however nutty it was?
  • True/Slant blogger Michael Roston • Discussing crazy guy Joe Stack, who crashed a plane into an Austin, Tx. IRS building today. Nobody was killed except for Stack, but for whatever reason, the case isn’t being treated like a terrorism thang despite the fact that it looks like, smells like, and quacks like a duck. Roston isn’t alone in debating the political implications of this insane case, with this guy getting tied to liberals, tea partiers, conservatives, and anyone that won’t have him. Personally, we’d stick him with the Lyndon LaRouche company just because we need to stick him somewhere. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Feb 2010 12:04

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U.S.: From the scene: Austin office building crash live video

  • Early word was that the plane hit an FBI office building, but it appears to have hit NEAR an FBI office building instead, which is less bad. MyFox Austin has a live stream of what’s going on. Fingers crossed for Austin residents. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

18 Feb 2010 11:52

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U.S.: A small plane hit a building in Austin, Tx. Twitter’s on the scene, kinda



Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

19 Sep 2009 10:36

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U.S.: Austin’s police chief: I’m going after anonymous interweb trolls

  • A lot of my people feel it is time to take these people on. They understand the damage to the organization, and quite frankly, when people are willfully misleading and lying, they are pretty much cowards anyway because they are doing so under the cloak of anonymity.
  • Austin, Tx. police chief Art Acevedo • On his department’s decision to go after trolls on the Internet. On the Internet. Dude’s playing with fire by suggesting his department might investigate or even charge anonymous posters. Doesn’t he know what anonymous can do? • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Apr 2009 20:33

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Politics, U.S.: Texas governor Rick Perry is talking secession. Pssh, whatever.

  • Tea parties make you say the craziest things. Perry, who spoke at a number of tea parties today, was in Austin when he loudly proclaimed, “Secede!” He said Texas could get so riled up that they might want to secede, but probably won’t. Well, why did you say it, then? Every state could want to secede. And you guys aren’t even Quebecers with your weird dialect of French. You have no good reason to secede. We don’t want to have to bring a passport when we go to SXSW, OK? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 4 Comments • Permalink

02 Apr 2009 10:39

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Offbeat, U.S.: Austin’s hospital system is working well for a handful of folks

  • nine people keep visiting the emergency room in the Austin area source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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