February 19, 2010 - Joseph Andrew Stack, a pilot who had many conflicting thoughts as noted in his manifesto, made a public declaration of his anger on Thursday. At about 9:45 AM, Stack was cleared by air traffic control at Georgetown Municipal Airport, Georgetown, Texas, for take off in his Piper Dakota PA-28-236, with a tail number N2889D.

The controller asked, "89D what is your direction of flight sir." Stack replied, "southbound." Tower replied, "super." Upon exiting the airport control zone, the tower informed Stack, "89D frequency change approved southbound have a good day." Stack replied, "thanks for your help you too." Stack, flying by ground references, continued to fly southbound to Austin, Texas, about 40 miles. Stack flew parallel to Interstate 35 highway. When he reached Route 1 he made a westerly turn, descended just above treetops and traffic lights at full speed, and then flew directly into the Echelon Building located in Austin.

The building, seven stories tall, immediately burst into flames, and windows began popping out from the heat. One witness stated the impact was ?like an earthquake?. An official, said off the, investigators have determined that the Piper had several seats removed and that a fuel drum was missing from the airport. "I think there is a good chance he might have put it on his plane," said the official. The single engine plane has a fuel tank capacity of 38 gallons and is equipped with four seats.

The building occupants included about 190 internal revenue personnel. Within moments, the police and fire departments were on scene. North American Aerospace Defense Command launched two F-16 fighter aircraft from Ellington Field in Houston to conduct an air patrol in response to the crash. The US Department of Homeland Security has reported it considers this act to be a "deliberate criminal act" and not a terrorist act. Austin police have reported that 13 people were treated for minor injuries, two where critically injured.

Emergency crews recovered two bodies. Austin Fire Department Battalion Chief Palmer Buck declined to discuss the identities of those found, but said authorities had now "accounted for everybody." Police further state that Stack's two story red brick home worth $230,000, located in a subdivision of Austin two miles  from the crash was set on fire and completely destroyed. The National Transportation Safety Board has transferred control of the investigation into yesterday's crash of a small aircraft into an office building in Austin, Texas to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Stake was a software engineer, father and a former member of the Billy Eli band. "He was a regular, easygoing Joe," said Billy Eli. Stack played bass for the band until a few years ago. Friends say they had no clue of the rage tormenting Stack.  Police say Sheryl Stack spent Wednesday night in and their child in an Austin-area hotel but did not say why. Stack's wife, Sheryl Stack, expressed her "sincere sympathy to the victims and their families" on Friday. "Words cannot adequately express the sorrow or the sympathy I feel for everyone affected by this unimaginable tragedy," she said in a statement read by a family friend, Rayford Walker.

Joseph Andrew Stack typed his feelings, anger and his intentions and had posted it to a company website that he owned. By definition this outline document has been considered a manifesto because it includes the elements of a public declaration of principles and intentions. Just before Stack set fire to his home and boarded his aircraft, Stack added his final comments to the manifesto which amounted to an expression of a great deal of anger and it was his suicide note.  In Stacks writings he spoke of his frustration and anger with the IRS and tax code, his frustration with the lack of a proper health care system, etc.

?If you're reading this, you're no doubt asking yourself, "Why did this have to happen?" The simple truth is that it is complicated and has been coming for a long time. The writing process, started many months ago, was intended to be therapy in the face of the looming realization that there isn't enough therapy in the world that can fix what is really broken. Needless to say, this rant could fill volumes with example after example if I would let it. I find the process of writing it frustrating, tedious, and probably pointless... especially given my gross inability to gracefully articulate my thoughts in light of the storm raging in my head. Exactly what is therapeutic about that I'm not sure, but desperate times call for desperate measures?.

?I know I'm hardly the first one to decide I have had all I can stand. It has always been a myth that people have stopped dying for their freedom in this country, and it isn't limited to the blacks, and poor immigrants. I know there have been countless before me and there are sure to be as many after. But I also know that by not adding my body to the count, I insure nothing will change. I choose to not keep looking over my shoulder at "big brother" while he strips my carcass, I choose not to ignore what is going on all around me, I choose not to pretend that business as usual won't continue; I have just had enough?.