Joe Stack - Austin Texas plane crash suicide; Why?

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The reasons for the actions aside, Joe Stack left 13 injured, 2 dead in Thursday's Austin, Texas crash suicide. The question everyone is asking is why? But unlike Amy Bishop, who left no note and is alive in jail, Joe Stack left a long note, and is dead.

By now, the pattern emerges of a person who was angry with the IRS, unhappy with Austin, Texas, and sad because of his own misfortunes in life. But that doesn't explain what set Joe Stack to aim an airplane into an Austin, Texas building. While Joe Stack was angry with the IRS, there's no hard evidence that Stack was formally involved with the Tea Party Movement.

A more rounded, human picture of Joe Stack is emerging. Stack was a guitarist who played in the Billy Eil Band, and while photos of his association with the group have been removed, the action was done after they were posted online and clues about him remain. 

"Joe Stack – Bass, Vocals, Accordion on Spook Lights of Marfa" appear on the website. That means whatever ills Joe Stack carried around with him, he used music to help him cope with life.

Joe Stack was by all appearances a normal person getting along in life. He was married, had friends, was employed, and played more than one band...and by accounts not badly.

The recollections that appear from those acquainted with Stack were that "He seemed incredibly decent and mild-mannered" as Patrick Beach wrote in The Austin American Stateman.

Pat Beach was shocked and Billy Eli couldn't believe it. According to Beach, Eli said:

"He was the most sort of even-keeled and sane person I ever played with. I know everybody says that, but it's true. He was just a normal-seeming guy. I never heard him raise his voice."

Eli's band wasn't the only one Joe Stack played in. Stack was also a member of an Austin-based band called The Last Straw. On their MySpace page, the band wrote "We found a great keyboardist named Joe Stack."

It's hard to find any example of anyone who had anything bad to say about Joe Stack. Michael Cerza, who talked to Pat Beach for his column, said this:

"My impression of Joe was a kind, quiet, not at all brooding or taciturn person," Cerza said. "I didn't sense anything boiling under the surface. He was very pleased to get married again, I know that. There was no indication in his actions or his words that he would harm anyone. And then he crashes into a building full of strangers, innocent people. I can't make those ends meet in my mind. The madness of the times, maybe."

Just exactly what made Joe Stack reach that boiling point, that edge he wrote of being close to where he set his home on fire with his wife and daughter in it, and crashed a plane into a building, is not known as of this writing.

Joe Stack seemed normal. But then so did George Sodoni, who, last August 2009, went into a fitness club and shot women, after writing a web-based rant on his inability to get laid. And so did Dr. Amy Bishop, who , last Friday, got up and shot three of her University of Alabama-Huntsville colleagues in cold blood, then seemed to deny it ever happened.

Something is really wrong.

Stay tuned.

Congress prefers being lazy to being leaders

A year into President Obama's first term it's obvious Congress is in no hurry to pass reforms, so citizens live with growing risks and financial burdens. "We the People" are supposed to be in control of our government, but our needs are being trampled by a combination of one party largely posturing for political points and digging in their heels, while lobbyists use special interest money to shave off just enough votes from the other party to keep progress at an effective standstill.

Leaving the system as it's always been is laziness, not leadership. That kind of "leadership" would mean we were still colonies of European countries, if not living in caves.

Inaction and apathy rarely help when confronting a crisis; both the runaway costs and growing numbers of uninsured Americans, arguably fostered by flagrant profiteering of health care insurance companies, are parts of the crisis.

The U.S.A. has some of the best doctors, nurses, and medical training facilities in the world, yet a few greedy corporations are exploiting the system at the expense of our standard of living today. To insure that grip on our money, they spend money collected from customers to lobby in D.C. -- well over $1 million every day!

Is Congress hoping to leave this vast, profitable industry to self-regulate, the way they did with Wall Street? Are they really expecting advice from people hoping to make a profit will build a system that protects you and me? Putting solutions off is not only lazy, it burdens out children.

The sooner we fix how we pay for our health care the better off we'll all be. The founding fathers had the courage to face unpleasant truths and act despite the very real risk to their lives by opposing the King of England and his military legions. Are the people in Congress today opposing health care insurance changes scared to face down one money-making industry, or simply greedy?

Thomas Hayes is an entrepreneur, journalist, and political analyst who contributes regularly to a host of web sites on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.

Julia Mancuso wins second Silver Medal in Olympics

Julia Mancuso, the American female skier who on Wednesday collected the Silver Medal in the Women's Downhill race at the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, earned another one Thursday in the "Women's Super Combined" according to the LA Times.

And where Julia Mancuso finished just .56 seconds (that's point-five-six) behind teammate Lindsey Vonn yesterday, Mancuso was ahead of Vonn today.

Lindsey Vonn has an unfortunate end to the Women's Super Combined, as she fell during the slalom run. The Gold Medal went to Germany's Maria Riesch (reportedly Vonn's good friend) while Sweden's Anja Paerson won the Bronze Medal.

Now, Mancuso has entered what ESPN's Howard Bryant calls "The Star Club". Mancuso, who won a Gold Medal in the giants slalom at the Toronto 2006 Games, was considered a dark horse known more for her sexy photos than for celebrity status as a pure skier. But all of that is in the past, except the photos and the lingerie line, which should sell at a high rate in the wake of her amazing win.

Julia Mancuso has a heavy Bay Area connection. The Squaw Valley-dweller's grandparents and four aunts all live in Marin County.

Stay tuned.

KSFO's Lee Rogers out; KRON alleged problems Richard Lieberman focus

UPDATE: Anthony Licciardi of KSFO Marketing explained via email that the change from Lee Rogers to Brian Sussman and the addition of John Batchelor were just "a natural transition. Brian has done a great job filling in for the days that Lee was not on the show and it was just time. Nothing more to read into."

Reports that KSFO's Lee Rogers is out and that KRON has alleged problems causing its decline are the focus of Richard Lieberman's blog "The Rich Lieberman Report.

The Lee Rogers departure story is big. Lieberman reports:

Veteran KSFO morning personality, Lee Rodgers, has been let go at the Citadel-owned, right-wing talk station, it has now been confirmed. Weeknight host, Brian Sussman will replace Rodgers. KSFO is the sister station of KGO radio.

Attempts to reach station management were unsuccessful. On KSFO's web site, Rodgers is not listed on its weekday schedule, and an independent source close to the station, told me, via e-mail, that Rodgers "was out."

With Rogers reported departure, it looks like the end of "Hot Talk" 560 radio. This was their promotional commercial from 2007:



Richard Lieberman reports on Bay Area Media (I keep telling him to go national). He's here's:

SF Cultural Trends Examiner, and here at Rich Lieberman Report.

Stay tuned.

Running news: Oakland Running Festival - Oakland Marathon in March

In today's running news, the Oakland Running Festival and Oakland Marathon are set for March 27th and March 28th in Oakland. Oaklanders know that Oakland's had a rich tradition of housing great runners and fostering a healthy running culture. Some, like runner Regina Jacobs, have achieved Olympic fame and stardom. But only once in over two decades has Oakland been the location of a major running event. The Oakland Running Festival and Oakland Marathon will change that when they get going in March.

This blogger recently video-interviewed Oakland Marathon and Oakland Running Festival Producer Gene Brtalik at the columns at Lake Merritt on a windy Sunday, and learned about the origins of the running event. Gene Brtalik is from Baltimore and moved in Oakland last year. He worked for running race producer Corrigan Sports in Maryland and wanted to maintain employment with them.

Corrigan Sports's representatives told him to check out the running scene in Oakland, so he "made some calls to city officials and asked around and within three months of moving here the city essentially greenlighted the event. In June, the City Council passed a resolution that the city was going to have a running festival."

While the centerpiece event is the 26-mile Marathon, all of the courses, from the 5K to the half-marathon are "walker friendly". The marathon course (PDF here) itself will take the runner from downtown Oakland through West Oakland and Lake Merritt, then up to the Rockridge District, before winding back through Montclair and the Fruitvale and back into downtown Oakland.

Gene's plan is to steadily grow what could become a really huge event in the Oakland Running Festival and Oakland Marathon. He doesn't want to overload the City's public works staff with the additional work that comes with a lot of people at once in one year.

Here's the full schedule of Oakland Running Festival and Oakland Marathon events according to its website:

Saturday, March 27th
9am – 6pm Packet Pick-Up, Sports Expo, and Late Registration
6-8pm Kick-Off Party with Live Music and more! at Lake Merritt
6:30pm Twilight 5K Race at Lake Merritt
8pm Twilight 5K Awards Ceremony
Sunday, March 28th
7:15am Opening Remarks and National Anthem
7:30am Marathon and Team Relay Races Start
8am Kids' Fun Run Start
9am Half Marathon Start
9am – 2pm Sports Expo and Celebration Village Activities
10am - 2pm Live Music on the Stage
12:00pm Awards Ceremony

Gene's always looking for volunteers, so you can help out here: http://www.oaklandmarathon.com/Volunteers.htm

UC San Diego party mocking Black History Month shows racism

Last weekend, UC San Diego was the site of an off-campus party held that mocked Black History Month. The Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity was pointed to as the organization that held the party, but its president says that's not the case.

California Assembly Speaker Karen Bass called for an investigation and issued this video statement:



In the video, Bass said "It seems as though every single year this situation happens." That, in itself, is a chilling report on the state of race relations on California's college campuses.

At the party, called "Compton Cookout" women were given these instructions:

"Ghetto chicks have a very limited vocabulary, and attempt to make up for it, by forming new words, such as 'constipulated', or simply cursing persistently, or using other types of vulgarities, and making noises, such as 'hmmg!', or smacking their lips, and making other angry noises, grunts, and faces."

Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity President Garron Engstrom released this statement:

The UCSD chapter of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity denies any association with the controversial "Compton Cookout" party held by a "group of [UCSD] students", identified by the University. Pi Kappa Alpha (Pike) strongly condemns such actions and prejudices as the fraternity prides itself of representing a diverse cross-section of the UCSD student body.
This party was not a Pike event, nor was it endorsed by the fraternity. The fraternity regrets the display of ignorance and error-of-judgment made by any individual members who may have attended or were associated via social-media with the racially-offensive party. These actions are in direct violation of Pike's code of conduct, and appropriate disciplinary actions will be taken with such members.
While Pi Kappa Alpha accepts no direct involvement in the planning of this party, the fraternity encourages all in attendance to reach out to the African American community, as well as the UCSD community at large, with a sincere and effective reconciliation program. Such a program will be focused toward the education and individual growth of the chapter members relating to cultural awareness at UCSD.
The Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity at UCSD has proudly represented the ideals of diversity, scholarship, leadership, athletics and gentlemanly conduct on the UCSD campus since 1997.
Garron Engstrom
President, Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity - UCSD Chapter

This is the statement issued by UCSD Chancellor Marye Anne Fox:

OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR
OFFICE OF THE VICE CHANCELLOR - STUDENT AFFAIRS
February 16, 2010
ALL ACADEMICS AND STAFF AT UCSD ALL STUDENTS AT UCSD
SUBJECT: Condemnation of Off-Campus Party and Affirmation of Principles of Community
We were distressed to learn that over the weekend an offensively themed student party, mocking the commemoration of Black History Month, took place off campus. We strongly condemn this event and the blatant disregard of our campus values. Although the party was not a UC San Diego student-organization sponsored event, participants did include UC San Diego students and that causes us great concern.
As stated in our Principles of Community, http://blink.ucsd.edu/HR/policies/POC/principles-of-community.html, we reject acts of discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion, and political beliefs, and, we will confront and appropriately respond to such acts. We reaffirm our Principles of Community http://blink.ucsd.edu/HR/policies/POC/principles-of-community.html and encourage the campus to join us in our affirmation.
In addition, we invite students, staff and faculty to participate in a teach-in from noon to 2 p.m. on February 24 in the Price Center East Ballroom to explore how such incidents continue to occur today and to discuss the importance of mutual respect and civility on our campus.
Marye Anne Fox
Chancellor
Penny Rue
Vice Chancellor - Student Affairs

The bottom line is incidents like the racist party happen when diversity is not promoted. No teach-in will solve the problem. Parents insisting that their kids have racially diverse friendships will solve the problem. Pushing diversity must be done, but the job is not taken seriously, even by those who should. The result is a generation of adults who grow up without the intellectual and emotional experience of having friends who's skin color is not like their own. So, absent anyone to counter them, they make up offensive images of "the other" and that take is expressed in public.

The AC Transit Bus Fight, and some of the really awfully racist views expressed, is but one example of this problem.

Stay tuned.

Tiger Woods press conference - no Elin Nordegren?

While Tiger Woods is set to give his press conference Friday, reports are that his wife Elin Nordegren will not be by his side, even if she's wearing the Nike brand that sponsors Woods.

While this news is on several gossip sites, it's not confirmed and given the frankly wacky path of the Tiger Woods story, it could change. There's no question that Tiger Woods having his wife by his side would show the World he's back to normal and ready for Golf.

Kobe Bryant set the example for Tiger Woods when his wife Vanessa took the stage with him at his press conference in the wake of the Colorado Hotel incident:



A smiling Elin Nordegren would make all the difference in how Tiger's perceived from Friday, forward.

Stay tuned.