Comments on: US Census Worker Lynched?

By: Bill James

Bill James — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 05:21:06 +0000

Bill Sparkman's death ruled a suicide made to look like homicide You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.

By: jake

jake — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:52:40 +0000

Le sigh.

Imagine if it was apparent that a census worker had hung someone. I cannot fathom the backlash.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:29:25 +0000

jake: It was covered, but not much was said. The murder happened many days ago and apparently only now has it been leaked that this is a federal case with possible hate/terrorism/whatever aspects. There is almost no actual news that i know of out there.

By: Antoni Jaume

Antoni Jaume — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:14:21 +0000

I just checked that census taking a constitutional duty.

By: katydid13

katydid13 — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:24:25 +0000

While, I believe this is the first murder of a Census worker, it’s a more dangerous job that people think. There have been assults and refusal to cooperate that has been rooted in an anti-government rhetoric. Depending on where you are being greeted with a gun is not unheard of.

We saw a taste 2000, when Bush said that if he got the long form he wouldn’t answer it, until he was reminded that he was campaigning to be President and shouldn’t suggest people break the law.

I think Bachman and her ilk have certainly whipped up the crazies, but I think they are bringing a long existing problem to the forefront. There is a deep streak of anti-government feeling that is being brought mainstream and attracting more attention than it got in the past.

By: jake

jake — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:13:56 +0000

I missed the morning news actors this morning, was this story covered by the networks?

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:11:53 +0000

katydid13: I am thinking roughly the same thing as you. What you say makes sense.

But my question for Bachmann has a broader meaning. I do want to know what she thinks of this person being lynched for being a federal employee with the census given her call to oppose the census, and for her followers to come to the table “armed and dangerous.” A world in which sometimes people kill census workers is different than a world in which such an act has never happened and is unthinkable across the board. We live in the former world, and in that world Michele Bachmann should be more responsible with her hate rhetoric.

Yes, the Federal Code had life imprisonment or the death penalty for the crime of murdering a federal employee in the line of duty. The Patriot act expanded this for transportation industry contexts, and state-level clones resulted in various enhancements (I do not know about KY).

By: katydid13

katydid13 — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:28:42 +0000

While I have little doubt that Bachman and assorted wing nuts have helped whipped things up, this murder occurred in an area of the country that has a long history of suspicion of the government going back to illegal moonshine and revenue agents. The modern version of that is attempts to hide large scale pot farms in the National Forrest near by. It’s also a very, very poor place with a pretty weak education system.

Believe me I don’t take this lightly, because of my job for the federal government, I’ve been out with Census workers who go door to door observing as they prepare for 2010 and I’m likely to have to do it at least several more times before they finish. I just think that this goes back much further than the current wing nuttery.

I’m fairly certain that killing a federal employee in the line of duty was a federal crime long before the Patriot Act.

By: Spiv

Spiv — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:09:22 +0000

From the huffpo article: “Investigators are still trying to determine whether the death was a killing or a suicide”

Seriously? The guy was strung from a tree with something carved into his chest and you’re still mulling this one over?

And WTF. A Census worker. Really? This is who you attack? My experience has been that these are the nicest, most truly patriotic of people.

My only question is whether this is politically motivated, racism, or just another creep.

By: Jason Thibeault

Jason Thibeault — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:40:50 +0000

I suppose my hatred for the woo that’s peddled and antivax nonsense there does sort of count as a purity-movement type mentality, and while it’s unbecoming of me, I can’t shake it. They’re an example of the type of nonsense the left is prone to, and the only real counterexample I can think of to the nonsense believed by the right-wing about Obama.