Census worker found hanged with FED 'scrawled' on his chest

[Slimprofits]

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fed...=moreheadlines

A part-time Census Bureau field worker was found hanged in Kentucky Sept. 12 with the word "fed" scrawled across his chest, according to a law enforcement source. Bill Sparkman, 51, who was white, was found at the Daniel Boone National Forest in rural southeast Kentucky, the Associated Press first reported Wednesday night.

The FBI is assisting state and local police with their investigation, the law enforcement source told The Post's Spencer S. Hsu. The source was unsure of the cause of death.

It is a federal crime to attack a federal worker during or because of his federal job.

"It’s a tragedy. Our hearts and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of this worker," Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry said Thursday morning. He has spoken frequently about the denigration of federal employees.

"I’m going to be closely following this law enforcement action. If this is an attack on a federal employee, I can assure you that no resources will be spared to find the perpetrators," Berry said. "We cannot tolerate essentially domestic terrorism, if that is what this is. But until we understand the law enforcement investigation, we don’t know."

[Jim Nickerson]

Re: Census worker found hanged with FED 'scrawled' on his chest

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fed...=moreheadlines

Unfortunate indeed, such a waste. Such efforts should/would be much better applied to Congress people.

John Cornyn is talked about today in Ft. Worth paper saying healthcare plan would cost Texans billions, how could we afford that on top of the billions spent on the goddammed banksters. Glad we have Cornyn looking out for us and America, as well as the Republicans in general. Are we lucky, or what?

[rjwjr]

Re: Census worker found hanged with FED 'scrawled' on his chest

Unfortunate indeed, such a waste. Such efforts should/would be much better applied to Congress people.

John Cornyn is talked about today in Ft. Worth paper saying healthcare plan would cost Texans billions, how could we afford that on top of the billions spent on the goddammed banksters. Glad we have Cornyn looking out for us and America, as well as the Republicans in general. Are we lucky, or what?

Too bad you no longer have "The Hammer", Tom Delay. I wondered what he's doing now...? I'm sure it's important, whatever it is.

[Jim Nickerson]

Re: Census worker found hanged with FED 'scrawled' on his chest

Too bad you no longer have "The Hammer", Tom Delay. I wondered what he's doing now...? I'm sure it's important, whatever it is.

DeLay does his 'Dancing' on TV but is in legal limbo off the air

Posted Wednesday, Sep. 23, 2009

http://www.star-telegram.com/668/story/1630416.html

AUSTIN — Like the other contestants on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," Tom DeLay hopes he wowed the judges this week with his cha-chas across the stage with professional dancing partner Cheryl Burke.
But the former U.S. House majority leader may be more concerned about the opinions of black-robed judges back in his home state as he continues to battle prosecutors in a 4-year-old legal tangle that shows no sign of ending anytime soon.

The state's case against the once-powerful congressional figure and two political associates has droned through Texas courts since it began unfolding in 2005, with prosecutors and defense attorneys slugging it out in appeals and counter-appeals.

DeLay — still known by his nickname, "The Hammer" — has sought to rebound as a voice for conservative causes after the campaign finance scandal forced his resignation from Congress in June 2006. His legal antagonist, former Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, retired at the end of 2008 and is now considering running for governor as a Democrat.

But the prosecution against DeLay and co-defendants John Colyandro and Jim Ellis has continued under Earle's Democratic successor, Rosemary Lehmberg.

DeLay's attorney, Dick DeGuerin of Houston, says his client is "excited" and energized by being chosen to appear on the popular nationwide TV show. But the ongoing criminal case still hangs over him, said DeGuerin.
"He’s not happy with it at all," DeGuerin said this week. "He’s trying to get on with his life . . . but having this legal limbo above you is not a comfortable position to be in."

The investigation had its roots in Republicans’ successful efforts to take over the Texas House of Representatives when DeLay, then a Houston-area congressman, was at the height of his congressional power.
An indictment returned by a Travis County grand jury alleges that the defendants laundered corporate contributions — which are illegal in state legislative races — through a $190,000 check sent to the Republican National Committee, which in turn donated $190,000 to seven GOP candidates. The donations were channeled through a group called Texans for a Republican Majority, prosecutors say.

DeLay and his two associates are still fighting charges of money laundering and conspiracy to engage in money laundering; a charge of conspiracy to commit election violations has been thrown out on appeal.
They have vigorously denied any wrongdoing, saying that the corporate donations were properly used outside of Texas and that the money from the RNC originated from other sources.

From the outset, DeLay has portrayed himself as the target of a partisan Democratic prosecutor out to snare GOP office-holders, calling Earle a "runaway district attorney."
The former DA, who still lives in Austin, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. But, in a recent interview, Earle denied that he engaged in partisan behavior, saying that he prosecuted far more Democrats than Republicans.


A final resolution could hinge on a future ruling by the state’s highest criminal appeals court in a segment of the case involving Colyandro and Ellis, who were first indicted nearly a year before DeLay. A lower appeals court, while upholding the indictment against the two defendants, concluded last year that the state money-laundering statute in force at the time applied only to cash and not to checks. The law, originally aimed at drug-related laundering, was changed in 2005 to include checks.

Prosecutors are appealing the ruling to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Although the decision did not directly affect DeLay, it gives attorneys for all three defendants added ammunition to call for dismissal on the grounds that the exchange involved a check and not cash.
Judge Pat Priest of San Antonio, the presiding judge in DeLay’s case, threw out the check argument in a previous ruling but has since told attorneys that he will await the high court’s ruling.

"He’s waiting on the Court of Criminal Appeals decision in the Colyandro and Ellis case before he makes his final ruling in the DeLay case," said Assistant District Attorney Bryan Case, who is overseeing the appeals. "He’ll either throw out the rest of the indictment or say 'Let’s go to trial.’ "
Attorneys will file briefs within the next two weeks, followed by oral arguments. "It’s going to be awhile," said Case.
Meanwhile, DeLay will learn his fate tonight in the Dancing With the Stars’ first elimination show of the season.

If Delay comes out of this "not guilty," then try to remember that "not guilty" <> "innocent."

[Master Shake]

Re: Census worker found hanged with FED 'scrawled' on his chest

Maybe they thought he was a "revenooer" looking for their stills.

[rlskaggs2003]

Re: Census worker found hanged with FED 'scrawled' on his chest

Or, perhaps he was bald and bearded? A case of mistaken identity.

[MulaMan]

Re: Census worker found hanged with FED 'scrawled' on his chest

"It is a federal crime to attack a federal worker during or because of his federal job."

Otherwise it is just a plain old murder of a US civilian that we would'nt want to waste any resources on.

[tsetsefly]

Re: Census worker found hanged with FED 'scrawled' on his chest

"We cannot tolerate essentially domestic terrorism, if that is what this is"

Talk about jumping to conclusions...

Domestic terrorism is now the magic word to get access to whatever information/funds they might want... Got to love the patriot act...

[dcarrigg]

Re: Census worker found hanged with FED 'scrawled' on his chest

Unfortunate indeed, such a waste. Such efforts should/would be much better applied to Congress people.

John Cornyn is talked about today in Ft. Worth paper saying healthcare plan would cost Texans billions, how could we afford that on top of the billions spent on the goddammed banksters. Glad we have Cornyn looking out for us and America, as well as the Republicans in general. Are we lucky, or what?

Jim,

I've got to say I feel the same sentiment. What's a few billion on healthcare compared to an Iraq War and bank bailouts?

How are people so furious about expanded health coverage and not nearly as mad at trillion dollar bank giveaways and wars started on false pretenses?

--- Mind boggling ---

I can understand if one is against all of these things - on grounds of anarchism or libertarianism or some such non-government-interventionist philosophical leanings - but I cannot understand the majority of the modern Republican party anymore.

It is like America is left with a party of Democrats and a party of Anti-Logic.

In RI a new party called the moderates has just been formed last month because the Republican platform has gotten so out of whack that it has become a de-facto one-party state (~90% democrat). What happened to the old fashioned fiscally conservative Republican party?

I may not have agreed with it, but at least I could understand where it was coming from. Now it's all fire & brimstone & death panels & bridges to nowhere & axis of evil - heck - even 'no new taxes' would be refreshing.

Sorry for the rant -D

[Slimprofits]

Re: Census worker found hanged with FED 'scrawled' on his chest

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/un...ith-the-ground

I’ve got some more detail for you on the case of the Bill Sparkman, the U.S. census worker who was found dead of hanging, reportedly with the word “fed” scrawled on his chest:

1) Kentucky state police have not ruled out the possibility that the death was a suicide or even that it was accidental, according to police spokesman Don Trosper.

2) His death has been ruled “asphyxia,” Trosper said in an interview. “There was a rope around his neck. It was attached to a tree,” Trosper continued, adding this intriguing detail: “He was in contact with the ground.”

That raises the possibilty that the cause of death was not hanging. Asked if this were possible, Trosper said: “Nothing is being ruled out.”

3) Trosper said the initial AP story on the death contains “flaws and errors.” That means it’s possible that the AP’s claim, based on an anonymous source, that he had the word “fed” scrawled on his chest could be false. Asked if that were the case, Trosper declined to comment.

[flintlock]

Re: Census worker found hanged with FED 'scrawled' on his chest

I've got to say I feel the same sentiment. What's a few billion on healthcare compared to an Iraq War and bank bailouts?

How are people so furious about expanded health coverage and not nearly as mad at trillion dollar bank giveaways and wars started on false pretenses?

--- Mind boggling ---

I don't get it either.

[ThePythonicCow]

Re: Census worker found hanged with FED 'scrawled' on his chest

Jim,

I've got to say I feel the same sentiment. What's a few billion on healthcare compared to an Iraq War and bank bailouts?

There is something I don't get about this point you make.

By the logic of your observation, once you've identified any large federal expenditure which you find seriously ill-advised, then any other proposed expenditure that you find more worthwhile should be adopted because it's better than the ill-advised one.

That's absurd in my view. It would seem to offer justification for all too many "more worthwhile" programs just because they are not as bad as one or two programs you (reasonably enough) detest.

The Iraq War and bank bailouts provide no justification whatsoever in my mind for adding other programs. If anything, they suggest that the Federal government is out of control and untrustworthy and that we should be looking for Federal programs to cancel, not add.

[we_are_toast]

Re: Census worker found hanged with FED 'scrawled' on his chest

There is something I don't get about this point you make.

By the logic of your observation, once you've identified any large federal expenditure which you find seriously ill-advised, then any other proposed expenditure that you find more worthwhile should be adopted because it's better than the ill-advised one.

That's absurd in my view. It would seem to offer justification for all too many "more worthwhile" programs just because they are not as bad as one or two programs you (reasonably enough) detest.

The Iraq War and bank bailouts provide no justification whatsoever in my mind for adding other programs. If anything, they suggest that the Federal government is out of control and untrustworthy and that we should be looking for Federal programs to cancel, not add.

I'm afraid you might be misunderstanding the point. Although I most certainly hope we would choose to adopt more worthwhile programs over ill-advised ones, the point is not about the priority of funding programs. The point is that those who criticize spending money on programs such as healthcare, that would benefit 10's of millions of people and turn their lives from tragic to at least bearable, because the program might cost more money than they are willing to spend, while supporting "ill-advised" programs that are enormously more expensive, are being hypocritical to the point that their opinions should hold little or no weight as to whether the program should be adopted.

[ThePythonicCow]

Re: Census worker found hanged with FED 'scrawled' on his chest

I'm afraid you might be misunderstanding the point. Although I most certainly hope we would choose to adopt more worthwhile programs over ill-advised ones, the point is not about the priority of funding programs. The point is that those who criticize spending money on programs such as healthcare, that would benefit 10's of millions of people and turn their lives from tragic to at least bearable, because the program might cost more money than they are willing to spend, while supporting "ill-advised" programs that are enormously more expensive, are being hypocritical to the point that their opinions should hold little or no weight as to whether the program should be adopted.

Ah so you are not using this fallacious argument to directly choose programs, but rather you are using this fallacious argument to justify labeling the opposition hypocritical :rolleyes:.

You're right. I misunderstood.

But you're still wrong. The argument is still fallacious. The existence of a big bad program does not inform us of the value of some other unrelated program.

[we_are_toast]

Re: Census worker found hanged with FED 'scrawled' on his chest

Ah so you are not using this fallacious argument to directly choose programs, but rather you are using this fallacious argument to justify labeling the opposition hypocritical :rolleyes:.

You're right. I misunderstood.

But you're still wrong. The argument is still fallacious. The existence of a big bad program does not inform us of the value of some other unrelated program.

You are absolutely right; "The existence of a big bad program does not inform us of the value of some other unrelated program". This argument is not only fallacious, it is absurd. But the only person I've ever read discuss this argument, in reference to healthcare, is yourself. Neither here, nor on any other website have I ever heard a supporter of healthcare reform make the argument that we should reform healthcare because there are many "big bad programs" out there.

I'm not exactly sure of the logic that led you to go from the clear hypocrisy of a Senator making the argument a program is too expensive, while supporting many far more expensive programs that many consider detrimental to our country, to something fallacious like "The existence of a big bad program does not inform us of the value of some other unrelated program". If this were a different website, I might think there was a deliberate attempt to misstate a reasoned argument into an argument that is completely absurd, in order to confuse the reader into believing the original reasoned argument was absurd. But the readers at iTulip are far to sophisticated to fall for such an attempt to deliberately mislead them, and the posters here at iTulip have far too much respect for the readers to even try such a thing.

But rather than discussing my lack of understanding of how you got from point A to point B, there are far more important topics to be discussed here at iTulip and I certainly don't want to distract from those discussions.