Editorial Analysis

This editorial was posted Thursday Feb. 18th, 2010 after the public was notified that Andrew Joseph Stack III flew his single-engine air plane into a building that housed an IRS field office, located near the intersection of highway 183 and Mopac Expy. The author's aim is to speak of how this event will effect how we live our everyday lives. It begins with stating that although Stack's harmful action was not considered an act of terrorism, we are consequently terrified from what we've witnessed. While many may argue that we are not as greatly effected by this event as some may think because Stack died during the intentional crash, no one can argue that there was not a feeling of relief once it was announced that this guy was not a terrorist. Terrorist meaning that he was not foreigner aiming to harm Americans because of his beliefs, but is this true? Terrorism is defined as the use of violence or threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political reasons (dictionary.com). We do not know if this guy intended for others in the building to get hurt, but one has to assume he knew there would be others in the vicinity. What we do know is that his action was an act of retaliation to the Internal Revenue Service, or a threat as some might say. There are a few brief lines taken from Stack's rant letter written before he took action, used to point out his reasoning for intentionally crashing the plane.
This editorial covers full insight from the perspective of anyone who lives here in Texas. From the thoughts that rushed to our minds once we viewed the pictures of the burning building all over the news, to the gratitude felt for our emergency responders, this editorial was able to speak for most Austin residences.
My only critique is of the concluding paragraph. I don't care much for its word choice, bringing the tone of the article down. The reference back to Stack leaving his home that morning, making us feel less safe is to cliche rather than creative, but overall a great editorial.