Facebook shuts down CNY radio host’s homage to suicide pilot
By Dave Tobin / The Post-Standard
(link above)
>>Hours after a pilot’s suicide plane crash into a federal building in Austin, Texas, local talk-radio host Jon Alvarez created a tribute Internet page for the dead pilot.
In less than a day, Facebook, the social networking Web site where Alvarez created the page, took it down and issued him a warning: He could lose Facebook privileges if he violated its policy again.
“The Joe ‘Take my pound of flesh’ Stack fan page” included the killer’s manifesto, which is an angry rant against big government, big business and the Catholic Church. It quickly drew about 40 fans, Alvarez said. He didn’t check it again until Friday morning, when he discovered the page had been shut down.
“This guy was making a sacrifice to others who were having problems with the IRS,” Alvarez said. “We at least owed it to him to make note of his thoughts.”
Two people died in the crash and fire, one of them Stack. A father of six, described as a devout Christian and Vietnam War veteran who worked for the IRS, is missing, according to news reports. Nearly 200 people work in the building Stack attacked.
The social-network site issues standard warnings for several kinds of postings. The warning to Alvarez said, “Among other things, pages that are hateful, threatening, or obscene are not allowed. We also take down pages that attack an individual or group.”
Alvarez, 43, of Hannibal, hosts a talk show weekdays on WFBL-AM. He devoted his Friday show to Stack’s plane crash.
Alvarez said he found it strange that a day after the plane crash major news organizations were focused on things like Tiger Woods’ apology and the Olympics.
“They just want to label him a loon,” he said. “I’m surprised more people haven’t done something like this. There’s a lot of frustration out there. I think this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
I don’t blame Facebook. Its their site.
FB is selective about this sort of thing. The “fuck the troops” group page is still there, for example.
Facebook is selective in what they yank. They seem to keep all those hate pages for Palin and Limbaugh up for some strange reason. Could it be their bias? Nah. ./s
Even if his attempt at mass murder had been more successful, he’d have only taken out a number of mid to low level bureaucrats. If he really planned it out well he’d have gotten the top honchos!