The Catalyst

By Bri Castellini, Web and Commentary Editor

On September 12 in Manchester, Kentucky, Census Bureau worker Bill Sparkmen was found hung in a tree with the word "fed" scrawled on his chest. It has been labeled an "apparent homicide".

As the FBI works dilligently do find out who was behind such a heinous crime, the federal government assures us that they will not back down from this case. This is all well and good, but one quote by John Berry, director of the Office of Personnel Management, bothers me a little bit.

"If this is an attack on a federal employee, I can assure you that no resources will be spared to find the perpetrators," he told the Washington Post. "We cannot tolerate essentially domestic terrorism, if that is what it is."

So the only reason the FBI is so agressively investigating is because he's a federal employee? What if Bill Sparkmen was a truck driver? Or a teacher? Would they bother bringing in the FBI, or let the local authorities handle it? Would they do anything at all?

This quote has implications that I personally fear. Is our government only concerned for those who are directly connected to them? Is this really the 'consent of the governed'?

Just something to think about.