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The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' reported that in the absence of public findings by investigators, some writers in the liberal [[blogosphere]] have concluded that this death was the result of anti-government rhetoric in the [[Presidency of Barack Obama|Obama era]].<ref name=latimes/> Liberal blogger Boye' A. Coker at [[Examiner.com]] called it "another prime example of how the right has lost it" in the "call to arms" by "[[Glenn Beck]], [[Michelle Bachman]] and [[Rush Limbaugh]]". Noting Bachman's boycott of the Census as a potential "precursor to internment camps", Coker attributed Sparkman's death to "the unguarded and malicious utterances of Bachman and her ilk" which could "cross the line into … incendiary incitement".<ref>{{cite web | author=Coker, Boye' A. | title=Right wing zealots responding to calls to "take their country back" as census worker is lynched | date=September 28, 2009 | work=[[Examiner.com]] | url=http://www.examiner.com/x-9372-Federal-Way-Independent-Examiner~y2009m9d28-Right-wing-zealots-responding-to-calls-to-take-their-country-back-as-census-worker-is-lynched | accessdate=2009-09-30}}</ref>
The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' reported that in the absence of public findings by investigators, some writers in the liberal [[blogosphere]] have concluded that this death was the result of anti-government rhetoric in the [[Presidency of Barack Obama|Obama era]].<ref name=latimes/> Liberal blogger Boye' A. Coker at [[Examiner.com]] called it "another prime example of how the right has lost it" in the "call to arms" by "[[Glenn Beck]], [[Michelle Bachman]] and [[Rush Limbaugh]]". Noting Bachman's boycott of the Census as a potential "precursor to internment camps", Coker attributed Sparkman's death to "the unguarded and malicious utterances of Bachman and her ilk" which could "cross the line into … incendiary incitement".<ref>{{cite web | author=Coker, Boye' A. | title=Right wing zealots responding to calls to "take their country back" as census worker is lynched | date=September 28, 2009 | work=[[Examiner.com]] | url=http://www.examiner.com/x-9372-Federal-Way-Independent-Examiner~y2009m9d28-Right-wing-zealots-responding-to-calls-to-take-their-country-back-as-census-worker-is-lynched | accessdate=2009-09-30}}</ref>

Conservative blogger Dan Riehl, while "speculating on one possible alternative, however impolite", asserted that Sparkman "certainly did gravitate towards children" and his death had "serious sexual overtones" causing him to "wonder if this wasn't a revenge killing" of a "child predator" who "messed with the wrong kid". Riehl later clarified that he "doesn't rule anything in or out without some firm answers."<ref>{{cite web | author=Riehl, Dan | title=Was Census Worker Bill Sparkman A Child Predator? | date=September 27, 2009 | work=Riehl World View | url=http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2009/09/was-census-worker-bill-sparkman-a-child-predator.html | accessdate=2009-09-29}}</ref>


The Kentucky State Police, who are conducting the investigation, noted that there had been wide misinformation and speculation from the media coverage of this incident.<ref name=speculation/> Robert Stivers, the Republican [[Kentucky Senate|state senator]] from Clay County, believes the Sparkman's death has been "sensationalized" because of his status as a Federal Census Bureau worker.<ref name=residents/>
The Kentucky State Police, who are conducting the investigation, noted that there had been wide misinformation and speculation from the media coverage of this incident.<ref name=speculation/> Robert Stivers, the Republican [[Kentucky Senate|state senator]] from Clay County, believes the Sparkman's death has been "sensationalized" because of his status as a Federal Census Bureau worker.<ref name=residents/>

Revision as of 15:14, 30 September 2009

Bill Sparkman
Profile shot of a bespectacled man in his early fifties, wearing a mortorboard with a yellow tassel
Sparkman graduating from
Western Governors University
Born1958?
London, Kentucky[1]
DiedSeptember 12, 2009
Clay County, Kentucky
NationalityAmerican
Known forUnited States Census worker found dead in the line of duty

William E. "Bill" Sparkman, Jr.[2] (1958? – September 12, 2009)[3][4] was an American schoolteacher and census taker for the United States Census Bureau found dead in the line of duty in September 2009.

Biography

The son of a high school principal, Sparkman was an altar boy as a child. In high school he wrote for the local weekly newspaper in Florida, The Mulberry Press, and was the football team manager.[5] An Eagle Scout, he worked for the Boy Scouts of America as an adult, and was assigned to London, Kentucky in 1993.[6]

Once in Kentucky he raised his son alone, joined a local Methodist Church, and for nine years worked at an elementary school as a volunteer and instructional assistant. In 2005 Sparkman began part-time work with the United States Census Bureau and studied education with Western Governors University, an online college. In 2007, after medical treatment of an ingrown toe nail, Sparkman's doctor identified a cyst which led to his diagnosis of Stage-3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He continued teaching while receiving chemotherapy treatments from November 2007 to March 2008, during which time he completed his academic coursework and was invited to speak at the commencement ceremony at Western Governors University in Salt Lake City, Utah.[6] After graduation he pursued a position as a middle school math teacher.[5][6]

Discovery of the body

Sparkman's body was discovered by people during a family reunion paying a visit to Hoskins Cemetery[2] in rural Clay County, Kentucky, within the Daniel Boone National Forest.[7] He had been reported missing from work three days earlier while working on the American Community Survey for the U.S. Census.[4] Sparkman was reportedly found with a rope around his neck, tied to a tree while in contact with the ground, nude but for socks on his feet, with the word "Fed" written on his body in felt-tip marker,[8] his census ID taped to the side of his neck,[9] and duct tape over his mouth.[4] Kentucky State Police criticized many media reports of the death as speculation, such as printing that he was hanging from a tree when he was actually tied to a tree with a rope around his neck.[10]

Cause of death

While authorities have determined that Sparkman's death was not natural, it has not yet been ruled whether his death was a homicide, a suicide, or an accident.[11] After over two weeks of cautious investigation by the Kentucky State Police,[10] Sparkman's 19-year-old son expressed frustration and called it "disrespectful" that suicide or accident were still being considered.[8] The Los Angeles Times reported that "the case so far is notable for the lack of details divulged by law enforcement officials".[7] Preliminary findings of the local coroner asserted Sparkman died from asphyxiation,[4] and the Census Bureau's southern office in Charlotte, North Carolina said law enforcement called it "an apparent homicide."[12]

While law enforcement conducted its investigation of the death, the United States Census Bureau suspended its work in Clay County.[4] One co-worker has speculated that Sparkman's naivete combined with his being a federal employee may have contributed to his death.[3] According to FBI investigators on the case, it is a federal crime if Sparkman was killed because of his job representing the federal government.[7]

Media reaction

Because of Sparkman's status as a Federal Census Bureau worker and the word 'Fed' written on his corpse, this incident drew national attention. On MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show, Maddow speculated that a dislike among area residents of the U.S. Federal Government may have contributed to Sparkman's death.[13] Some scholars disagree, saying there isn't "an outpouring of anti-government sentiment in the region", and that "distrust of government" in the area is comparable to the rest of the country.[12] However, national media outlets report that it "has a reputation for mistrusting government, dating back to the days of moonshiners and 'revenuers'",[14] and that it is a top marijuana producer[7] where federal agents have held drug and corruption raids numerous times. Among those convicted for drug and corruption charges are a former mayor, former city councilmen, an assistant police chief, a county clerk, a magistrate, and an election commissioner, and the county's school superintendent and circuit court judge were indicted for voter fraud in March 2009.[4] Clay County is one of the poorest counties in the United States and residents fear this incident will add to its negative stereotype, despite its progress in education and efforts against crime.[14]

Some suggest Sparkman's death may be related to recent controversies over the upcoming federal census. Earlier in 2009 several leading conservatives and Republican political figures spoke out against ACORN's involvement in census surveys[15] and boycotted over concerns that the census could be used against citizens.[16] Some libertarians faulted the census for contributing to the expanding government and Latino activists were boycotting it to push for immigration reform.[15]

The Los Angeles Times reported that in the absence of public findings by investigators, some writers in the liberal blogosphere have concluded that this death was the result of anti-government rhetoric in the Obama era.[7] Liberal blogger Boye' A. Coker at Examiner.com called it "another prime example of how the right has lost it" in the "call to arms" by "Glenn Beck, Michelle Bachman and Rush Limbaugh". Noting Bachman's boycott of the Census as a potential "precursor to internment camps", Coker attributed Sparkman's death to "the unguarded and malicious utterances of Bachman and her ilk" which could "cross the line into … incendiary incitement".[17]

The Kentucky State Police, who are conducting the investigation, noted that there had been wide misinformation and speculation from the media coverage of this incident.[10] Robert Stivers, the Republican state senator from Clay County, believes the Sparkman's death has been "sensationalized" because of his status as a Federal Census Bureau worker.[14]

Notes

  1. ^ "Bill Sparkman Murder: Tragic Details About Census Worker Found Hanged". The Huffington Post. 2009-09-23. Retrieved 2009-09-29. the London, Kentucky man
  2. ^ a b "KSP says body was that of London man". USA Today. September 15, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
  3. ^ a b Saltzman, Sammy Rose (September 25, 2009). "Hanged Census Worker Bill Sparkman Was a "Naive" School Teacher". CBS News. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Levin, Alan (September 28, 2009). "Census surveys halted in rural Ky. county". USA Today. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  5. ^ a b Alford, Roger (September 26, 2009). "Friends: Hanging victim devoted his life to kids". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
  6. ^ a b c Kaprowy, Tara (April 3, 2008). "Cancer survivor earns degree". The Sentinel Echo. London, KY. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  7. ^ a b c d e Fausset, Richard (September 25, 2009). "Government ties explored as motive in death of Kentucky Census worker". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  8. ^ a b McMurray, Jeffrey (September 29, 2009). "AP Exclusive: Son sure Ky. census taker was slain". Associated Press. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  9. ^ Maddow, Rachel (September 25, 2009). "Census Worker Found Dead". MSNBC. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
  10. ^ a b c Dill, Joseph (September 29, 2009). "KSP: Sparkman was not found hanging, other reports 'pure speculation'". The Sentinel Echo. London, KY. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  11. ^ Alford, Roger (September 26, 2009). "Family cemetery visit led to hanged census worker". Associated Press. Retrieved 2009-09-28. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthor= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ a b Barrett, Devlin (September 24, 2009). "AP Source: Census worker hanged with 'fed' on body". Associated Press. Retrieved 2009-09-29. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthor= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "'The Rachel Maddow Show' for Friday, September 25, 2009". MSNBC.com. September 28, 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  14. ^ a b c Biesk, Joe (September 27, 2009). "Clay County residents worry about area's image". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  15. ^ a b Benjamin, Richard M. (September 25, 2009). "Sparkman: Casualty of Methland, USA? Or Victim of Anti-Government Bile?". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  16. ^ Linkins, Jason (June 25, 2009). "Bachmann Compares Census To WWII Internment Camps". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
  17. ^ Coker, Boye' A. (September 28, 2009). "Right wing zealots responding to calls to "take their country back" as census worker is lynched". Examiner.com. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
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