In Kentucky, on Sept.12, the body of Bill Sparkman, single father, cancer survivor, former substitute teacher and part-time Census worker, was found hanged with the word "Fed" scrawled across his chest. Not many details have been released but the few facts are grisly:

(A) law enforcement official, who was not authorized to discuss the case and requested anonymity, did not say what type of instrument was used to write the word on the chest of Sparkman, who was supplementing his income doing Census field work. He was found Sept. 12 in a remote patch of Daniel Boone National Forest and an autopsy report is pending. Source: Feds probe US Census worker hanging in Kentucky, Associated Press




Sparkman's mother, Henrie Sparkman of Inverness, Fla., was given even more bad news:

She said investigators have given her few details about her son's death. They did tell her his body was decomposed and haven't yet released it for burial.

"I was told it would be better for him to be cremated," she said.

And although it's not productive to speculate at this point, law enforcement has said the incident is "an apparent homicide." If that turns out to be true, Sparkman's murder will be one more example of increasing attacks on government workers.

A private group called PEER, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, tracks violence against employees who enforce environmental regulations. The group's executive director, Jeff Ruch, said it's hard to know about all of the cases because some agencies don't share data on violence against employees.

From 1996 to 2006, according to the group's most recent data, violent episodes against federal Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service workers soared from 55 to 290.

"Even as illustrated in town hall meetings today, there is a distinct hostility in a large segment of the population toward people who work for their government," Ruch said. Source: Feds probe US Census worker hanging in Kentucky, Associated Press

Freedom of speech is one foundation of our nation's strength. But how do broad tirades against "government" help strengthen our democracy? I think they just get some people whipped up into an angry frenzy.