Death of a census worker: a political Gothic tale is born

It could be the start of another health care reform horror story, or a new urban legend: a US Census worker is found dead in Kentucky.  His body was discovered hanged in a cemetery, with the word "fed" apparently written on his chest.

The AP account has a whole battery of American Gothic details:

• Item: death in a cemetery.  Points for setting.
• Item: warning or explanation written on William Sparkman's corpse.  For a bonus chill, "The law enforcement official... did not say what type of instrument was used to write the word." "In marker or blood or what is not known."
• Item: the locale of rural Kentucky, dredging up classic anxieties about scary rural folk.  Just wait for the first pig squeal/banjo joke.

Details are hazy.  For instance, note the string of conditionals and hypotheticals here:

Investigators are still trying to determine whether the death was a killing or a suicide, and if a killing, whether the motive was related to his government job or to anti-government sentiment.

So it's possible that this is not the anti-Obama psycho-terror killing tale it could well be.  It could prove to be something else, such as a suicide, or murder unrelated to politics.  For instance, this observer notes known meth labs and police response in the area (more here). 

If one of these explanations wins out, watch for the political story's persistence in classic urban legend form.  It will be passed from hand to hand, details modified along the way, eventually checked on Snopes.

But if it the other theory turns out to be true, that a federal worker (part-time) was killed for political reasons, then this story could well become a central narrative for the season.   For Obama supporters and others, it could be viewed as "a modern day lynching", a hate crime committed by people driven mad by anti-government hatred. 

It could be connected directly to various tea party and anti-health care reformmovements, as in this tweet: "the Bill Sparkman lynching in KY that happened on or before 9/12".   One official referred to the (alleged) killing as "essentially domestic terrorism."

If the case remains unsolved for a time, though, it could become a Gothic tale told in two ways, via strict partisan or culture war lines.  From the right, the Other McCain, for example, urges caution:

My immediate curiosity is whether this had something to do with a moonshine or drug operation, rather than "anti-government sentiment." ... Let's wait to see what law enforcement discovers before jumping to any kind of politicized Let's-Blame-Glenn-Beck speculation.

There are several reliable rhetorical moves available for this side.  Connecting the tale to law and order, as O. McCain just did, is a classic.  Seeing the opposition as hysterical is another standard move.

While, from the other side, left/liberals can draw a connection to national political figures: "Remember Bill Sparkman! Down with Michelle Bachmann!"  And "@MicheleBachmann Responsibility for the death of Bill Sparkman lies squarely at your feet. Shame on you."  Bachmann is a favorite trope to select for the left.  On this blog, focused on horror stories, we've noted her Gothic voice before.

Or the left can add more political and historical layers:

There's been a lot of talk on the right about the connection (always very tenuous, and now severed) between the census and ACORN, a group that's been conservatives' favorite bogeyman of late. And Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., has been spreading her own fears about the census, at one point even suggesting a link between the census and Japanese internment during World War II -- a frightening parallel for modern conspiracy theorists who fear that the government is setting up similar camps for them now.

Also available for liberals is seeing the right as having viral powers, such as the specter of this one (alleged) act of violence spurring on others, maybe Turner Diaries-style:

Lord have mercy, if this turns out to be some backwoods, irate, homicidal teabagger, the already close-to-untethered 24% of right-wing crazies will up the violence ante...

There's also trotting out, even tentatively, the old idea of linking political speech with political action.  That's the Glenn Beck->Bill Sparkman vector.

There is, in fact, already political art:

(Sparkman photo, above, source here)

Comments

[Dave Cushing]

Ultra creepy is the local waitress, who when told there was a murder, said the government does too much snooping around!

[Dave Cushing]

My reference above from a HuffPo article 9/23 1:45

"Kelsee Brown, a waitress at Huddle House, a 24-hour chain restaurant, when asked about the hanging, said she thinks the government sometimes has the wrong priorities.
"Sometimes I think the government should stick their nose out of people's business and stick their nose in their business at the same time. They care too much about the wrong things," she said"

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/23/census-worker-hanged-with_n_297114.html

Trithemius (1462-1516) is credited w/ the 1st footnotes, and with conjuring angels. Go figure!