The Census Hangman

The major media rushed to print the story of a rogue agent -- lost in the deep South -- who was killed because he worked for the government.  It was reported "Fed" was scrawled across chest.

Is that what happened?  Or is there something more to the story?

Is it curious that Bill was killed on September 12 -- yet the news of his death was only made nationally known a couple of days ago?

The leak to the AP about the word "Fed" has sparked fevered speculation that Sparkman may have been murdered as an expression of anti-government -- and even specifically anti-Census -- sentiment, of the kind ginned up by conservatives of late. Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) said earlier this year that she would not fill fully out her census form, which is a crime.

But the motivation behind the killing -- if indeed it was a killing -- is not clear at this point. A spokesman for the Kentucky police told TPMmuckraker last night that police were still looking into death, that an autopsy has been scheduled, and no cause of death has yet been listed.

And the commander of the state police post handling the case told the Lexington Herald-Leader today that the police hadn't confirmed it was a homicide. "There are too many unanswered questions for us to lean one way or the other," she said. "Every scenario is still on the table. We have not ruled this is a hate crime against a federal employee."

Was Bill killed by drug traffickers after stumbling upon their hidden lab in the woods?

Did Bill die by his own hand?

Or is there a deeper glee in his death by those who believe the federal government has become too Panopticonic and repressive?

Internet conspiracy theories have grown in recent months over the fact that census workers are now equipped with GPS-enabled handheld computers that let them collect the geolocation of street addresses as they perform pre-census canvassing.

"The exact geographic location of each housing unit is critical to ensure that when we publish the census results for the entire country, broken down by various geographic areas ranging from states, counties and cities, to census blocks, we accurately represent the data for the area in question," the Census Bureau explains on its website.

A post on the widely read Infowars.com in June warned: "I will tell you plainly, the NWO [New World Order] controlled American military wants these GPS markers so they can launch Predator Drone missile attacks, the aptly named HELLFIRE missile I might add, against a long list of undesirables here in CONUS, continental United States."

Other commentators have posited less lethal theories. The American Daily Review warned in April that the Census Bureau is "shooting GPS coordinates of your doorway" in possible preparation for a secret Obama plan to cede some of America's sovereignty to the United Nations.

"If the government decided to rely on foreign troops, perhaps United Nations personnel, most of which may not understand the street signs, much less know the lay of the land, they could use GPS devices to direct them to your front door," the site explained.

Is Bill Sparkman's killing the beginning of our end?

Or is his blood enough to quench the thirsty beasts?