Budd Dwyer

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R. Budd Dwyer in his last moments.
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R. Budd Dwyer in his last moments.

Robert (R.) Budd Dwyer (born November 21, 1939 in St. Charles, Missouri, U.S. — died January 22, 1987 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.) was a former Pennsylvania politician who, on the morning of January 22, 1987, committed suicide by shooting himself in the mouth with a handgun during a televised press conference.

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[edit] Career

Budd Dwyer graduated from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. He went on to get his master's degree in education and taught social studies and coached football at Cambridge Springs High School. A Republican, Dwyer served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1965 to 1970 and the Pennsylvania Senate from 1970 to 1980. After his tenure as a senator, Dwyer moved on to the treasurer's office, a position he held up to his death.

[edit] Controversy and conviction

During the early 1980s, state employees overpaid millions of dollars in Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes. As a result, the commonwealth began accepting bids from companies to calculate the amount of the refund each employee was due.

One firm, the California-based Computer Technology Associates, was owned by a Harrisburg native named John Torquato, Jr., who used his area connections and a series of bribes to obtain the contract, worth a reputed $4.6 million. An anonymous memo reached the office of Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh informing him of what had happened.

In late 1986, Budd Dwyer was charged with receiving a kickback of $300,000. A plea bargain was made for Torquato and Dauphin County Republican Party Chairman William Smith (who was also Torquato's attorney), as well as Smith's wife, which required them to testify against Dwyer. This, coupled with the government's refusal to name unindicted co-conspirators in the case, made it difficult for Dwyer to defend himself, though the unindicted co-conspirators are believed to have been staff members of the Dauphin County Republican Party. During this time, the district's United States Attorney offered Dwyer a plea bargain that carried a maximum of five-years in prison in exchange for a guilty plea on one count of accepting a bribe, resignation, and cooperation in the investigation.[1] Dwyer refused the offer, and was later convicted but continued to vehemently profess his innocence, as do others who were close to him. [2] Under state law, Dwyer could continue to serve as state treasurer until his sentencing. The maximum sentence Dwyer was facing was 55 years imprisonment and a $300,000 fine.

[edit] Public suicide

On January 22, 1987, the day before his sentencing, Dwyer called a press conference to "provide an update on the situation." Many expected Dwyer to announce his resignation from office.

At the conference, an agitated and nervous Dwyer once again professed his innocence, and declared that he would not resign as state treasurer. Those attending would hear his final words:

"I thank the good Lord for giving me 47 years of exciting challenges, stimulating experiences, many happy occasions, and, most of all, the finest wife and children any man could ever desire.
Now my life has changed, for no apparent reason. People who call and write are exasperated and feel helpless. They know I'm innocent and want to help. But in this nation, the world's greatest democracy, there is nothing they can do to prevent me from being punished for a crime they know I did not commit. Some who have called have said that I am a modern day Job.
Judge (Malcolm) Muir is also noted for his medieval sentences. I face a maximum sentence of 55 years in prison and a $300,000 fine for being innocent. Judge Muir has already told the press that he, quote, "felt invigorated" when we were found guilty, and that he plans to imprison me as a deterrent to other public officials. But it wouldn't be a deterrent because every public official who knows me knows that I am innocent; it wouldn't be a legitimate punishment because I've done nothing wrong. Since I'm a victim of political persecution, my prison would simply be an American gulag.
I ask those that believe in me to continue to extend friendship and prayer to my family, to work untiringly for the creation of a true justice system here in the United States, and to press on with the efforts to vindicate me, so that my family and their future families are not tainted by this injustice that has been perpetrated on me.
We were confident that right and truth would prevail, and I would be acquitted and we would devote the rest of our lives working to create a justice system here in the United States. The guilty verdict has strengthened that resolve. But as we've discussed our plans to expose the warts of our legal system, people have said, "why bother," "no one cares," "you'll look foolish," "60 Minutes, 20/20, the American Civil Liberties Union, Jack Anderson and others have been publicizing cases like yours for years, and it doesn't bother anyone..."

At this point Dwyer stopped with his prepared text and called to three of his staffers, giving each an envelope. It was later discovered that one contained a suicide note to his wife. The second was an organ donor card and other related materials. The third was a letter to newly-inaugurated Gov. Robert P. Casey.

After handing out the envelopes, Dwyer opened a fourth large manila envelope and withdrew a .357 Magnum revolver, advising those in the crowd to: "Please leave the room if this will offend you." Those in attendance cried out to Dwyer, pleading with him to put the gun down. Some tried to approach him. "Stay away, this thing will hurt someone," he warned.[3] Those were his last words. Amid the cry of "Budd, Budd, Budd!" Dwyer put the gun barrel into his mouth and pulled the trigger. He collapsed on the floor, blood cascading from his head and nose, in front of five television news cameras. Dwyer was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:31 am.[4]

[edit] Aftermath

A number of television stations throughout Pennsylvania aired taped footage of Dwyer's suicide before a mid-day audience. Due to a major snowstorm throughout Pennsylvania that day, many schools were closed and many school-aged children were witness to the suicide. Over the next several hours, however, news editors had to decide whether to air the graphic images or to edit the footage for evening news telecasts. Dwyer's case has become a favorite of journalism professors to demonstrate that news editors, especially in the medium of television, must be prepared to make instant decisions, weighing both psychological impact on viewers and the need to compete with other media outlets.

In the end, many stations, including WCAU, aired the footage up to a point just prior to the shooting. Others, including Pennsylvania's Group W stations KYW-TV and KDKA-TV, aired no footage at all; this despite the fact that Group W had a camera set up at the news conference. Only a handful aired the entire press conference unedited. WPVI-TV in Philadelphia was one station that chose to re-broadcast the suicide footage in full on their 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Action News broadcasts without warning to viewers. That station's broadcast is a source for copies circulating on the Internet. WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh is reported by the Associated Press to have broadcast the footage uncensored on an early newscast and did in fact broadcast the footage. In explaining the decision to air, WPXI news operations manager By Williams said, "It's an important event" about an "important man." Williams opted not to air the footage in the evening newscasts, explaining, "Everyone knows by then that he did it. There are children out of school."

The broadcast of the shooting became a topic for educators in Pennsylvania classrooms and led to questioning the wisdom of airing live news broadcasts in public school settings. This issue was also faced during the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger, which was shown live in many classrooms since Christa McAuliffe was to be the first teacher in outer space.

The suicide also changed Associated Press photo practices. At the time, the AP had its photographers shoot most photos in black and white, since the film was cheaper and the photos took less time to transmit. Also, most newspapers still had black-and-white front pages at the time. Color film would be issued only to photographers expected to be getting the top photos for national news that day. Since this news conference was expected to be of little interest outside Pennsylvania, black-and-white film was used. Once it turned into a major worldwide story, the AP got requests for color photos. After that, the AP promptly switched to taking all photos in color. Most of the photos were still transmitted in black and white until the transmission technology improved to a point when color photos didn't cause delays. [citation needed]

Since Dwyer died in office before being removed upon sentencing, his widow, Joanne, was able to collect full survivor benefits totalling over $1.28 million. A spokesman for Dwyer, immediately after the suicide, suggested Dwyer may have killed himself to retain the state-provided pension for his household, which had been ruined by legal defense costs.[5]

Dwyer's legal struggles may have ended with his death, yet a fascination with his suicide goes on to this day. Copies of the footage continue to circulate via the Internet and have appeared in various films, including the Faces of Death series and Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine.

Dwyer is buried in Blooming Valley Cemetery in Blooming Valley, PA.

[edit] Pop culture

  • During the late 1980s, college students at various Pennsylvania universities would pass among themselves coins with holes drilled out of the center, referred to as a "Budd Dwyer Commemorative."
  • In 2005, comedian Norm MacDonald opened the premiere of his show on Comedy Central, Back to Norm, with a sketch featuring himself committing suicide during a press conference.
  • The Kidd Chris Show occasionally has a caller going by the name of "Budd Dwyer" who comments on topical news (most recently Terrell Owens moving to the Dallas Cowboys) by suggesting the person with the gun should bring it in a paper bag, put it in his/her mouth and pull the trigger. The calls end with the caller shooting himself.
  • During a brief montage in Michael Moore's 2002 film Bowling for Columbine there is footage showing Dwyer's suicide.
  • In the beginning of the first CKY Video, it shows a cartoon animatic of Budd shooting himself, at the end, the blood flies into the air.
  • For a time there was a website called "The Budd Dwyer Suicide Fan Club" (now defunct) that would mail a fan t-shirt to any reader who sent in a photo of himself with a gun to his head.
  • The famous series of Gonzo/Death Flicks called "Faces of Death" actually has the entire press conference uncut as one of the stories in the 5th installment of the series.
  • Bill Bryson's 1989 travel novel The Lost Continent features the joke "What's the difference between Budd Dwyer and a Bud Lite? Answer: A Bud Lite has a head on it."
  • R. Talsorian Games' 2006 RPG Cyberpunk v.3 features a world where the electronic records of the past have been corrupted by malicious hackers, as a result people no longer know things that happened in the recent past and, for example, records of Dwyer's suicide and Richard Nixon's resignation have been conflated to the point that many people mistakenly believe that Nixon, rather than Dwyer, committed suicide on camera.

[edit] In music

  • In 1987, radio personality Howard Stern aired a song parody entitled "The James Brown/R. Budd Dwyer Song," in which portions of Mr. Brown's song "I Feel Good" were interspersed with the sound of a woman attending the R. Budd Dwyer press conference screaming as Dwyer brandished the gun.
  • In 1988, Steve Albini's band Rapeman released an EP called "Budd", addressing Dwyer's suicide directly.
  • Californian experimental metal band Neurosis used an image of Dwyer's suicide for the cover of their 1988 debut album "Pain of Mind".
  • In 1990, the industrial band Skinny Puppy used footage of Dwyer's suicide for the backing film during the "Too Dark Park" tour for their closing song, "Reclamation".
  • In 1992, the multimedia Industrial/Techno band Emergency Broadcast Network (EBN) released a videotape entitled "Commercial Entertainment Product" that included their video "Get Down! Get Down!" The video included brief clips of Dwyer's shouts of "This will hurt someone!" and "No! No! Don't! Don't!"
  • In 1992, industrial metal band Ministry used a sample of Budd Dywer's last words ("Stay away, this thing will hurt someone") at the beginning of their popular song Just One Fix.
  • In 1994, the Industrial band Dead World recorded a song entitled, "This will hurt someone," which uses sound clips of Dwyer's suicide, "This will hurt someone!" is looped throughout the song along with sounds of people screaming and an aide of Dwyer saying, "Someone, call the ambulance!"
  • In 1995, the rock band Filter had a hit with the song "Hey Man, Nice Shot", which, although not explicitly mentioning Dwyer, was inspired by Dwyer's suicide, according to band members.
  • In 1997 Dutch punk band Dandruff!! recorded a song entitled, 'The Budd Dwyer Show,' which can be found on their album 'SixEQUJFive'. The song is not specifically about Dwyer, but includes darkly comical descriptions of people and objects about to meet their demise.
  • In 1999 Canadian hardcore band The Swarm released their Old Blue Eyes is Dead EP, which kicks off with a soundclip of the Budd Dwyer suicide.
  • The West Chester, Pennsylvania rock band Camp Kill Yourself, or CKY for short, used a drawing of Budd Dwyer's suicide for the cover art of their first full-length album.
  • Canadian tech metal band Ion Dissonance released a demo titled ".357," a Budd Dwyer reference. They also have a song titled, "The Budd Dwyer Effect." Excerpt from the song's lyrics: "it takes guts and a gun, just like in Budd Dwyer's little surprise."
  • Rock band Faith No More recorded a song entitled, 'The World Is Yours,' which can be found on their greatest hits compilation, 'Who Cares A Lot,' released in 1998. In it, lead singer Mike Patton continues to sing the phrase, 'This will hurt someone,' which of course were Budd Dwyer's last words. Also, in the bridge, the audio of Budd Dwyer's suicide is sampled into the song.
  • The Marilyn Manson song "Get Your Gunn", which appears on Portrait Of An American Family contains samples of Budd Dwyer saying "This will hurt someone" as well as a gunshot and a woman screaming shortly afterwards. [6]
  • Death rapper Necro sampled the audio of Dwyer's suicide on the track "You Did It" which appears on the album The Pre-Fix For Death. In the same track, he parodies Vanilla Ice's "Check out the hook while my D.J. revolves it" by singing "Check out the hook, Budd Dwyer with a revolver".
  • Mr. Yukk and the Poison Kontrol, a now defunct punk band from Northeast Ohio, recorded the song "Budd Dwyer" for their album Pretending to Care.
  • In 2003, Canadian mathcore band, Ion Dissonance released an album "Breathing Is Irrelevant". The second track was titled, "The Bud Dwyer Effect".
  • In 2005, New Hampshire hardcore band The Hour used an image of Budd Dwyer (during the seconds before he pulled the trigger) as a background for a show flyer.
  • On their 2005 album, Album Minus Band, electronic-influenced ska-punk band, Bomb the Music Industry! made a reference to the Budd Dwyer suicide with their song "Blow Your Brains Out on Live TV!!!."
  • Jazz/Punk band Karate mentions Dwyer's suicide in their song "The State I'm In" (also known as "Goode Buy From Cobbs Creek Park"), stating; "No ballgame on a snow day, but you're gonna see something crazy anyway: Budd Dwyer's 3-5-7, the press and another 10 ways to increase your debt". Singer Geoff Farina grew up in Pennsylvania and around the age to be one of the schoolchildren who witnessed the event.
  • The Opie and Anthony Show on both Free FM and XM Satellite Radio makes frequent references to R. Budd Dwyer.
  • In 2006, Canadian hardcore band, About To Snap used an image of Budd Dwyer (during the seconds before he pulled the trigger) as a t-shirt design, available in gray, white and yellow.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "Dwyer Sought Presidential Pardon, Rejected Plea Bargaining", Associated Press, January 24, 1987.
  2. ^ Barry O'Connell. I knew Budd Dwyer, I was at the trial.
  3. ^ "PA. Treasurer Kills Self at News Conference", Associated Press, January 23, 1987.
  4. ^ Ibid.
  5. ^ "Pennsylvania Official's Suicide May Be Linked to Finances", Washington Post, January 24, 1987.
  6. ^ http://www.eeggs.com/items/46099.html

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Dwyer, Robert Budd
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH November 21, 1939
PLACE OF BIRTH St. Charles, Missouri
DATE OF DEATH January 22, 1987
PLACE OF DEATH
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../b/u/d/Budd_Dwyer_2b72.html"
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