Not long after Census Bureau worker Bill Sparkman was found hanged in rural Kentucky with the word "fed" scrawled across his chest, various sources tried to blame the incident on anti-government sentiment generated by Glenn Beck, Michele Bachmann, and others.

Now, Kentucky State Police say that it was a staged suicide, apparently designed to make his family eligible for life insurance policies he'd taken out. Officials say that he'd discussed potentially committing suicide with another unnamed person, but that person didn't think he was serious. They also say that the word "fed" was written "from the bottom up" and that to survive "all Mr. Sparkman had to do at any time was stand up."

There's certainly the possibility that they're wrong, but for now it looks like those who jumped to conclusions owe Beck and others an apology. See that link for over a dozen people who politicized this issue, including Associated Press writers, Andrew Sullivan, ThinkProgress, and many others.