The Inside Assyria Discussion Forum #5

=> Malachi Ritscher

Malachi Ritscher

Posted by Tiglath (Guest) - Thursday, December 7 2006, 16:14:38 (CET) from 220.239.111.222 - c220-239-111-222.eburwd3.vic.optusnet.com.au Australia - Windows XP - Internet Explorer Website: Website title:

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/images/2006/11/356528.jpg The press has almost completely blacked out this news in mainstream press . A long time Chicago activist, artist and contributer to the Chicago jazz scene has burned himself alive in an act of protest against the iraq war. He is only one of 10 Americans in history to have done this . Buddist monks did this during the VietNam war. On Friday, November 3, a man doused his body with gasoline and set himself afire to protest the war in Iraq . He died quietly in flames. His name was Malachi Ritscher. Haven't seen it in the news? Me neither, which is kind of strange if you ask me, considering that it happened right here in downtown Chicago in front of hundreds of commuters during morning rush hour. The only conventional newspaper coverage to date was a tiny paragraph that appeared in the Saturday edition of the Chicago Sun-Times. Since then...nothing. His death must not be in vain please spread the word Here is the message Malachi died for, posted at Death Race US I grew up in a time of national hope: we thought technology would make the world a better place, and diplomacy would make it safe, and wise leadership would end poverty. The United States was a country with high ideals, and a history of honor. There were mistakes made along the way but we faced every challenge, and made things right - with God on our side. We learned some hard lessons, and one of them was that dissent and criticism were an important part of the process. That should not have been a surprise to anyone, given the struggle of our founding fathers (and mothers) against the oppressive ruling authority. But somehow it was. Apparently we need to learn it again. I grew up hearing stories of heroism and sacrifice from those who had survived wars and economic depression. My child-mind sorted all these pieces into a concept of 'Noble Cause'. I felt better because the values my parents taught me, and heard in school and church, meant that we would find the 'right' way, and be able to help others to improve their lives, whether the threat was weather or war. I understood how there could be evil men - of course the worst of all was Hitler. What I couldn't understand was how normal people who want normal lives could stand by and allow this great evil to rise up and take over. Over the course of two 'world wars' the German people had been the bad guys both times, and of course the Russians and the Chinese were just as bad; but still I had trouble accepting that the population of an entire country could be so misguided as to put a person such as Adolf Hitler into a position of power, and allow undisguised evil to run rampant. Now in my lifetime I have seen it happen, and I clearly see how it is done. It is simple fear and manipulation. This is a different world - it is very difficult to remain serene and detached while our employment crashes, the climate changes, and unthinkable violence and upheaval. It would be very nice to be able to let someone else deal with all of this complexity - after all, they are the experts, with lots of experience. And with all the contradictory information out there, how do I know who to believe? That sums up the last two presidential elections, it was like watching two pigs in the mud, not knowing who to root for because they both lie the same. I felt a combination of self-righteous apathy and disgust, but knew that I should get involved. I thought that this idiot running the show was too stupid to screw things up as bad as he did, so I waited for things to fix themselves, the way they usually do. But that hasn't happened yet, and it is hard for me to keep being patient when they can't even manufacture a decent excuse. It is obvious that Bush is just the figurehead for the people who are getting rich trading in oil and war, but what can I do about it? How bad can it get? It's not like we're going to nuke Iran... are we? I believe that God promised us a happy ending, but I don't remember if there is something that I'm supposed to do, other than just be a good person and turn the other cheek. Even with breathing exercises and a positive mental attitude, it's getting hard to keep pretending that I don't have blood on my hands. How many unnecessary deaths have my tax dollars paid for? I keep trying not to think about it. There are electronic gadgets to distract me, and yoga to repress the simmering anger, and sports, and movies, and snacks, and music, and shopping, and so much entertainment that I couldn't watch it all with a thousand eyes! But here is the big question, the one that really matters: WHAT ABOUT YOU - WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? --------------------- - BACK TO INDEX - REPLY - QUOTE - EDIT - DELETE -

The full topic: when did THIS happen? pancho - Tuesday, December 5 2006, 2:19:53 (CET) Malachi Ritscher Tiglath - 12/07 16:14 Re: Malachi Ritscher pancho - 12/07 17:09

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