Anti-war protester burns himself to death in vain

[ECH1969]

The death of Malachi Ritscher was reported by a local television station as just another frustration for commuters driving into Chicago one morning when police were told that a statue was burning and slowing-up traffic along the Kennedy expressway.

This was not how the anti-war activist had envisaged media coverage when on November 3, he set up a video-camera and a small sign reading “thou shalt not kill” next to Chicago’s Flame of the Millennium sculpture. He then doused his body in petrol and set himself on fire.

Mr Ritscher, 52, had even written a lengthy “mission-statement” on one of his many websites, saying: “If I am required to pay for your barbaric war, I choose not to live in your world. I refuse to finance the mass murder of innocent civilians, who did nothing to threaten our country.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2474900,00.html

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Just an inconvenience. What a jaded, self-absorbed world we live in.

[angstlessk]

2. Yes, we sit 3 cars back from a horrendous accident and ask...

...how can this happen to ME? Never mind the people in the wreck whose lives have been alter for all time!

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. Yah, it'sa lot like

I was watching my TV one night when they broke in with a special report
About some devistating earthquake in Peru
There were thirty thousand crushed to death, even more were buried alive
On the Richter scale it measured 8.2

And I said, "God, please answer me one question?"
"Why'd they have to interrupt 'The Simpsons' just for this?"
What a drag, 'cause I was taping it and everything
And now I'll have to wait for the rerun to see the part of the show I missed

Why does this always happen?
Why does this always happen to me?
Why does this always happen?
(Why) Why does this always happen to me?

Ba ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba

I was driving down the highway when all the traffic slowed to a crawl
There was a twelve-car pile-up, everybody dead
And I saw brains and guts and vital organs splattered everywhere
As well as my friend Robert's disembodied head

And I thought - Poor Rob, I just had lunch with him
Hey, wait a minute, he still owes me money - what a jerk
Well, there's five bucks that I'm never gonna see again
Plus now, on top of everything else, it looks like I'm gonna be late to work

Why does this always happen?
Why does this always happen to me?
Why does this always happen?
(Why) Why does this always happen to me?

Ba ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba, ba ba

Oh, the other day, my boss said we were running low on toner
And he told me I should buy another case
Well, I told him I was busy, but he still just kept on asking
So, I turned around and stabbed him in the face (right in the face)

Oh, and wouldn't you know it, my knife got stuck
I guess that's probably bound to happen now and then
But I'm afraid I may have bent the tip a little
And I know that blade will never ever be quite as sharp again (quite as sharp again)
Oh, tell me

Why does this always happen?
Why does this always happen to me?
Why does this always happen?
Why does this always happen to me?

Why does this always happen to me?
(Why does this always happen to me?)
Why does this always happen to me?
(Why does this always happen to me?)

Ba ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba

Ba ba ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba ba ba

~Weird Al

[superconnected]

8. Uh, have you seen some of the way those dipshits drive who

get into those wrecks that alter their whole lives. This morning driving to work in the snow I saw plenty of accidents that could only be attributed to the idiots doing 80 on the sheet of ice we called the freeway.

I bet the people that went slow with most of traffic made it to work without rolling their vehicles.

[Warpy]

3. If he'd been a militant right wing wacko protesting abortion rights

he would have been all over the media, nonstop, film every 5 minutes, and we all know it.

As it is, the MSM has been trying their best to suppress the story in case it proves embarrassing to the military/corporate/Congressional/Presidential axis of evil.

They really, really don't want things like antitrust laws enforced. They want to avoid shaming the GOP as much as they can.

[Kagemusha]

5. Don't they suppress suicides on subway tracks and stuff too?

To not give people ideas and protect the public, so it is said.

[LeftCoast]

4. It seems to me he would have been able to accomplish far more with his life

than with his death.

[katinmn]

7. Yep. Total corp media blackout. Front page of Indy Media US, though.

Got lots of emails on Malachi's death, too.

What a sad society we live in.

[Big Kahuna]

9. Life is cheap in this sick, sick country.

[pretzel4gore]

10. not in vain....

to think that this corrupt stupid culture goona look away from the tomkat marriage or whatever the hell's 'big' right now say that the value of things is set in popularity polls- the same crowd that cheered jesus entry into jerusalen were the ones who called 'crucify him, crucify him' on Good Friday.....Malachi Ritscher has vastly increased the true worth of the USA, indeed the planet earth, by his action, though americans/earthmen don't know it....

[mcscajun]

11. Locking

Not a breaking story; this has been posted multiple times in GD and other forums since 11/3.