View Full Version : Protestor fries himself.
outlaw3179
11-27-06, 02:04 AM
Protester immolation virtually unnoticed By ASHLEY M. HEHER, Associated Press Writer
Sun Nov 26, 5:24 PM ET
CHICAGO - Malachi Ritscher envisioned his death as one full of purpose.
He carefully planned the details, mailed a copy of his apartment key to a friend, created to-do lists for his family. On his Web site, the 52-year-old experimental musician who'd fought with depression even penned his obituary.
At 6:30 a.m. on Nov. 3 — four days before an election caused a seismic shift in Washington politics — Ritscher, a frequent anti-war protester, stood by an off-ramp in downtown Chicago near a statue of a giant flame, set up a video camera, doused himself with gasoline and lit himself on fire.
Aglow for the crush of morning commuters, his flaming body was supposed to be a call to the nation, a symbol of his rage and discontent with the U.S. war in Iraq.
"Here is the statement I want to make: 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," he wrote in his suicide note. "... If one death can atone for anything, in any small way, to say to the world: I apologize for what we have done to you, I am ashamed for the mayhem and turmoil caused by my country."
There was only one problem: No one was listening.
It took five days for the Cook County medical examiner to identify the charred-beyond-recognition corpse. Meanwhile, Ritscher's suicide went largely unnoticed. It wasn't until a reporter for an alternative weekly, the Chicago Reader, pieced the facts together that word began to spread.
Soon, tributes — and questions — poured in to the paper's blogs.
Was this a man consumed by mental illness? Or was Ritscher a martyr driven by rage over what he saw as an unjust war? Was he a convenient symbol for an anti-war movement or was there more to his message?
"This man killed himself in such a painful way, specifically to get our attention on these things," said Jennifer Diaz, a 28-year-old graduate student who never met him but has been researching his life. Now, she is organizing protests and vigils in his name. "I'm not going to sit by and I can't sit by and let this go unheard."
Mental health experts say virtually no suicides occur without some kind of a diagnosable mental illness. But Ritscher's family disagrees about whether he had severe mental problems.
In a statement, Ritscher's parents and siblings called him an intellectually gifted man who suffered from bouts of depression. They stopped short of saying he'd ever received a clinical diagnosis of mental illness.
"He believed in his actions, however extreme they were," his younger brother, Paul Ritscher, wrote online. "He believed they could help to open eyes, ears and hearts and to show everyone that a single man's actions, by taking such extreme personal responsibility, can perhaps affect change in the world."
His son, who shares the same name as his father, said his father was trying to cope with mental illness. Suicide seemed to be the next step, and the war was a way to give his death meaning.
"He was different people at different instances and so, so erratic. I loved him no doubt, but he was a very lonely and tragic man," said Ritscher, 35, who is estranged from the rest of the family. "The idea of being a martyr I'm sure was attractive. He could literally go out in a blaze of glory."
Born in Dickinson, N.D., with the name Mark David, Ritscher dropped out of high school, married at 17 and divorced 10 years later. Eventually, he would change his name to match his son's and, coincidentally, a world-famous prophet. At the end, he worked in building maintenance and was a fixture in Chicago's experimental music scene.
He described himself as a renaissance man who'd amassed a collection of more than 2,000 musical recordings from clubs in Chicago. He was a writer, philosopher and photographer. He was an alcoholic who collected fossils, glass eyes, light bulbs and snare drums. He paid $25 to become an ordained minister with the Missionaries of the New Truth and operated a handful of Web sites protesting the Iraq war.
A member of Mensa who claimed to be able to recite the infinite number Pi to more than 1,000 decimal places, he titled his obituary "Out of Time." Friends, who seemed surprised about his death, found themselves searching for answers. Ritscher's death became even more enigmatic than his life.
Perhaps the most famous self-immolation occurred in 1963, when Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc burned himself at a Saigon intersection in protest against the south Vietnamese regime. Another activist, Kathy Change, lit fire to herself in 1996 at the University of Pennsylvania to protest the government and the country's economic system.
Ritscher's death brought back memories for Anita King, a 48-year-old artist from West Philadelphia who was Change's best friend.
"I think both of them, they just felt like their death could be the last drop of blood shed," King said. "It was too hard for them. They had too much of a conscious connection to the struggle to go on in their lives."
In the end, only Ritscher knew the motivations for his suicide. There is little doubt, though, that he was satisfied with his choice.
"Without fear I go now to God," Ritscher wrote in the last sentence of his suicide note. "Your future is what you will choose today."
___
Ummmmm...I dont feel bad. What a dumbass.
Sgt Leprechaun
11-27-06, 05:02 PM
So, what he really was, using the polite terms of long ago, was the following:
A "Gadfly".
A "ne'er do well"
Interesting article tho. Just, exactly, what the hell is an "experimental musician"??? Is that something one aspires to be when one grows up? "Gee, Mom and Dad, I know I'm smarter than most people breathing today, so I'm going to embark on my career in Experimental Music!"
Mom & Dad: "Oh, boy!!! It's what we always hoped for you, young Mortimer!"
Poor SOB. Burning alive is a hard way to go. Still, what a fruitbat.
10thzodiac
11-27-06, 08:44 PM
I gotta tell you this, I almost got into a hell of a lot of trouble with my battalion commander in Okinawa with these flaming suicides.
<O:p></O:p>
After our 9<SUP>th</SUP> MEB just came back to <ST1:place>Okinawa</ST1:place> from <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:country-region><ST1:place>Vietnam</ST1:place></st1:country-region> in ’64, I was working in Battalion Communications and found an article in a National magazine, “How to end the war in <st1:country-region><ST1:place>South Vietnam</ST1:place></st1:country-region>”! The article satirically said, to start giving American support to North Vietnam and they too will become a corrupt regime like South Vietnam and in no time their Buddhist Monks will be dousing themselves with gasoline in firey suicides, there will weekly coup détats and then we could easily win the War.<O:p></O:p>
<O:p></O:p>
Well, if Al Gore invented the Internet, I must have Invented “Cut & Paste” !<O:p></O:p>
<O:p></O:p>
Yes, I cut the article out and pasted it on the Battalion Bulletin board right out side the Battalion Commanders office. Yikes, I didn’t know the old man couldn’t take a joke. My Captain who I worked with, who didn’t know I was the one that did it, came into the office barely containing himself with laughter, telling me how the Major lost it when he read it on his bulletin board and wanted to know who put it there !
<O:p></O:p>
The Captain and me were tight and I told him it was I, and he laughed even harder and said, “Don’t tell anyone else”.
<O:p></O:p>
SF
10th <O:p></O:p>
Sgt Leprechaun
11-28-06, 05:08 AM
Freakin hilarious! I used to sneak articles onto the "Current Events" board I was responsible for, from the "Weekly World News", just to see if anyone was paying attention..."Elvis Marries Alien", etc....
Got my *ss chewed by the OpsO for that...then the CO stops me one day and asks me where the "good" articles were....they came back a few days later... LOL
drumcorpssnare
11-28-06, 07:32 AM
With the price of gas these days, you'd think this nutcase would have been smart enough to save the cost of the fuel, and just jump off a building! Being THAT stupid should be cause to remove his name from the MENSA list!!!
drumcorpssnare:usmc:
He really had no reason to be cost conscious at that point-not like he was saving up for retirement.:banana:
10thzodiac
11-28-06, 09:08 PM
Sh*t, a Marine would of taken some sorry bastards with him !
I know I would of !
Be prepared when opportunity presents itself !
SF
10th
Well he should have done it during working hours and in front of a recruiting office with people in side. Taped his note to the front door and knocked on the door hard and lite him self up. Then the recruiters would have had time to get the hot dogs and marshmellows. OOOORRRAAAHHHH Choww down light or dark meat ?
Semper Fi
Sgt. Hoss
drumcorpssnare
11-29-06, 06:53 AM
Wish I could have been there to see it live. I probably would have said something clever, like.....
(wait for it...)
"Isn't this guy bright!?":banana:
drumcorpssnare
10thzodiac
11-29-06, 08:29 AM
What a waste, he could of been a hand grenade jumper on-er !
At least he wasn't a coward that talked the talk
a man of action
outlaw3179
11-29-06, 09:08 AM
no he wasnt a coward...he was just a dumb b*tch who wasted gasoline.
10thzodiac
11-29-06, 09:30 AM
Yeah, the big dummy, at least they give you a medal for a hand grenade, !
10thzodiac
11-29-06, 09:31 AM
Yeah, the big dummy, at least they give you a medal for a hand grenade !
horselady
11-29-06, 12:10 PM
An experimental musician? What the hell is an experimental musician???
"He described himself as a renaissance man who'd amassed a collection of more than 2,000 musical recordings from clubs in Chicago. He was an alcoholic who collected fossils, glass eyes, light bulbs and snare drums. He paid $25 to become an ordained minister with the Missionaries of the New Truth and operated a handful of Web sites protesting the Iraq war. A member of Mensa who claimed to be able to recite the infinite number Pi to more than 1,000 decimal places."
Oh me, oh my, such a tragic loss for humanity. NOT.http://pages.prodigy.net/indianahawkeye/newpage43/10.gif
But I think it says a lot about the American public. Go ahead and
blow yourself to smithereens, just don't tie up traffic. We have
to get home to watch American Idol!
10thzodiac
11-29-06, 09:50 PM
An experimental musician? What the hell is an experimental musician???
"He described himself as a renaissance man who'd amassed a collection of more than 2,000 musical recordings from clubs in Chicago. He was an alcoholic who collected fossils, glass eyes, light bulbs and snare drums. He paid $25 to become an ordained minister with the Missionaries of the New Truth and operated a handful of Web sites protesting the Iraq war. A member of Mensa who claimed to be able to recite the infinite number Pi to more than 1,000 decimal places."
Oh me, oh my, such a tragic loss for humanity. NOT.http://pages.prodigy.net/indianahawkeye/newpage43/10.gif
But I think it says a lot about the American public. Go ahead and
blow yourself to smithereens, just don't tie up traffic. We have
to get home to watch American Idol!
You are right about the American public, but he fried himself, not blew himself to smithereens.
Maybe that was his point, he rather fry himself for humanity instead of others for humanity.
I think I heard a story like this before, except he just wanted to die, not fry for our sins.
SF
10th
greensideout
11-29-06, 11:16 PM
Depression is a sad thing to happen to anyone. It seems that it has a tie to intelligence. Maybe with that gift they see the world around them as a decaying rot as opposed to what it could be. Sad.
10thzodiac
11-30-06, 08:23 AM
.
Wish I could have been there to see it live. I probably would have said something clever, like.....
(wait for it...)
"Isn't this guy bright!?":banana:
drumcorpssnare
:p Clever, and funny.....
FistFu68
11-30-06, 05:34 PM
:usmc: TOO FRIGGING BAD,CINDY SHEEHAN;WASN'T AS COMMITED!AS THIS POOR BASTARD WAS!!! :usmc:
Sheehan isn't smart enough to comprehend the technology-volatile fluid+flame =protester solution!
Cindy Sheehan is a nutcase, but I still feel bad for her
after all, she lost her son...
outlaw3179
11-30-06, 07:57 PM
shes a pupett dancing to someone elses agenda
DANCE PUPETT ! DANCE!!!
10thzodiac
11-30-06, 08:12 PM
A Marine who did military funerals told me he saw a mother jump in the grave after her son during a ceremony ! That was his favorite story, I heard it more than once.
Cindy Sheehan is a nutcase, but I still feel bad for her
after all, she lost her son...
She lost a son she had deserted years before-all of a sudden she found "friends" who would support her in her nut case endeavours( george soros) and she had her 15 minutes of fame.
horselady
11-30-06, 09:26 PM
America’s great defenders are taught to live and train by a short and sweet professional code known succinctly as the Warrior Ethos:
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
Not all Americans seem to grasp the time-honored principles that lay beneath such words. For the past week, Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a soldier killed outside Baghdad last year has been holding a vigil outside the grounds of the Western White House in Crawford, Texas. Her demands to meet with President Bush personally and obtain answers about why her son Casey “had to die.” The first thing this tragically misguided woman needs to obtain is a Bible and a military history text. President Bush may believe strongly in God, but that does not in fact make him God.
“You can't control who gets hit or who doesn't or who falls out of a chopper or why. It ain't up to you. It's just war."
Ignore for the moment that the President already took the time to meet with her and hundreds of other grieving parents, and disregard the point that Mrs. Sheehan had nothing but praise for the encounter at the time. It is her recent lack of good judgment in this matter that requires answers.
Far from honoring her son, Cindy Sheehan betrays his memory with her partisan sniping and political grandstanding. His example stood for selfless service, yet she exhibits little else but shameless self-promotion. (Is there any doubt that she will have a major publishing house book deal in the works before the President even leaves Crawford?)
Her son's ultimate sacrifice was borne of personal courage, duty, loyalty, honor, integrity, respect. All the rest of the Army Values. Tellingly, none of which Mrs. Sheehan chooses to exemplify.
In their place stands the tired and all-too-familiar Liberal Ethos:
I will always blame America first.
I will never accept victory.
I will never quit (complaining).
I will leave no agenda behind.
Sheehan and all the Gold Star Surrender Moms like her decry the carnage and loss of life that stands as an inescapable fact of war, and in the next breath taunt others into “sending their children" into harm's way. Ignore for a moment the absurdity of their stance (What don’t they understand about military volunteers being fully grown adults responsible for their own choices?) and consider the utter self-importance of such a statement. In the eyes of megaphone magpies like Sheehan, the sacrifice doesn’t belong to the fallen soldier, it’s all about her. Her loss, her grief, her fifteen minutes.
Undoubtedly Cindy Sheehan grieves for her son, as have all mothers in all wars. But her son was not some hapless draftee; he was a double volunteer. He reenlisted in August 2003, in the midst of a global war, fully aware that his unit was up next on the deployment roster. What exactly did he think he was volunteering for, if not the risk of possible death in battle?
Cindy Sheehan maintains that President Bush killed her son. Not Iraqi terrorists, not Shiite insurgents…but George W. Bush. All seven of her new publicists agree.
A mother who would politicize the death of her own child for no other reason than to take pot shots at an overly sympathetic administration is truly beyond the pale. She cheapens and dishonors her son's valor with her co-opted leftwing rhetoric and disturbingly unhinged behavior. Her son swore an oath to defend the country and the Constitution; she pledges her allegiance to the F.A.G.
Casey Sheehan is no longer around to defend his own dignity as anti-Bush groups such as MoveOn.org swarm around his memory like fundraising vultures. Out of respect for all those like him, shouldn't his mother refrain from politicking on his grave?
"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died," wrote General George S. Patton. "Rather we should thank God that such men lived."
http://americancitizensoldier.blogspot.com/2005/08/chickenhawks-of-different-feather.html
yellowwing
11-30-06, 11:31 PM
shes a pupett dancing to someone elses agenda
DANCE PUPETT ! DANCE!!!
Pretty funny!
By the way speaking of puppet dances, how is Karl Rove these days? Does he still have Limbaugh, Coulter, and Drudge on speed dial? :banana:
10thzodiac
12-01-06, 11:02 AM
<B><BIG>Bush: Vacation Ruined By 'Stupid Dead Soldier'</BIG></B>
August 31, 2005
CRAWFORD, TX—President Bush concluded his summer vacation by holding an informal press conference Monday to address grieving mother Cindy Sheehan, saying "her damn dead son ruined my whole summer vacation."
http://www.theonion.com/content/files/images/onion_news3323.article.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);) Bush addresses the press during his vacation.
Bush addressed Mrs. Sheehan, who was not present, by saying "a mother should not have to bury her son this way, by which I mean allowing her son's death to destroy his commander-in-chief's one chance to relax and unwind."
Sheehan, whose son Casey died in Iraq in April 2004, has led a vigil outside of Bush's Crawford ranch since early August, urging the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq and demanding a meeting with Bush.
"This is a terrible tragedy," Bush said. "If this dead soldier of a son had the ounce of sense he needed to keep his worthless ass alive, my last few weeks might have been peaceful. I mourn the loss of the beautiful August mornings, and the sweet afternoons that could have been spent on the porch swing listening to the songbirds. All Americans mourn this loss."
When asked why he has refused to meet with Mrs. Sheehan, Bush said, "Listen, I came here to relax. I want to fish, go biking with Lance Armstrong, play with my dogs, chainsaw some brush, and get back to nature. 'Course, it's hard to do that when you have to constantly listen to the mother of some dummy who didn't have sense enough to stay out of a damned war zone."
Bush added: "I'm more exhausted today than I was when I started this vacation."
Security concerns stemming from the presence of the anti-war protesters gathered around Sheenan's "Camp Casey" prevented Bush from making public appearances in Crawford, including ordering his annual cheeseburger at Goode Company Barbeque.
"I was really looking forward to that burger," Bush said. "And I could have had it too, if it wasn't for that soldier getting his stupid ass blown off."
"We're supposed to be over there showing the Iraqis how to get it done, not acting just as dumb as they are with all their stupid dying," Bush added. "I tell you, it feels like every other month since I started this job, somebody gets himself killed just to mess up my holiday."
When asked to address recent public suggestions, including Sheehan's, of immediate withdrawal from Iraq in light of mounting casualties, Bush said, "I don't want to think about that now. We can discuss that back in Washington. For now, let's relax and have a good time."
White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Bush's remarks reflect the administration's stance on casualties.
"I think what President Bush is saying is that, while we certainly owe a debt of gratitude to our fine men and women serving abroad, we don't want the real dumb ones who die to interrupt our precious downtime," McClellan said. "It is the president's opinion, and that of the entire administration, that the best way to honor the brave sacrifices of our fallen soldiers is by enjoying a relaxing vacation and not thinking about their deaths."
Bogus post-cite your sources for this alledged news story. I doubt any politician would make any of those commnts. Even if Bush was as stupid as you would like to think he is, he is smart enough not to make those type of statements. You still getting your news from Dan Rather?
drumcorpssnare
12-01-06, 11:23 AM
D W- Sounds like 10thz pulled this one out of his rectum.:evilgrin:
Smells like it too. If Bush made those comments it would be all that was on TV, radio and the papers. The Sheehan news syndicate must have made this one up.:banana: I think Zodiac just likes throwing grenades and ducking!:p
outlaw3179
12-01-06, 11:33 AM
D W- Sounds like 10thz pulled this one out of his rectum.:evilgrin:
Hey at least its original this time.
Next he'll expose him as an alien from planet X-7:D
10thzodiac
12-01-06, 08:02 PM
Smells like it too. If Bush made those comments it would be all that was on TV, radio and the papers. The Sheehan news syndicate must have made this one up.:banana: I think Zodiac just likes throwing grenades and ducking!:p
"M<SMALL>ussolini Mission Acomplished"</SMALL>
<SMALL></SMALL>
<SMALL>http://home.comcast.net/~lowe9101/mussolini/other3.jpg</SMALL>
<SMALL>When Timothy McVeigh was arrested, he was wearing a T-shirt inscribed with Thomas Jefferson's words: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."</SMALL>
Sgt Leprechaun
12-02-06, 07:47 AM
It's probably from "The Onion", which is a humor site that makes up stories all the time...and gullible people sometimes believe them.
As far as Ms. Sheehan goes, she was a radical long before her son went into the military. The rest of her family have distanced themselves from her as much as possible. Basically, she has used her sons death in combat as a platform to continue to spout off her left wing commie (yes, commie) views. BTW, her and ole Hugo Chavez are pictured hugging one another, and she is in agreement with him in most of his views.
Personally, I'd love to see her stand up for what she believes in and move to Cuba or Venezuala, and live under the socialist system she seems to prefer.
drumcorpssnare
12-04-06, 08:44 AM
Hey guys, all those grenades 10thz is throwing....What do you think? Should we pull the pins and throw them back?:D
drumcorpssnare:usmc:
10thzodiac
12-04-06, 09:10 AM
Hey guys, all those grenades 10thz is throwing....What do you think? Should we pull the pins and throw them back?:D
drumcorpssnare
Your funny, "we", what is the matter with you, I thought Marines were tough guys, how long did you say you were in anyways ? :banana:
"We" ? Are you pregnant, or got a mouse in your pocket ? http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/tsmileys2/11.gif
SF
Zod
drumcorpssnare
12-04-06, 12:53 PM
10thz- You're right, Marines are tough! I pull the pins on grenades, and throw the PINS with enough force to kill the enemy!!!
And yes, I DO have a mouse in my pocket!:D A BIG freakin' mouse that eats ice cubes and pee's steam! He's a L/Cpl. with 15 yrs. in. Too many office hrs. for bar brawling!!!:banana:
drumcorpssnare:usmc:
10thzodiac
12-04-06, 01:25 PM
So it was you at that bucket of blood bar fight ! <br />
<br />
I got arrested at one too, the Marine MP was pretty tough too- only after they got me hand-cuffed. Lucky there was some zoomies at the MP...
drumcorpssnare
12-04-06, 02:16 PM
10thz- I have a handful of stories where "I got away with it..." but, I'm afraid whatever opinions people here, have of me...would probably take a nose dive. I was quite a rascal in my younger years. If we connected on a 'land-line' I'd have some stories that would have you in stiches!
drumcorpssnare:usmc:
10thzodiac
12-04-06, 03:29 PM
10thz- I have a handful of stories where "I got away with it..." but, I'm afraid whatever opinions people here, have of me...would probably take a nose dive. I was quite a rascal in my younger years. If we connected on a 'land-line' I'd have some stories that would have you in stiches!
drumcorpssnare:usmc:
Mark, Then we'd have nothing to tell each other we haven't heard already in the "Old Soldiers Home" in a couple of years. We'd have to spend all our time chasing those pretty nurses with our walkers then, to keep from being bored. Haven't figured out what to do with them, once we catch them, but we're Marines and we have been doing so much with so little for so long, we are now capable of doing anything with nothing !
I met a Wisconsin VA "Old Soldiers Home" employee on a flight a couple of years ago and she said, "that there were allot of vacancies at their facilities in Wisconsin and describe them as a posh resort for their veterans". I asked her the residency requirements and she didn't think it was all that long, but not sure.
Sound good to you Mark ?
SF
10th
drumcorpssnare
12-04-06, 03:41 PM
10thz- I'd have to dig out my old Marine Corps dress shoes, and bring back that spit-shined mirrior finish- so I could look up the nurse's dresses in the reflection!!!!!:banana:
Oohraa!!
drumcorpssnare:usmc:
P.S.- my primary MOS was 5593 Field Music Snare Drummer...secondary MOS- "man-pig"
10thzodiac
12-04-06, 07:28 PM
10thz- I'd have to dig out my old Marine Corps dress shoes, and bring back that spit-shined mirrior finish- so I could look up the nurse's dresses in the reflection!!!!!
Oohraa!!
drumcorpssnare
P.S.- my primary MOS was 5593 Field Music Snare Drummer...secondary MOS- "man-pig"
I started out as an *0800 but I told some black NCO's from another Howitzer to get fuked that were ****** with me and instead of the brig or me fragging someone they put me into comm. Wound up as a 2531/2511, better than a 1334.5
I figured out a fast way to get rid of the swirls from the mirror finish on spit shined shoes & boots without dulling the shine. I'd use a cotton ball (non- synthetic) wet with cold water and let cold water (faucet) run onto the shine while using the cold wet cotton ball lightly to remove the swirls. That shine would burn the hair off a beaver if you got the suns angle just right, http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/tsmileys2/11.giftalking about hot pants girls !:banana:
I was a *non-qual in boot camp, don't laugh, it saved me from the infantry !
The last time I fired at Hansen in '65 my score was 225, it could of been 227, but the guy next to me spoiled my 300 rapid by giving me two-two many bulls-eyes, a 60; then I fired a 48
SF
10th
*My army uncle warned me about shooting too good in boot camp, they'll put you in the infantry. http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/tsmileys2/27.gif
Malachi Ritscher envisioned his death as one full of purpose.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b38/lcple3/roast.jpg
Sgt Leprechaun
12-06-06, 06:31 AM
Oh, believe me.....never got NJP'd...but I shoulda....