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imperialism & war

Chicago anti-war activist burns burns himself alive to protest Iraq war

The media—mainstream and even Air America—failed to cover the Nov. 3 self-immolation of activist/artist Malachi Ritscher protesting the Iraq war in front of Chicago morning rush-hour commuters.
Activist and artist Malachi Ritscher burned himself alive Nov. 3 in Chicago in front of morning rush hour commuters to protest the war in Iraq.

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...Chicago activists staged a protest for Malachi and against the war Saturday Nov. 18 in Chicago to get this out into the mainstream news.

anon 20.Nov.2006 10:31

anon


silence 20.Nov.2006 10:52

of the lambs

google brings up a whopping 12 hits on this story
sf.indymedia.org
electronic iraq
chicago flame online
milwaukee journal sentinel
chiacgo sun times
harpers magazine
chicago reader
utne reader online
infoshop news
anarkismo.net

I find it very telling 20.Nov.2006 15:13

Jody Paulson

that the media, in lockstep, is trying to ignore this story away. Whether or not this man would have committed suicide anyway, he chose to make a powerful statement at the cost of his life. As Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

Malachi Ritscher 01.Nov.2007 08:02

nmcil nmcil12@gmail.com

Tragic and so hard to believe that this man's powerful protest action and sacrifice has not been made known to the American people - With the newspaper industry so much in control of the Power Elites today, it should not be "hard to believe" or a surprise. I only discovered this today while doing some research on Vietnam Buddist Monks that took same actions during that war.

This man will be part of my Dia de Los Muertos altar in New Mexico, at least a few more Americans will learn about him and his great act of courage -