AP frets that more people haven’t noticed war protester’s self-immolation; Update: Protester fantasized about killing Rumsfeld
posted at 5:48 pm on November 26, 2006 by Allahpundit
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He was a self-professed alcoholic who “fought with depression” and, according to his own son, was “mentally ill.” But he’s on the right side politically so he gets a happy ending from the Associated Press:
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…
There was only one problem: No one was listening.
That is a problem — one which the AP has now helpfully solved. He shall not have died in vain.
Big finish:
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?…
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.”
They link to his website, too. Go see the photo at the top.
Don’t believe them either when they say that no one noticed his suicide. Some did. It’s like blog Qana, with Kos as Green Helmet!
Update: Here’s his suicide note. This part didn’t make it into the AP article for some reason:
I have had one previous opportunity to serve my country in a meaningful way – at 8:05 one morning in 2002 I passed Donald Rumsfeld on Delaware Avenue and I was acutely aware that slashing his throat would spare the lives of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of innocent people. I had a knife clenched in my hand, and there were no bodyguards visible; to my deep shame I hesitated, and the moment was past.
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The poor man was whacked, pure and simple. You don’t have to go searching very far to know that he was simply out of his mind.
NEMETI IN SYRACUSE on November 26, 2006 at 5:53 PM
Wow! No wonder Madonna is so hot for the Pres.
thedecider on November 26, 2006 at 5:54 PM
Yeah, you’re going to God now. Just like all the suicide bombers. Suuuure.
RightWinged on November 26, 2006 at 5:57 PM
I was thinking the same thing as I read. There are some sad similarities. Protesting has gone beyond what it was intended for in the 60’s (which was nuts). Now it is somewhere along the line of insanity and lunacy. Why listen to antics instead of rational discussion. Crazy…
danarchy on November 26, 2006 at 6:01 PM
Wacked out for sure,why didn’t he just move out of the country like Arek Bawdrin said he was going to do.
bbz123 on November 26, 2006 at 6:09 PM
War protesting is no longer honest dissent . . . it is enemy activity and the participants are enemies of the Republic. It’s time to call it what it is, confront it head on and defeat it.
rplat on November 26, 2006 at 6:10 PM
Umm they are in power now so how is it our fault we didnt listen ?
Problem is we did listen and acted foolishly in the election.
He martyred himself for a defeatist cause
William Amos on November 26, 2006 at 6:13 PM
My co-worker places her American Flag stamps upside down on envelopes. And I get to listen to her anti-Bush, anti-American mumblings all day long! Yay, me! (insert sacarstic tone here)
kiakjones on November 26, 2006 at 6:17 PM
Man, he sure showed us. Flame on!
DannoJyd on November 26, 2006 at 6:26 PM
This guy should have taken a closer look at scripture. Suicide is a no-no in God’s eyes. I pray for his soul. It is sad that political discourse from the left keeps going further and further into the lunatic realm. The left seems to always feel it is appropriate to personally attack anyone that disagrees with them, including, in a lot of cases, wanting to physically harm/kill them. While I have profound disagreements with the left’s obvious socialist/communist style agenda of governing, I don’t wish them dead or harmed. Civility and logic seem to be disappearing from the left at an alarming rate. I wonder how much longer the MSM will be able to hide it from the 60% of the population that don’t pay attention to what is going on politcally in this country.
What do I know? I am one of kerry’s idiots that joined the army during my senior year of high school. Had my fill of the liberal education system, and this was in 1980.
still468 on November 26, 2006 at 6:33 PM
I guess Ritscher’s parents didn’t teach their progeny not to play with matches.
Also guessing that as a savant member of Mensa, Ritscher didn’t realize that all those Bhuddist monks who immolated themselves in front of the US Embassy in Saigon did nothing to slow or stop the war in Vietnam, either.
Jack.
Jack Deth on November 26, 2006 at 6:35 PM
I am not responsible for this pathetic person’s awful death. None of you is, either; America is not responsible; Bush is not responsible; the Republicans are not responsible for this sad event–and most of all, despite the clear implication of the Assholed Press, the war in Iraq is not the cause of what this mentally ill person did
Every time one of these severely disturbed lefties tops themselves ( as the Brits say ), the media jumps up and down to create a national story with Designated Villains–you and me and BushHitler, etc, etc. Remember Mitch Snyder, the Hero of the Homeless, who ran around in BDUs with Army colonels insignia? That sad little nut-job hanged himself twenty years ago, and the media told us it was because Ronald Reagan was not doing enough for the homeless–whose number they bloated up to THREE MILLION ( all of whom were just like you and me, of course, families with kids, etc, and we are all just a missed paycheck away from eing out on the streets )
I can feel sorry for this person but I will not allow any media POS to blame me or anyone else for his demise
Janos Hunyadi on November 26, 2006 at 6:37 PM
Martyrs aren’t driven by rage. It’s not martyrdom if you pull the switch yourself. And picking up a bare majority of seats is not “a seismic shift.”
Anwyn on November 26, 2006 at 6:42 PM
Mentally ill.
ahem on November 26, 2006 at 6:44 PM
Those Buddhist monks were protesting the South Vietnamese government’s persecution of them, not the war.
aengus on November 26, 2006 at 6:50 PM
Anyone bring marshmellows?
[disclaimer]
I know my above comment is in poor taste. However as Janos said…
F15Mech on November 26, 2006 at 7:01 PM
The phrase “status differential” comes to mind.
What gives stability and purpose to society, and dignity to the individual, is a hierarchy of status: People who do the right thing are respected and admired, and therefore — since desire for respect and admiration is a major motive force in human affairs — people have an inducement to engage in socially beneficial behavior.
We strive to do well in school, work hard in our careers, obey the law, provide for the welfare of our families — these are socially beneficial behaviors, and anything that would detract from the status associated with these behaviors will tend to undermine the health of society.
(With me so far?)
Ali-Bubba on November 26, 2006 at 7:18 PM
(”Status differential”)
Social status is a “fixed-pie,” zero-sum game. All people cannot have equal status. Therefore, to enhance the status of one group of people is necessarily to diminish the status of others. A nation that celebrates beauty, wealth and athletic prowess, for instance, necessarily holds in low esteem the ugly, the poor and the awkward.
Now, let us apply this to The Case of the Self-Immolating Peacenik.
By celebrating the suicidal pacifist, the Associated Press tells us that pacifism is a laudable thing — that those who protest against wars are admirable and worthy of emulation. This strikes us as bizarre, but …
What does the celebration of the suicidal pacifist tell us about the AP’s view of those who support the war? And what about those who actually fight the war?
(Still with me?)
Ali-Bubba on November 26, 2006 at 7:24 PM
(”Status differential”)
If protesting war is a noble and praiseworthy endeavor — no matter what a crackpot the pacifist is otherwise — then at the opposite end of that status scale are those who fight wars. In the value system held out to society by the Associated Press, the best we can say about soliders is what John Kerry and Charlie Rangel says about them: They are poor, dumb shlubs with no civilian prospects who are only in the service because they can’t make it in the domestic economy.
This is where the lie of the liberal’s claim to “patriotism” is exposed: One cannot venerate pacifism, on the one hand, and expect that young men will volunteer to fight for their country, on the other. If a nation is worth fighting for, one must have fighters, and this celebration of pacifism — with its attendant, and purposeful, insult to the profession of arms — can only discourage the sort of patriotism that leads men to fight for their country.
F*** that self-immolating S.O.B., and F*** the Associated Press for its bathetic tribute to him!
Ali-Bubba on November 26, 2006 at 7:34 PM
Amen
I didn’t want to de-couple your Train of Thought, Ali-B, but you did sorta jump from individual behaviour to group behaviour ( the behaviour of social classes ).
….not that there’s anything wrong with that, and I’m still with you. Using logic to comprehend the behaviour of the mentally ill is a rough road to travel, though
Janos Hunyadi on November 26, 2006 at 7:39 PM
An anti-war protester who sets himself on fire.
Turn a peacenik inside out and you’ll always find a whackjob. Can we assume he did not object to the use of napalm in wartime?
Get used to that burning flesh aroma. Idiot.
fogw on November 26, 2006 at 8:02 PM
Ol whatshisname has stumbled onto the singularly most effective means of anti war protest in the history of man. I strongly recommend it.
Buzzy on November 26, 2006 at 8:21 PM
I am eating thanksgiving leftovers and trying to figure out why Ashley Heher who wrote this tribute think anyone should give a damn about this nutjob doing his best Johnny Storm imitation. Not surprisingly, Editor and Publisher has linked to it, can’t wait for the Greg Mitchell in-depth tribute.
Ripclawe on November 26, 2006 at 8:52 PM
If that was supposed to be a “news” article, then I’m Bonnie Prince Charlie.
Sean M. on November 26, 2006 at 9:10 PM
The AP is such a piece of shit. Everyone needs to flood their mail boxes with complaints over this omission.
RightWinged on November 26, 2006 at 9:10 PM
That’s no loss.
Subsunk
Subsunk on November 26, 2006 at 9:11 PM
Turns out he wasnt protesting the war in Iraq, he was just filming his audition tape for Fantastic Four part 2
SnakeintheGrass on November 26, 2006 at 9:16 PM
What never ceases to amaze me about these people (both the certifiable ones like this moron, and the others–like Kos–who are simply idiots) is how completely unintelligent they are.
This guy actually thinks that killing the Secretary of Defense will prevent a war with Islamists seeking to establish a global caliphate.
DaveS on November 26, 2006 at 10:07 PM
And yet, AP has no ‘frets’ about the fact that most people don’t really pay that much serious attention to AP news stories anymore. Maybe this will help clue them in.
Lawrence on November 26, 2006 at 11:34 PM
I feel about as sorry for him as I do for the Hamas ‘granny’.
Entelechy on November 26, 2006 at 11:35 PM
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAH! Now THAT’S comedy!
Well only a stupid liberal would sit around “researching” a nutbag who offs himself because of some war he’s not even a part of. Sounds like WE GOT US ANOTHER SHRIMP FOR THE BARBIE FELLAS!
Now if we can only get the rest of them to think like this, he said, wryly.
Soothsayer on November 27, 2006 at 12:18 AM
Well he’s RIGHT and you, ignorant of your own religious theology, are wrong. He most certainly is going to God…for the Bible says,
Now, in the life of a SAVED and FILLED believer, this is not a sad occasion, as one goes to “sleep” one wakes in the bosom of the Lord free from judgement, however, I dare say that it will not go well with the suicide guy once he IS present with the Lord because,…
See, not knowing what the scriptures say about such pressing issues as LIFE AND DEATH, is insane, and it leads to silly things like Catholics praying to Mary, who is dead and buried in her grave awaiting that voice that will wake HER to the judgement .
John 5:28
Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
NEWSFLASH: judgement day hasn’t happened yet so Mary, the suicide guy and everybody else that sleepeth, is awaiting that voice……period.
Soothsayer on November 27, 2006 at 12:30 AM
I hate to use D&D terminology in front of people who won’t understand it, but since this guy was apparently a Mensan (going by what you’ve said), he represents the pinnacle of an old D&D joke: Intelligence 18, Wisdom 3.
mikeomatic on November 27, 2006 at 12:34 AM
Which makes me wonder what Int 3, Wis 18 would look like. Any takers, left or right?
mikeomatic on November 27, 2006 at 12:53 AM
hey kiak, why don’t you tell your co-worker, that if she hates the U.S. so much, then tell her to move to Venezeula or to the Middle East or just tell her to stfu.
Starblazer on November 27, 2006 at 1:25 AM
I had a knife clenched in my hand, and there were no bodyguards visible; to my deep shame I hesitated, and the moment was past.
Oh, come on, Ritscher. Rumsfeld would have tore you a new a-hole, buddy, and you knew it. You may have been ready to die in 2006, but you clearly weren’t ready in 2002.
Just curious if the AP put that kind of emphasis on the Bishop in Germany (?) who set himself on fire to protest the spread of Islam?
JohnW on November 27, 2006 at 8:16 AM
Will someone please explain to AP what a martyr is. A martyr is someone who is killed by others for their beliefs, not someone who kills themselves for their beliefs. Where in the world would AP get the idea that a martyr is someone who kills themselves. Ohhhh, right, forgot about them.
BohicaTwentyTwo on November 27, 2006 at 8:41 AM
So the Associated Press is happy to exploit and glorify the mentally ill, as long as they think doing so will help their liberal agenda. Got it. Very noble.
I could really give a shiny rat’s ass about this guy, other than in the sense that I feel sorry for anybody whose mental train has gone off the rails. I do feel sorry for his family. But mentally he was only a step or two removed from your average moonbat (not to be confused with the few remaining sane liberals), except that most of them don’t have the guts to do anything that would put their soft asses at risk. People like that spend so much time in the fever swamps like Kos and DU that they want to be crazy, and the rest of the nutroot echo chamber just eggs them on.
ReubenJCogburn on November 27, 2006 at 11:06 AM
Bad philosophy drives people crazy.
Kevin R on November 27, 2006 at 12:32 PM
Soothsayer, you know what I mean you retard. This guy won’t be living in Heaven. You just wanted an excuse to go on another of your crazy rants. Now head back to the other threads to call people morons and tell others they’re goin to hell… like Jesus apparently told you to.
RightWinged on November 27, 2006 at 9:38 PM
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