Pinch yourself to make sure you are awake

I remember when this would have been the top story, at the very least, for one evenings' news. Sometimes I think my childhood was spent in a parallel universe where people really tried to be responsible, America still garnered respect in the world and it was in the best interests of a news gathering organization to get the story first and report it, whatever it was. This is not a false memory and I intend to hold on to it to keep the standard from shifting more than it already has. Let me know if you think this story is less than <, equal to = or greater than > the runaway bride story. I really wanna know.

I heard you, Malachi

By Jennifer Diaz
November 9, 2006

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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.

Should we concerned about the lack of coverage? This is serious, friends. You don't have to be a communication scholar to know that the news media go by the maxim, "When it bleeds, it leads." In a time of intense controversy over war, a man offers up his life and endures prolonged, excruciating pain to make a tangible statement of his belief in peace - are we to believe that this isn't newsworthy?

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Malachi Ritscher had a home-made sign with him when he left the house Friday morning. Firefighters found it next to his charred remains. It read, "Thou shalt not kill."

A jazz aficionado who produced professional recordings of countless performers in local venues, Ritscher was well loved in the Chicago jazz community and has been described by members of that scene as being a warm, modest and selfless individual. A long-time music enthusiast, Ritscher was a fixture at several local jazz haunts. He was said to be very generous - band members tell that he would pay the admission fee for their gig, record their performance, and then offer them the recording he had made free of charge. Many of the recordings were later sold commercially. Others corroborate Ritscher's generous nature. "He gave me peppers from his garden!" cried bartender Janice W., tearing up when she heard what he had done.

Ritscher was deeply disturbed by the United States' waging of war in Iraq , which has led so far to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. In his mission statement, posted on his homepage along with a self-written obituary, he writes of his morbid actions:

"I refuse to finance the mass murder of innocent civilians...What is one more life thrown away in this sad and useless national tragedy? 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."

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Some have suggested that Ritscher's actions can be explained by mental illness. It seems clear that the man was deeply troubled. But it is not clear how that negates his message. At a time when 10% of Americans are taking psychiatric medication, the marginalization of "the mentally ill" as an identifiable group of people radically different from ourselves is making less and less sense. Besides "disturbed," Ritscher is also described by those who knew him as being an animated, friendly person who talked enthusiastically of his many interests and travels in addition to his political beliefs.

Another description that people have applied to Ritscher's mind-boggling choice is "senseless." But his own mission statement offers an elegant response to that notion:

"My position is that I only get one death, I want it to be a good one. Wouldn't it be better to stand for something or make a statement, rather than a fiery collision with some drunk driver? Are not smokers choosing death by lung cancer? Where is the dignity there? Are not the people the people [sic] who disregard the environment killing themselves and future generations?"

Act by 'martyr' to protest war in Iraq a futile gesture

November 9, 2006

BY RICHARD ROEPER Sun-Times Columnist

Malachi Ritscher, 1954-2006
Story by Nitsuh Abebe | Photo by Joeff Davis

Wikipedia entry for Rick Renzi

Rick Renzi

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In September 2006, Renzi was named one of the "20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress" in a report by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonpartisan watchdog group founded in 2005 by former Democratic congressional staffers.^[23] Renzi was also listed in the first report by the organization in January 2006, when he was one of 13 named members. The organization said "His ethics issues stem from the outside income earned by his administrative assistant and from legislation he sponsored that benefitted his father" <sup>[24]

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2005 land swap

According to the Phoenix New Times, in 2002 Renzi sold off a half-interest in his real estate investment business to a fellow investor, James Sandlin, for $200,000. Renzi used the money for his 2002 congressional campaign. After Renzi was elected, he sold the remainder of the business to Sandlin, for somewhere between $1 million and $5 million.

In October 2005, three years after the business transaction with Sandlin, Renzi announced he'd be introducing a bill in Congress that would include a land swap of some land owned by Sandlin (not in Renzi's district) for federal land near Florence where a developer wanted to build. A week after Renzi's announcement, Sandlin sold his land for $4.5 million, a much higher price than he paid for it.

Renzi told the New Times that he did nothing wrong and that sometime after his announcement he recused himself from the bill after a lobbyist's questioned his connection to Sandlin. The land swap never became law.^[17]

On October 24, 2006, the Associated Press reported that the U.S. attorney's office in Arizona has opened an investigation into the land swap deal. According to a law enforcement official, "who spoke on condition of anonymity while the inquiry is ongoing, said the investigation has been under way for a few months and is still in its very early stages."

Etc Etc Etc

Many exit to protest Hayworth supporter

Many exit to protest Hayworth supporter
Casey Newton
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 22, 2006 12:00 AM Usually when you see voters leaving a candidate forum early these days, it's because they want to be home in time to catch Grey's Anatomy.

But the scores of people fleeing Temple Beth Israel in northeast Phoenix last week had an unusual reason for their flight. They had just been deeply insulted, they said, by a man representing a candidate hoping to win their votes.

"It was just such hatred," said Linda Bliss, a Phoenix resident who attended the Tuesday event. "It was so disgusting."
The offending remarks came from Jonathan Tratt, who was chosen by the campaign of J.D. Hayworth to represent Hayworth at a forum sponsored by the National Council of Jewish Women.

The Hayworth campaign on Saturday expressed regrets for the remarks.

Tratt declined to comment about his remarks, which were confirmed
to The Arizona Republic by seven attendees who were interviewed separately. One of those witnesses, Republic columnist Kathy Shayna Shocket, moderated the event.

After provoking the audience on several occasions, Tratt, who is Jewish, told the audience that in some ways Hayworth is a "more observant Jew" than the Jews at the forum. Hayworth is a Christian.

The remark drew a chorus of boos from the audience, about three-quarters of whom promptly stood up and walked out of the synagogue. Tratt's remark was made in the context of Hayworth's opposition to abortion, witnesses said. Tratt suggested that anti-abortion views are more consistent with Jewish values than pro-abortion views. Tratt's wife, Irit, made similar remarks.

The incident is gaining widespread national attention from political Web logs, including Wonkette, the American Prospect's TAPPED and Daily Kos. Hayworth is in a close race for re-election in the 5th Congressional District with Democrat Harry Mitchell, a former state senator and longtime mayor of Tempe.

Jonathan Tratt is a real estate investor and political fund-raiser from Paradise Valley who has contributed more than $77,000 to Republicans and Democrats since 1999.

The evening, which first featured a forum between Republican Sen. John Kyl and Democratic challenger Jim Pedersen, had been contentious from the beginning. Mitchell's campaign said it had expected Hayworth to attend and objected to having two people speaking for Hayworth when Mitchell only got one: himself.

After some discussion, Mitchell agreed to the format.

Witnesses said some people left the event shortly after Tratt began describing the gruesome death of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, who was murdered by terrorists.

Witnesses said Tratt insulted the audience's intelligence, telling jeering audience members that they might have different opinions if they were more educated.

Hayworth's campaign said the Tratts were goaded by a continually heckling crowd.

Bob Schechter, an audience member and Hayworth supporter unaffiliated with the campaign, agreed. "They were attacked before they even had a chance to say anything," Schechter said.

Still, the Hayworth campaign expressed regrets.

"Prior to speaking, our volunteers were bullied, badgered and insulted," said Brian Hummell, a Hayworth spokesman who attended the event. "Although clearly provoked, it doesn't excuse what was said, and we regret that anyone was offended."

Mitchell's campaign called on Hayworth to apologize.

"He owes and apology to the people in the room, the Jewish community and the people of this district," said Seth Scott, a campaign spokesman.