Fiery Anti-War Suicide Goes Unnoticed

Iraq War Foe Sets Himself Ablaze In Chicago, But It Takes 5 Days To Identify His Body

(AP) 
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."

[feelfree1]

I read about this a couple of weeks ago. Not on CBS, of course. I think that somebody was getting married, or divorced, or something, around that time though.

CBS can't cover everything.

[frankly6]

If you find the posting and re-posting of the same message by Bushrocks1 pointless and counterproductive, just click on "report this comment" below his post and report it.

[tinker3478]

Let's see if we can profile ****rocks, shall we? He is a white male between the ages of 45 and 60. Obviously, he is educated as obnoxious as he may seem. He possibly has a high IQ; it's hard to tell. He probably doesn't have a son since he is so eager for the war to continue. He is disabled and/or unemployed because he can be on these sites any hour of the day or night. Because he has a computer with internet service, someone in the household works-either a wife or girlfriend. He is evidently impotent and feels the need to vent his frustration on the rest of the world.

How am I doing so far?

[bushrocks1]

Would I send my son to this war? You might ask would I send him to WW II? Or Vietnam? Maybe you would distinguish those conflicts and whether you would send your son to fight in them. But that question is misdirected in a very important way: I can't command my son to go to war. He has to make that choice. So the better question would be: would I volunteer to fight in Iraq, WW II, Vietnam? Would I volunteer to fight in any war? Respond if drafted? I don%u2019t know. I'm not equivocating, only addressing that it is a hypothetical. To a hypothetical, I can answer, sure I'd fight. But I have nightmares of battle (from my past life as a Jacobite). So how do I feel toward those who do volunteer? Impressed and maturely knowing that many things go into their decision. But I do strongly believe that a country that can't find those men is doomed. The fact that we can find them is one reason why I say there is no failure in Iraq. Objectively, I also believe it for other reasons. An attempt to establish democracy in the Middle East is a bold, brilliant, noble effort, facing a high chance of failure. That's why I greatly respect and admire those who have made the attempt--the Bush administration. They have been resolute, something I have not seen in my lifetime. They may not succeed, for reasons outside their control or fault: traitors on the home front being a big one. Now those traitors have apparently occupied the high ground. Yet... we're still in Iraq. Why?...I'm waiting.

[tinker3478]

Then don't.

[tinker3478]

When you're potty trained we'll talk.

[ronniehm]

Need a match?

[tinker3478]

Takes one to know one-nahnenahnenana

[ronniehm]

She'd probably be more concerned that you agree with a toasted mental case.

[tinker3478]

Thanks! My Mom would have a hissy if she knew I was on this site. LOL

[ronniehm]

"How am I doing so far?"

Depends. How old are you? For an eleven-year-old, you're kicking b*tt.

[tinker3478]

Let's see if we can profile ****rocks, shall we? He is a white male between the ages of 45 and 60. Obviously, he is educated as obnoxious as he may seem. He possibly has a high IQ; it's hard to tell. He probably doesn't have a son since he is so eager for the war to continue. He is disabled and/or unemployed because he can be on these sites any hour of the day or night. Because he has a computer with internet service, someone in the household works-either a wife or girlfriend. He is evidently impotent and feels the need to vent his frustration on the rest of the world.

How am I doing so far?

[ronniehm]

"How am I doing so far?"

Depends. How old are you? For an eleven-year-old, you're kicking b*tt.

[ronniehm]

Wow, fascistusa, it's like you took your little speech right off that toasted mental case's web site. You need a match? The road to freedom is covered with the ashes of idiots.

[tinker3478]

Let's see if we can profile ****rocks, shall we? He is a white male between the ages of 45 and 60. Obviously, he is educated as obnoxious as he may seem. He possibly has a high IQ; it's hard to tell. He probably doesn't have a son since he is so eager for the war to continue. He is disabled and/or unemployed because he can be on these sites any hour of the day or night. Because he has a computer with internet service, someone in the household works-either a wife or girlfriend. He is evidently impotent and feels the need to vent his frustration on the rest of the world.

How am I doing so far?

[bushrocks1]

Would I send my son to this war? You might ask would I send him to WW II? Or Vietnam? Maybe you would distinguish those conflicts and whether you would send your son to fight in them. But that question is misdirected in a very important way: I can't command my son to go to war. He has to make that choice. So the better question would be: would I volunteer to fight in Iraq, WW II, Vietnam? Would I volunteer to fight in any war? Respond if drafted? I don%u2019t know. I'm not equivocating, only addressing that it is a hypothetical. To a hypothetical, I can answer, sure I'd fight. But I have nightmares of battle (from my past life as a Jacobite). So how do I feel toward those who do volunteer? Impressed and maturely knowing that many things go into their decision. But I do strongly believe that a country that can't find those men is doomed. The fact that we can find them is one reason why I say there is no failure in Iraq. Objectively, I also believe it for other reasons. An attempt to establish democracy in the Middle East is a bold, brilliant, noble effort, facing a high chance of failure. That's why I greatly respect and admire those who have made the attempt--the Bush administration. They have been resolute, something I have not seen in my lifetime. They may not succeed, for reasons outside their control or fault: traitors on the home front, being a big one. But now those traitors have apparently occupied the high ground. Yet... we're still in Iraq. Why?... I'm waiting.

[fascistusa]

RONNIEBAGOSH*T,

I'm so glad to be entertaining a Fascist.

Why do you think the Republinazis lost? You figure it out yet? Because people like me told EVERYBODY they could that America is FASCIST.

Even in that small vacant area of your chest where you once possibly had a heart, doesn't it make you wonder what could be so WRONG with the "Land of the Free" that a person would set themselves on fire. But that only happens in OTHER countries.

Great literature has been written about people like you, Uncle Scrooge.

Like I said... just continue this FASCIST regime. That's it. The Road to Freedom is covered in the Deaths of Patriots and the BLOOD od TYRANTS.

[tinker3478]

"We "had won the war militarily" in Vietnam?? But only due to those commie, pinko, hippie peace activitists, we lost the war???"

Jimkun, how far back is your parent-post? What you're trying to address has been lost in the shuffle while the children were playing.

[tinker3478]

"We "had won the war militarily" in Vietnam?? But only due to those commie, pinko, hippie peace activitists, we lost the war???"

Jimkun, how far back is your parent-post. What you're trying to address has been lost in the shuffle while the children were playing.

[ronniehm]

Isn't that interesting? You have the same opinions as a toasted mental case. That's got to be annoying.