Fire in the Sky....Pain On Earth

I recently was sent an email from a friend about a story that I think is possibly the biggest news story of the year, and no one even knows about it. You would think that if someone lit themselves on fire in protest of the war, above one of the busiest expressways in the country, at rush hour on a weekday, that it might make national news, but such is not the case I guess.

I encourage everyone to read this, it should affect you greatly if you have a soul. Then come back and read on.

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/396 63/Malachi_Ritscher_195

As sad and disturbing as this story is, what is inherently more disturbing is the fact that nothing has been made of this tragedy. No news stories on tv, no articles in the paper, nothing. How could an American citizen do this and nobody notices? Not just notice, but no one even seems to care, no one with a voice anyways.

Me feelings on the war are irrelevant. This man, Malachi Ritscher, a staple in the Chicago music scene, thought that the war was an important enough issue to protest by immolation, that says something. I don't care if he was protesting the new enchilada wraps at Taco Bell, if he feels that strongly about an issue that he was willing to light himself on fire and bring about his own death in protest, then we should pay attention. At the very least try to find out why he felt so strongly. Because right now, this man is dead and no one knows why. or at least no one seems to care.

I've tried to find more info on this tragedy but it is very hard to find. The fact that the body hasn't even been identified 100% is , I'm sure, probably causing a delay in some info getting out, but at the very least there should have been a major uproar over a man burning himself to death in a public setting to protest our own government!

I mean, someone is burned to death on top of a Chicago landmark and nothing is said of it. It isn't reported as a major story...that seems insane to me. Even if no one knew anything about his reasons, or anything about the man himself, shouldn't someone have reported that an unidentified man set himself ablaze atop a Chicago structure, during rush hour, for the whole world to see? No one did, Ritscher's act went unnoticed.

This is shameful. Every American should be ashamed and horrified. Not by Ritscher's act, but by the treatment of this story by every media outlet in the country. Why do we even have a nightly newscast, or newspapers for that matter, if they are not going to report the news? This says a lot about the news we watch and read. If this isn't a major lead story, then I don't know what is. What this story is, and why it isn't being reported is perfect example of the terrible journalism that passes for the best in this country these days. Never again will there be reporters that go after Presidents, or call for the ousting of political figures because of their decisions and positions on war. They are all sallies now. Everyone is afraid to say anything bad about the war and that is a shame.

This man, Malachi Ritscher, remember his name, Malachi Ritscher, should be remembered and championed. And apparently, if you don't remember him, no one will.