Malachi Ritscher's Act of Defiance (R.I.P.)

Do you remember the effect of Vietnamese buddhist monkThích Quảng Đức had on the world when he sel-immolated in protest of the Viet Nam war? Well, it has happened again. Yesterday, in Chaicago, Malachi Ritscher, a peaceful, well-liked, and music-loving man set himself on fire in protest of the war in Iraq.

Here is the story.

And here is the response, which - utter misunderstanding aside - is building.

And building.

And building.

It's time for everyone who considers themselves one of the all-encompassing "us" presently being party to throwing a war to get entirely out of the war business, and into the health, healing, and happiness business. How about starting by dedicating 1/10th of what has been spent on killing people outside the US over the past three and a half years on Mental Health, Education, and Arts, for, say, the next twenty years?


{via boingboing}