When Did Suicide By Self Immolation Become Courageous?

When you hear the words "heroic" and "courageous sacrifice", what picture pops into your mind? My mental images include our soldiers fighting in the war on terror, police officers, firefighters and the like. The last thing I think of is a man dousing himself with gasoline and setting himself on fire as an act of protest against the war. But those are the words that the other members of the BDS crowd are using to describe Malachi Ritscher.

Mr. Ritscher, who had a history of depression (note to AP - depression is a mental illness), chose to commit suicide by gasoline and fire all the while portraying it as a selfless act of individual protest against the war in Iraq. Here's what one admirer writes about Mr. Ritscher...

"Malachi Ritscher made a heroic statement against the war just as Americans were considering electoral choices which could determine the outcome of the Iraq war. His timing was perfect. His symbolism was powerful. His sacrifice was courageous. He deserves to be remembered as a martyr to the cause of peace Malachi Ritscher made a heroic statement against the war just as Americans were considering electoral choices which could determine the outcome of the Iraq war. His timing was perfect. His symbolism was powerful. His sacrifice was courageous. He deserves to be remembered as a martyr to the cause of peace."

I am sorry for the tragic death but that is it. There is no heroism in suicide, regardless of how you try to justify it. There is no courage in lighting yourself up next to the interstate during rush hour. Mr. Ritscher does deserve to be remembered - remembered as a mentally ill man who went out in a blaze of non-glory in a selfish act of suicide. To portray it as a noble act is to sink to the lowest pit of hell.

No doubt we'll be hearing more and more about Mr. Ritscher in the upcoming weeks. He will reach cult status rivaling Cindy Sheehan. There will be vigils, memorials and even streets named in his honor. Look for the Progressive Caucus to try to claim his date of birth as a national holiday. The Center for Constitutional Rights will probably file a lawsuit against President Bush and the members of his administration for their part in the downward spiral of this "tortured soul". The real tragedy will be when some other weak minded mentally unstable individual decides that self immolation is an appropriate expression of dissent.

Just in case you need a reminder, this is what real heroes and real sacrifice look like...