[doug from upland]

God rest her soul. She was trying to give comfort to others.

[Machkas]

God rest her soul. She was trying to give comfort to others.

Hope that was the case, and if so you're right. But it sounds more like she was looking for evidence to blast the US.

[bronxboy]

I agree. At least this lib put her actions were her mouth was.

[tet68]

Ask not for whom the bell tolls..........

[Southack]

It's not what you think. She was working for Medea Benjamin, the American Communist who penned the pro-Castro Cuban Revolution book as well as who was caught giving several hundred thousand Dollars to the insurgency in Falluja.

Heck, she was probably *inside* the suicide car bomb, or else outside it nagging the Mujis to get the right wiring.

[philz]

She was, in fac,t a humanitarian. Liberal or not, she was an American. God rest her soul.

[AQGeiger]

She was trying to give comfort to others.

Yeah, the terrorists. No other possibility if she spent 10 years working for Medea Benjamin. Nice pink head scarf she has.

[Boazo]

"The true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love." Ernesto Che Guevara

This is one of Marla's favorite quotes

[T'wit]

Thank you, that is the only appropriate response to this tragedy. May her soul find comfort.

[Poser]

"She was trying to give comfort to others."

No. She wasn't.

She was killed trying to prove her country was evil and that liberating millions of people from tyranny was wrong.

She was killed trying to discredit the US military and the US government.

She was killed trying to make the enemy appear to be good while making her country look bad.

It's too bad that she was killed, but she had no business being there and her activities were traitorous.

[BJungNan]

God rest her soul. She was trying to give comfort to others.

Despite her politics, you do have to give her that.

[FreedomSurge]

I don't understand your comment. A huge deal was made of a Lancet study which said 100,000 Iraqis were killed by the US led invasion.

The 100,000 number lost its force when it was revealed that the number was an estimate based on 63 confirmed deaths.

It sounds to me that she was part of a group trying to justify the 100,000 number - an anti-US political activity - not a benign ministering to the needy.

[nothingnew]

Marla Ruzicka, a Global Exchange field worker in Afghanistan, said the most common factor behind the civilian deaths has been an American reliance on incomplete information to decide on targets. "Smart bombs are only as smart as people on the ground," Ms. Ruzicka said. "Before you bomb, you should be 100 percent certain of who you are bombing." So what is this Global Exchange, which Filkins describes only as "an American organization"? A look at its Web site makes clear it's a far-left outfit that opposed any military intervention in Afghanistan. Blogger Michael Moynihan has more details on Marla Ruzicka, who turns out to be a fervent admirer of Fidel Castro. There's also a "report" on the 2000 election dispute from the World Socialist Web Site, which quotes her as suggesting Republicans are terrorists: Marla Ruzicka, 23, an officially accredited observer from the Green Party, commented on the tactics of the Bush supporters. She described them as "really nasty. There was one guy with a bald head, like a skinhead. They surrounded me and called me a baby killer, because of my support for the right to abortion. When I pointed out Bush's presiding over the death penalty, they said: no, no, that's justice. They're scary. Maybe they're the ones who should be on the terrorist lists." Ruzicka, of course, is entitled to her opinions--but surely her extremist political agenda is relevant to Filkins's readers in determining how much weight to give to her comments. Meanwhile, buried in the 16th paragraph of Filkins's story is an admission that the whole thing is trumped up: "Indeed, the extraordinary accuracy of American airstrikes since they began in October has produced few of the types of disasters that plagued past wars, when bombs aimed at one target hit something else instead." Oh well, never mind.[WSJ Opinion Page--James Taranto]

FMCDH(BITS)

[mommadooo3]

I think that ALL the facts need to come out before anyone says anything to 'slam' or 'sympathise' with this person.

It took a while before the Corrie facts and PIX were made known.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

God rest her soul. She was trying to give comfort to others.

That's not absolutely clear. It sounds like she was compiling a catalogue of grief to use in litany of blame against America. I admire your spirit in giving her the benefit of a doubt, I just don't share it.

[Shermy]

RIP Marla.

[justshutupandtakeit]

More than likely she was trying to undermine the Bush war effort to free Iraq. Gloating is not in order but lets not sugarcoat the reality.

[pfflier]

"Comfort" and aid to the enemy is defined as treason.

The sole purpose of her mission was to embarrass the US in the eyes of the world. Incidentally, she may have given some paltry aid and comfort to the "victims" she so diligently sought.

[Doctor Raoul]

God rest her soul. She was trying to give comfort to others.

Depends. The story has her canvassing to document civilian casulties. If that was her main focus, I suspect it was mainly an "anti-American" project.

If she was primarily handing out aid to non-combatants, and was apolitical, then I join you. However, given her ties to Global Exchange, the mothership for Code Pinko, Occupation Watch and the midwife for UFPJ, I smell a rat.

Since the Commies propogate "front groups" to make themselves look like several groups rather than one Castro worshiping cult, the question of CIVIC's ties to the Manson Sisters, i.e., Benjamin, Evans and Murphy, is one that needs to be answered. I swear they all look like they should be wearing buttons that say, "What Would Charlie Do?"

Medea will be dancing is her associate's blood for all it's worth tomorrow and in the coming days. Wonder if they'll parade a symbolic coffin with a Che flag on it?

[jimfree]

God rest her soul. She was trying to give comfort to others.

That's what I got out of this. She was a lib but an honest and useful one who was trying to help.