Iraq Car Bomb Kills American Activist

Associated Press ^ | 4/17/05 | Associated Press

[jimbo123]

SAN FRANCISCO - A woman who founded a humanitarian group to aid civilian casualties in Iraq has died in a car bombing in Baghdad, officials said Sunday.

Marla Ruzicka, founder of Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict, died Saturday in the blast, which also killed an Iraqi and another foreigner, officials said. She had been in Iraq conducting door-to-door surveys trying to determine the number of civilian casualties in the country.

Ruzicka, 28, founded CIVIC in 2003 to "mitigate the impact of the conflict and its aftermath on the people of Iraq by ensuring that timely and effective life-saving assistance is provided to those in need," according to the group's Web site.

Ruzicka's parents said Sunday they were notified of her death just hours after the explosion. U.S. Embassy officials publicly released Ruzicka's name Sunday.

"We've been very worried about her but we know better than to tell our children not to do anything. We were supportive and just reminded her to be careful," said her mother, Nancy Ruzicka, of Lakeport.

She said her daughter had left her a telephone message the night before her death that said, "Mom and dad, I love you. I'm OK."

"She cared about people and gave people her love and help," Nancy Ruzicka said. "I'll remember the love she spread around the world and the good ambassador that she was for her country."

Ruzicka got her start working for non-governmental organizations 10 years ago at the San Francisco-based human rights group Global Exchange.

"It's a terrible tragedy and a tragic irony that somebody who devoted her life to helping the victims of war would herself become a victim of war," said Medea Benjamin, the group's director.

[stboz]

Let no good deed go unpunished.

[Bonaparte]

"Hard to believe that so many have hardened their hearts so much."

Save your sympathy for those who are rotting in Castro's jails. It seems Saint Marla's "compassion" didn't extend to them -- or to any of the other millions of innocent victims of communism and islamism.

While we're softening our hearts for her, how about Stalin, Castro and Mao? Shall we put flowers on their graves too?

[Boazo]

[nothingnew]

All I'm saying is that (a) I will not gloat at her death and (b) I'm sure that the Judge she meets will judge her with mercy.

I do not disagree with those sentiments, though I will not spend anymore time on her demise.

FReegards,

Rick

FMCDH(BITS)

[Soliton]

I've googled this poor woman. She seems to have used accurate numbers and tried to help. God rest her soul.

[devolve]

Good move - thanks

[Dont Mention the War]

She also had an extraordinary gift for promoting her cause

She had two of them, actually.

Now she has zero. Oh well, karma'll get you every time. Pass the potatoes, please.

[nothingnew]

Thank you my FRiend. You gotta love that face!

FMCDH(BITS)

[pfflier]

Fair 'nuff

[nothingnew]

Bump and thanks.

FMCDH(BITS)

[Dont Mention the War]

Her courage was nothing special. Her purpose, despicable.

As far as I'm concered, she didn't even have courage, but rather arrogance. She was one of those types that thought she was somehow supernaturally protected from attack on account of being the very thing she despised ... an American. She thought she was smarter than everyone else around her and would thus avoid all the traps the "stupider" people (like all those backwoods U.S. troops and dirty, dumb brown people) fall into.

Oops.

[Bonaparte]

"The 100,000 people who were killed in Guatemala are more than statistics; they were people who loved others, were involved in their communities, and who had hopes and dreams, just as you and I do.

I find it ironic that people fuss about five percent of the federal budget going to welfare, food stamps, energy assistance and housing subsidies for the poor, while a fat chunk goes to the CIA to destabilize countries and crush people's lives."
_________________________________________________________________

Even the far-left War Resistors League disagrees with Saint Marla's figures. They (correctly) show 34% of the federal budget going to social programs.

That's slightly more than $700 billion, which dwarfs the "huge chunk" the CIA gets -- all intelligence spending, not just CIA, comes to no more than $50 billion.

More figures she pulled out of her hat.

And where did St. Marla come up with that nice, round 100,000 figure for Guatemalan dead? Did she take a "survey" for that too?

[Enterprise]

I didn't like his politics, but I did like that show!

[Bonaparte]

"She seems to have used accurate numbers..."

See 233.

She's about a "accurate" as Rigoberto Menchu.

[cookcounty]

" Just great - another Leftist martyr."

That's uncalled for. She was helping people in need, whatever her politics may have been.

[CzarNicky]

She died of stupidity I do not feel sorry for her.

Rot In Pieces.

[armymarinemom]

I'm sure the CIA watches these people closely. If you would like to work with Global Exchange please visit their website. They have links for getting involved. You could also work with the same group at Code Pink. All of these groups work with United for Peace and Justice who also works with ANSWER Sooner or later if you check the steering committees you come across WWP

My favorite reading from an ANSWER handout was the statement about solidarity with resisters.:

Having achieved their victory, however, the occupiers now confront a people who have a long and proud history of resistance. The anti-war movement here and around the world must give its unconditional support to the Iraqi anti-colonial resistance.

[cookcounty]

"She had been in Iraq conducting door-to-door surveys trying to determine the number of civilian casualties in the country. "

My partial apologies. I see she was collecting propaganda. The left is trying so hard to pump up the numbers killed since March 2003, but couldn't care less about the 1.8 million+ that perished as a result of Saddam's ambitions.

[rrrod]

Well said...my 2 cents worth now.....pass the popcorn