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Iraq Car Bomb Kills American Activist
Associated Press ^ | 4/17/05 | Associated Press

Posted on 04/17/2005 5:10:12 PM PDT by 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.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: carbombing; civic; codepink; globalexchange; hateamericafilth; hatingamerica; humanshields; iraq; marlaruzicka; medeabenjamin; otheirony; ruzicka; soros; usefulidiots
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To: Great Prophet Zarquon

The 9/11 hijackers stuck their necks out for something they believed in, too. I guess you give them kudos for putting their necks on the line, too, right?


61 posted on 04/17/2005 5:39:11 PM PDT by jimbo123
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To: philz
Scroll down a bit to Who Is Marla Ruzicka?. She fed anti-American propaganda to the NYT, which gleefully printed it as fact. She was also given to comparing American conservatives to skin-heads and suggesting that terrorists should target us. Behind her "humanitarian" facade, she was a nasty piece of work.
62 posted on 04/17/2005 5:39:11 PM PDT by Bonaparte (Of course, it must look like an accident...)
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To: Great Prophet Zarquon
Well, yes. In point of fact, I have.

And I can find no sorrow at this person's passing from the scene.

She was in Iraq to gather grist for the anti-American mill. She was there to help the enemies who fight our soldiers

As for the precise manner of her demise, what's the old saying?

Hooray for life's little ironies.

63 posted on 04/17/2005 5:39:48 PM PDT by Qatar-6
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To: jimbo123

I agree. The more I'm reading about her the more she begins to look one step shy of being a terrorist herself. There have been hundreds of bombings that gain my sympathy. This isn't one of them.


64 posted on 04/17/2005 5:39:55 PM PDT by whershey (www.worldwar4.net)
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To: Southack

Thanks - sorry I didn't read further.


65 posted on 04/17/2005 5:40:38 PM PDT by Chi-townChief
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To: doug from upland
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.

66 posted on 04/17/2005 5:40:56 PM PDT by mommadooo3
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To: jimbo123

EXCERPT:

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/johnleo/jl20020802.shtml

On his site, The Politburo, blogger Michael Moynihan noted that the Times' source for the toll of 812 dead was Marla Ruzicka, identified as a field worker in Afghanistan for Global Exchange, "an American organization." What the Times didn't say, Moynihan wrote, is that Global Exchange is a "far-left" group that opposes globalization and the U.S. military. Ruzicka, he said, is a fan of Fidel Castro's Cuba and the winner of an award from "the Marxist group Refuse and Resist."


67 posted on 04/17/2005 5:41:40 PM PDT by maggief
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To: Great Prophet Zarquon

"Lemme ask you, pal, have YOU ever stuck your neck out for what YOU believe? Have you ever taken a risk? Even once?"

I have. I'm a Viet Nam vet. You can put your straw man away and analyze her activities now. She wasn't trying to help anyone. She was trying to hurt Bush, the USA and the US military.

There's a big difference between doing what you think is right and doing what is right.


68 posted on 04/17/2005 5:42:02 PM PDT by Poser (Joining Belly Girl in the Pajamahadeen)
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To: nothingnew
"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"

Anyone who admires Fidel Castro, the war crimes butcher of the innocent in Angola, automatically forfeits their rights to the moral high ground in criticizing war casualties.

69 posted on 04/17/2005 5:42:24 PM PDT by Southack (Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
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To: jimbo123
http://www.civicworldwide.org/

People Around the World Mourn Marla Ruzicka's Tragic Death

Dear Friends of Marla and CIVIC,

It is with deep sadness and regret that I am writing to inform you that Marla died yesterday at the age of 29 in a suicide bomb attack. Faiz, her Iraqi partner, was also killed.

Two beautiful people who devoted their lives to helping innocent victims of war have now become them.

The attack occurred on the Baghdad Airport road as she traveled to visit an Iraqi child injured by a bomb, part of her daily work of identifying and supporting innocent victims of this war.

Only a few hours before her death, Marla sent me this photo of Harah. She was 3 months old when she was thrown from a vehicle just before it was destroyed by a U.S. rocket attack. Her entire family was killed. Hers just one example of the hundreds of lives Marla and Faiz touched with their heroic work.

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

This is one of Marla's favorite quotes. She had enough love to cover the planet. It is crucial that Marla be commemorated and that her work continue.

I, for one, can assure you that it will.  I will post more details as I receive them.

Thank you all for your support. 

peace,
April Pedersen
april@democracyinaction.org

70 posted on 04/17/2005 5:42:38 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ...... The War on Terrorism is the ultimate 'faith-based' initiative.)
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To: NormsRevenge
She had enough love to cover the planet. I

Well, the street at least.

71 posted on 04/17/2005 5:43:54 PM PDT by Wormwood (Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!)
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To: jimbo123

Let's put a positive spin on this. Perhaps she became a "human shield" to protect Iraqis from al Qaeda. Wish more of our leftists would do the same.


72 posted on 04/17/2005 5:45:01 PM PDT by Faraday
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To: maggiefluffs
"Ruzicka, he said, is a fan of Fidel Castro's Cuba and the winner of an award from "the Marxist group Refuse and Resist."

Not exactly the hallmarks of humanitarian non-violence...

73 posted on 04/17/2005 5:45:37 PM PDT by Southack (Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
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To: Poser

Sad , but you are right .


74 posted on 04/17/2005 5:46:04 PM PDT by iso
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To: Wormwood

Uh oh, I feel a song coming on. I think it's Patsy Cline.


"I blow to pieces"


75 posted on 04/17/2005 5:47:04 PM PDT by cripplecreek (I'm apathetic but really don't care.)
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To: sgtbono2002
Why didnt she just make up a figure for how many died isnt that what the left usually does?

I questions whether a door-to-door survey could have been considered a useful way to determine civilian casualties. Maybe she just had to make a good show first.

76 posted on 04/17/2005 5:47:28 PM PDT by nosofar
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To: NormsRevenge

http://www.mindfully.org/Reform/Benjamin-Arrested-Lacks-Media.htm

AP 7nov00

SAN FRANCISCO -- A Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate and two of her aides were arrested by San Francisco police Monday night at a Democratic rally as they clamored at the stage for a chance to speak.

Medea Benjamin; her campaign manager, Jane Brashares; and fund-raiser Marla Ruzicka were arrested for investigation of trespassing and resisting arrest at the Delancy Street Town Hall, which is private property, said police Lt. Louis Cassanego.

(snip)


77 posted on 04/17/2005 5:47:36 PM PDT by maggief
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To: NormsRevenge
Here's one from early in her leftist career:

"Jody Avirgan, Sarah Park, Marla Ruzicka and nearly fifty other high school students who traveled to Cuba in defiance of the US travel ban as part of a group organized by Global Exchange."

Courageous Resister Awards - 1996
78 posted on 04/17/2005 5:48:25 PM PDT by Texas_Jarhead (To hell with Mexico, its policies, and its leaders)
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To: Southack
She was working for Medea Benjamin, the American Communist

Another "Useful Idiot". Whatever she was or thought she was doing you can bet the reality was not to the benefit of America or the Iraqi people.

79 posted on 04/17/2005 5:48:28 PM PDT by Mike Darancette (Mesocons for Rice '08)
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To: jimbo123

I don't wish death on anyone, but I don't want her lionized in death either.

This person was actively working against us.

Various links:

to "talking with" rumsfeld
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24737-2004Aug22.html

wants $10,000 Uncle Sam comp to every civilian casualty (halfway down)
http://www.sptimes.com/2002/04/08/Worldandnation/Blair_offers_stronges.shtml

Protested with the International ANSWER folks in Oct. 2002
http://lists.mutualaid.org/pipermail/mgj-announce/2002q4/000193.html

Her name is mentioned in post (comment 23) where the immortal Dr. Raoul confronted Ms. Benjamin
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1097589/posts

The Portland Indymedia people like her:
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2003/06/265935.shtml

This blogpost from 2 years ago documents her far-left lineage and her involvement in generating civilian casualty numbers in Afghanistan that were dubious:
http://lonewacko.com/blog/archives/000561.html

That'll do for now. Google is your friend.


80 posted on 04/17/2005 5:49:25 PM PDT by litany_of_lies
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