'Just World News' with Helena Cobban

It was a bomber, not a car accident:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050417/ts_afp/iraqustoll&cid=1503&ncid=1480

What a tragic waste.

Marla

U.S. Aid Worker Dies in Her Line of Duty

By ROBERT F. WORTH

Published: April 18, 2005

BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 17 - In the locked-down world of Western journalists and government officials in Iraq, it was impossible not to notice Marla Ruzicka.

"At the end of 2003, working with Raed Jarrar and other Iraqis, she helped produce the first systematic Iraq-wide survey of casualties attrobutable to the war the US launched upon the country in March 2003. The results were published here"

US make the war then sent big thinkers.... to make surveys and study how the war affects the life of people!!
It’s a war what thing about it’s a disaster if you are really care about human life these war shouldn’t be started.
Waite the second thing to come soon a wave of film production, US producer and film directors will be in Hollowed making movies and they care about human life also.......

In reality you do not need one second to realize this war destruction on people lives and how big the loss in human life you do not need to sent researchers, thinkers to get the massage then to realized the consonances of the war on human its obvious it killing live and inhuman also we don need Human Watch to tell us how is this war destroyed the life and the loss…..
We got sick of the sanction for 13 years every one saying its effected normal Iraqi peoples not the regime.... what’s happened simply nothing, but these individuals and agenises got good paid for there incredible founds of human loss, isn’t?

Salah I think the point here is that Marla was against the war and she wanted to bring home to the American people, most of whom would rather fool themselves that there were few civilian casualties, what the real consequences were. So that if their government tried to launch another war they would do more to stop it. Don't fall into the trap of lumping all Americans together.

"US make the war then sent big thinkers.... to make surveys and study how the war affects the life of people!!
It’s a war what thing about it’s a disaster if you are really care about human life these war shouldn’t be started."

I know I agree with you that war should not be started! particularly optional war for bogus reasons!

The US authorities did not send Marla, nor did they fund her, nor did they really want her around. The US authorities would rather that no one find out about any victims of US violence - and they are pretty much successful. Most of the US citizens have NO IDEA how many Iraqis died, or how many were injured, or how many lost homes, business, sanity, health, etc. And a great majority of them don't care either (sadly). And this is due to our media. Salah, they do not even talk about Iraqis (or anyone) killed by Americans unless they can not avoid it. They will lie and deny all the time. Now, they report on the suicide car bombings all the time. This leaves a great number of Americans thinking the Iraqis are all crazy and want to kill one another, and the US armed forces are the only thing from stopping them from killing each other till none are left.

Yes, the majority of reasonable Americans think that the US forces are providing stabilty in Iraq, and we need to stay there, no matter how *WE* suffer, because the Iraqi people need us. (And then there is the unreasonable ones who think we should just nuke the whole country. They are sick.)

What made Marla unique was that she really cared and wanted to help. What made Marla's work so important was that she was trying to get the information out to Americans to get them out of their denial. What also made Marla unique is that she realized that greivious hurts cannot be easily healed, but there are things that can be done to help the healing.... like admitting it happened, investigating incidents, saying when the US is at fault, saying the US is VERY sorry (and meaning it- Marla did, although some Americans are not sorry at all - as most of us would say, they are pathetic people) for the pain and losses and death, and making some ammends.

We all know it is easier to forgive when the offending party is truly aware of what they did, and sorry for it (oh, and they stop doing it!).

This never happened in Vietnam. There never was a national reconciliation for the harm the US did to Vietnam. And we have not dealt with it yet. You see, this is important for both the offended and the offenders to do this process.

Marla was a terrible loss. She did all that she could. What we need to do next (I think) is find out why she (reportedly) felt there were records kept by the US military of civilian deaths, and file Freedom of Information acts to get those records. Then make them very public, and get Americans to admit that many Iraqis have died, and many more have suffered. And then address those needs.

It is the human thing to do.

Susan
“The long term forecasts of the demand of oil explain why US invaded Iraq and why she wants to have permanent bases in ME (geostrategical reasons in order to control scarce ressources). The war benefits of the oil/military industries and services companies explain why the right wing R supported the war.”
Posted by Christiane in Oil price spike: who suffers.

You need to teach the Americans to respect the others and their wealth that God gifted to them not go to the war and take their wealth, as US very proud of its technology and science to gain billions of dollars which is right and to live with the rest of world, you and the other good US citizens need make the majority of Americans know the fact that treat the other like you love to treated Not the minority driven the country.
When Britain France Italy …..invaded 100 years ago ME killed millions of people for exactly same reasons, as G. MOOD when entered Baghdad 1914 he gave a speech to Iraqis “we are came to librated you” as the comment made by Christian, these oil/military industries and services companies not just bad apples we need to take them from the box of apples otherwise they will destroy all the apples.

Same applies for South Africa and other African countries and others they lifted in deep poverty and chose after many years of invasion.

Dear friend Salah-- I am really glad that you continue to be part of our discussion here. My best guess is that you are an Iraqi citizen. If so, then you are somebody who really understands wars and the very bad things that they bring to the communities that are their targets, probably much much better than most Americans do.

I grew up in England, where people still remembered how hard life was during the Blitz on London in WW2. Then I spent 6-plus years working in Lebanon during the civil war there in the 1970s. So I feel I understand a bit what war does to communities, too.

However, you may not actually be aware how very, very ignorant the vast majority of US citizens are about the realities of war. Honestly, I am constantly surprised by how many even of the US citizens that I like and generally respect think that wars can be "pinpoint" and not cause much "collateral damage" at all. So they think that maybe it's easy to fight wars for "good purposes".

They really have no idea!

So that's why I think what Marla was doing was incredibly important. No, she was NOT sent there by the US government. She went on her own strong motivation to try to count the numbers of civilian casualties as best she could so she could help teach US people about the real costs of war.

You may not understand just how much most US people needed this teaching. But they really, really did... They still do!

So I figure we must all continue to work to explain again and again to US citizens just what it is that the bombs and armies paid for with our tax money have been doing to a country full of 26 million men, women, and children. Can you help us do this? Anything you can do to help-- maybe write something about your own experiences of war?-- could make a real, real difference.

Helena
Yes I am Iraqi from Babylon, I was served in military as a part of the system in my country I was in two major wars, Gulf war (Iraq-Iran) 1980-1988, and Kuwait war 1991.
I will come back with more details.

Salah wrote "
You need to teach the Americans to respect the others and their wealth (...) and to live with the rest of world, you and the other good US citizens need make the majority of Americans know the fact ...."

Salah,
I'm not an American, I'm from Switzerland. After the end of the Second World War and after the decolonization and liberation of many former colonies, I thought that the world was heading toward more progress of the human rights and peace. I favor a multilateral approach and a balanced and fair trades between the rich world and emerging/developping countries. I'm still shocked by the brutal imperialist politic of the US and the invasion of Iraq. Most of Europe opinion disapprove of the actual US politic. If I'm commenting on the English blogs it's with the hope to get the message to US people.

Helena, Susan and others,
The death of Marla Ruzicka is a very sad event. Her project of counting the Iraqis victimes of the war started from a very good idea : let the US and the rest of the world know about the numerous Iraqis and civilian victimes the US was trying to hide from the public.

However, I fear that the method used (visiting hospitals and cemeteries, counting deaths announced in the newspapers) seriously underestimate the number of casualties.

Not all the deceased are brought to the hospitals; in case of urgencies, the personal doesn't have the time for paperworks; not all the hospitals were reached etc. etc. Concerning the newspapers, some say the US military announces Iraqi casulaties only when US personal is also involved in the incident. So many victimes aren't reported in the newspapers at all.
The statistical study published by the Lancet some months ago shows that there are probably much more Iraqis deaths than "Iraq body count" could publish (about 16'000 if I remember correctly, while the Lancet study states that it should rather be around 100'000, not even counting Fallujah). In the end, some right wing politicians/pamphletists, who had criticized the figures published by "Iraq Body Count", used these very same data to counter the results of the Lancet study. So, I'm now somewhat uneasy with the results of this project.

Susan
You need to teach the Americans to respect the others and their wealth that God gifted to them not go to the war .....you and the other good US citizens need make the majority of Americans know the fact that treat the other like you love to treated Not the minority driven the country.

Oh, Salah, if I could, I surely would!

I would like nothing better than to see the American public become informed. If they knew, I believe they would act to save lives, not make war. I am trying every way I can think of...

but Americans are vastly uninformed and underinformed, and many are just down right stupid.

And I place a lot of the fault on the media. The media is out to make money, first, last and always. They want to keep people watching by entertaining them, and to never say or show things that upset the American people. Plus, they actually have companies like Lockheed Martin advertising on CNN. Lockheed Martin makes F-16s, which the US is selling to India and Pakistan. It is an airplane that is good for dropping nuclear bombs. Now, why would Americans be shown ads for airplane bombers? After all, we are not going to buy one for our own use!

Salah, your voice, and what you have to say, is important. We need to hear your stories, and we all have to work to inform people of the truth. I will tell a young man named Mark about this blog and your posts. He is gathering original statements from Iraqis, and maybe he too can help us "get the word out"

I am so sorry for the violence visited on your country by the USA. It is so unfair.

My god, what a tragic waste. This war has cost so many so much, and just reading about this incredible woman has hit me harder than anything I've read yet in this unholy war. May her family and friends be comforted in the knowledge that there are many of us out here who recognize the true heroes of such conflagrations, and I know that I personally feel....woefully inadequate to even attempt to do justice to her life and her legacy. People such as Marla transcend the partisan politics that we get so wrapped up within, and if there is a canonization or sanctification process that she'd approve of, I'd love to see her recognized thusly.....although it sounds like she was the type that would much rather inspire action and not words. May she rest in peace.

Christiane,

Marla's work was important in another way - her one to one connection with the people, and her attempts to get help to them.

I read one sentence in the Washington Post in an article about Marla, where the reporter said that Marla thought she found a way to get the US authorities to admit that they are keeping records of the Iraqis hurt and killed - and compensated. I am sure of this also. I would really like to get my hands on this information, but it would be better of course if our media did something about this. But it is the ACLU who got the information on the torture memos, not the corporate media.

I guess any way of counting the dead will be flawed particularly when the whole area is so chaotic.

Susan, I don't doubt for a moment that US authorities are keeping records of the Iraqis for whose deaths and injuries they have paid compensation, and unquestionably those records should be made public. However, that would represent only a tiny franction of the Iraqis whom the US has killed or injured directly, so realistically would not give us any accurate idea of even the direct harm the US is doing.

Hi everyone...I heard the terrible news about Marla Ruzicka this morning. Her death saddened me greatly, because she was a fearless person with one pure agenda: to make sure other human beings were comfortable. This is someone who looked past politics and war and sought after a world where there is compassion and hope, despite boundaries. I only wish more people would take her cue, either overseas, or in their own towns.
Perhaps her legacy will inspire others to follow suit. I, for one, am going to donate some blood this week. Who wants to join me??

Dear Helena, Susan and others,

I like to make it clear my comments in regard of the death of Marla Ruzicka I quiet agree with all of you it’s a tragic, but you see this big loss from one side for me and all Iraqis its different because we saw and we seeing daily what the dictators did with his stupidly coupled with US horrible bombing for complete infrastructures of the country with heavy human loos “ Shock and Awe “ make the Iraqi loos their balance for almost 6 months after the war and its really was Shock and Awe.
I can say to you Gulf war II in 1991 its nothing compared with invasion war, what damage and loos in human life.

“I grew up in England, where people still remembered how hard life was during the Blitz on London in WW2. Then I spent 6-plus years working in Lebanon during the civil war there in the 1970s. So I feel I understand a bit what war does to communities, too.”

Dear Helena, the feeling when you see your country and your life destroyed for no reason make your hart breaks inside; when you live in Lebanon this is different simply it’s not your birth country so you don’t feel it. This is the difference with Iraqis harts and mid.

US Missed opportunities in Iraq as Madeleine K. Albrightsaid
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2005-01-25-albright_x.htm

And please read this link below, Helena I keep saying Listen To Iraqis We can Do The Job…
“Analysts say little is known about Iraq”
http://www.campus-watch.org/article/id/615

Finally read this and pass it to American please

Just to refresh our memories...
By JOE BOB BRIGGS NEW YORK, Nov. 11 (UPI) --

Every decade or so, we should remind ourselves of who the Iraqis are:
1. Twelve-thousand years ago, they invented irrigated farming. They got to be so good at it that, today; they can still produce all the food they need even when "sanctions" are imposed.
2. They invented writing.
3. They figured out how to tell time.

4. They founded modern mathematics.

5. In the Code of Hammurabi, they invented the first legal system that protects the weak, the widow and the orphan.
6. Five-thousand years ago, they had philosophers who attempted to list every known thing in the world.

7. They were using Pythagoras' theorem 1,700 years before Pythagoras.
8. They invented artificial building materials, some kind of pre-fab-crete stuff used to construct high-rise towers.

9. Ur, in southeast Iraq, is assumed to be the place we're all descended from.

10. They were the first people to build cities and live in them.

11. For thousands of years, they wrote the greatest poetry, history and "sagas" in the world.
12. Because they were great horse breeders, they invented the cavalry in war.
13. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad contains some of the most outstanding stone, metal and clay sculptures and inscriptions created in the history of the world. Some of them are more than 7,000 years old. .

14. The first school for astronomers was established by Iraqis. This is how the "wise men" got to be so wise. They knew how to follow the star.
15. Beginning around 800 A.D., the Iraqis founded universities that imported teachers from throughout the civilized world to teach medicine, mathematics, philosophy, theology, literature and poetry.

16. for the first 1,200 years of its existence, Baghdad was regarded as one of the most refined, civilized and festive cities in the world.

17. Abraham, the father of Israel, was from Iraq.

18. Abraham, the father of Islam, was from Iraq.

19. Abraham, the father and "model" of Christian faith, was from Iraq.

20. Iraq is the second largest reserve of oil.

21. Before 1980, Iraq has the largest number of date palm trees in the world.

22. Iraqi wheat, rice, and meat are considered from the finest types in the world.

23. Iraq, has the biggest soft water/population ratio in the world, seven rivers.

24. Iraqis, once had the highest percent of highly educated people.
25. Iraq, is one of the world's richest territories in historical sites and holy shrines.

I was very moved by Marla's courage, sacrifice and hope. Her achievements during a very short life overshadows the ordinary life of many people like me.

Salah-
I was very much opposed to the US support of Saddam's regime back in the 1980's, and very much opposed to any war in the area since then. I don't believe that war solves problems in a permanent way - or even a remotely good way.

I think war is a total failure of human compassion and human intelligence.

I don't think anyone (who has not experienced it) can understand what horrors and fears the Iraqis faced under Saddam, or how horrible the ongoing war is on them.

But I and many others are trying to stop this evil insanity, in every non-violent and humanistic way we can. It is a life-long struggle for all of us.

And we are bearing witness. I would like to encourage you to keep posting here, and start up your own blog (if you haven't yet) to express your opinions and information. Maybe you will reach some people and change their hearts. You may also run into pure ugliness from some people, because of the evil in their hearts. Several Iraqi bloggers, even young girls, have had ugliness directed towards them. All we can do is keep trying.

Salah's list is remarkable, and always begs the question of how can you fail as a nation with such credentials and natural resources. Is it the usual explanation that, with the exception of Norway, being oil rich is really a curse?

David

When the history is written of this atrocious action (not a war remember,Mr Bush has long since declared victory) it will be Bush himself who is remembered and Marla forgotten.
When a nation has been "dumbed-down" the way the US has then whatever means is necessary to keep the gas-tanks full is right and moral.
I say this while acknowledging the sizable minority in the US that is as much appalled as the rest of us but they have yet to manage their collective voice.