Thanks so much for being here today, Cliff and Jen.

And thanks to everyone who joins us for today’s discussion. As always, please stay on topic for book salon. If you want to go off topic, feel free to do it in the previous thread.

not quite sure how this works… anyway, jen if you’re here “hi.” i hope this finds you well. i enjoyed dinner with you and jill in nyc after your talk at the half-king. how have your travels supporting the book been going?

han shan @
2

not quite sure how this works… anyway, jen if you’re here “hi.” i hope this finds you well. i enjoyed dinner with you and jill in nyc after your talk at the half-king. how have your travels supporting the book been going?

That’s how it works all right.

And hi, Jennifer. This bit from Cliff’s essay was really sobering:

I was floored when Jen pointed out that “depite the world’s recognition of the importance of protecting civilians during war, statistics are alarming in the new millenium. During World War I, some 95% of those killed were combatants. Today the statistic is inverted.” Think about that for a second, 95% of those killed in wars are now civilians.

That’s a statistic that needs to be explored in a lot more depth.

I happened to be checking up on one of my favorite websites and saw this link. first, thank you both so much for coming and helping to educate people on the reality of the war in Iraq.
I do have a question for Jen off the top of my head:Did you do any hands on work in Iraq directly with Marla,and(if so)did you feel like your own personal safety was in danger?

Thank you Jane and Cliff for your support of Marla’s extraordinary story of helping civilian casualties of war - one which is more important today than ever. As the new director of Marla’s organization, Civic, has recently said: “You can’t win a war if you don’t win the people.”

I look forward to hearing from anyone out there who has a moment or two to take a break from the egg nog.

Welcome, Cliff. Such a compelling story.

Merry Whatever, everyone!

Pachacutec @
6

Welcome, Cliff. Such a compelling story.

Merry Whatever, everyone!

I think we’re calling it “festivus” in honor of the trolls you’ve stirred up, Pach. They could be, you know, Pure Land Buddhists or something. We wouldn’t want to offend.

Jane Hamsher @ 3

han shan @
2

not quite sure how this works… anyway, jen if you’re here “hi.” i hope this finds you well. i enjoyed dinner with you and jill in nyc after your talk at the half-king. how have your travels supporting the book been going?

That’s how it works all right.

And hi, Jennifer. This bit from Cliff’s essay was really sobering:

I was floored when Jen pointed out that “depite the world’s recognition of the importance of protecting civilians during war, statistics are alarming in the new millenium. During World War I, some 95% of those killed were combatants. Today the statistic is inverted.” Think about that for a second, 95% of those killed in wars are now civilians.

That’s a statistic that needs to be explored in a lot more depth.

Jane Hamsher @ 3

han shan @
2

not quite sure how this works… anyway, jen if you’re here “hi.” i hope this finds you well. i enjoyed dinner with you and jill in nyc after your talk at the half-king. how have your travels supporting the book been going?

That’s how it works all right.

And hi, Jennifer. This bit from Cliff’s essay was really sobering:

I was floored when Jen pointed out that “depite the world’s recognition of the importance of protecting civilians during war, statistics are alarming in the new millenium. During World War I, some 95% of those killed were combatants. Today the statistic is inverted.” Think about that for a second, 95% of those killed in wars are now civilians.

That’s a statistic that needs to be explored in a lot more depth.

Hi there Han Shan. Great to hear from you! You mention an important point (as did Cliff) which needs clarification.

Trench warfare kept most of the fighting away from the civilian population during World War I. Today, in countless wars and civil conflicts around the globe, the battlefield has become murkier and increasingly mixed with the civilian population. We see this from northern Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to Colombia and Nepal. Clearly, this has also been the case in Afghanistan and Iraq. The U.S. does take measures to minimize civilian casualties but harm is inevitable.

What Marla was trying to do was instituionalize a system of compensation for civilians wrongly harmed - at the very least. Obviously, avoiding war altogether would be the best way to prevent civilian death, but barring that, our country needs to take a stand and set an example by respecting and acknowledging the human cost of war. She succeeded by helping Congress pass legislation for the first time in our nation’s history providing some assistance for such accidental victims of our warfare. It was a remarkable precedent set but enormous work remains to be done.

Ryan B. @ 4

I happened to be checking up on one of my favorite websites and saw this link. first, thank you both so much for coming and helping to educate people on the reality of the war in Iraq.
I do have a question for Jen off the top of my head:Did you do any hands on work in Iraq directly with Marla,and(if so)did you feel like your own personal safety was in danger?

Hi Ryan B. I met Marla while working in Afghanistan in early 2002. She and I became friends and a few years later, in early 2005, she asked me to help her write her memoirs. We were planning on travelling to Baghdad together in July 2005, but she was killed that April while helping a civilian family harmed during the U.S. advance on Baghdad file for compensation. After her death, I carried on alone, but decided not to travel to Iraq. By doing so, I would have put my life in jeopardy as well, becasue I would need to retrace her steps visiting very dangerous neighborhoods. Instead, I relied on her vast network of friends and colleagues to reconstruct her work there.

Hi, Cliff and Jen, thank you so much for coming to FDL today. I was wondering if anyone has taken up Marla’s work and what we at FDL can do to help raise awareness of the true costs of the Bush Administration’s “War on Terror”.

Also, I was wondering what either of you believe is the best way forward for our country in extracting ourselves from the mess we’ve made in Iraq and Afghanistan.

hi there jen! happy holidays etc., no egg nog where I am but lotsa little ankle-biters! (luckily they distract so I can slink off to a bedroom in my folks little apartment and do this)…

i have a few thoughts/questions about these critical topics but a couple, uh, “lighter questions first: i am very interested to hear how your book tour/travels have gone. specifically, 1) have you had good turnout, and 2) have you come across many haters, on the right or the left?

Welcome Jennifer and Cliff! what a wonderful gift to have the story of Marla for all to read!

I had the pleasure of meeting a friend of Marla’s from college who travelled with her in Guatemala and his tales were so wonderful - for all her important work and success at speaking for the people around her, he told of a young woman who had an amazing zest for life - charming cantankerous border guards with a “come here and let me give you a hug” or organizing middle of the night salsa parties … what a spirit we have lost, and what a spirit we should learn from!

Hi everyone.

TRex - I am certainl one who believes that getting out of Iraq is the best way to stop the carnage. While there are those who talk about a great conflagration if we leave, it is already happening, and sadly the shortsightedness of all those who chose that war and didn’t plan for the aftermath set what is happening in motion.

As for Afghanistan, that is a more difficult case. There still are some guys lurking around there who were actually involved in carrying out 9/11. I think some troops strategically placed with some commando teams could probably do the job of hunting down Osama and protecting vital infrastructure with less carnage to the overall population, however.

And hello Pach and Jane! And thanks for the invite!

And hi Jen! Good to see you again, a cyberviewing kinda way…

Jennifer Abrahamson 8 –

Trench warfare kept most of the fighting away from the civilian population during World War I. Today, in countless wars and civil conflicts around the globe, the battlefield has become murkier and increasingly mixed with the civilian population.

Aha. That’s interesting.

I know that one of the reasons Afghanistan has become so unstable is due to failure to adequately train a police force (thank you DynCorp) which has resulted in people looking to the Taliban for security. It would seem that keeping the good will of the civilian population in any kind of action would be somewhat critical to any plan for long-term stability, and Marla’s work would be extremely valuable on that front.

Hey everyone,
Great introduction Cliff and thanks for joining us Jennifer.

I think I learned about Marla’s death similarly to Cliff, through the news. I’ve been lucky enough to talk to people like my former coworker Han Shan who knew Marla very well to get a greater understanding of who she was and what led her to do her heroic work in Afghanistan and Iraq.

I thought it would be worthwhile to give you all a link to a piece Han wrote in a guest post at Emboldened about Marla and work he’s done to carry on her legacy on this past April 15th.

Trex - I donate via CIVIC and follow their news and action requests. Cliff has the link in his post …

CIVIC also had a lovely program to honor Marla that you can still join - the I Care Campaign collects photos from around the world of people who care about the innocent victims … here’s ours from Chicago:http://icare.civicworldwide.org/node?from=45

Jennifer - can you fill us in a bit more on the work of CIVIC now?

Hi, Cliff. Thanks for taking time off from blistering wingnuts on TV to be with us today, and writing he great into to Jen’s piece.

Reading my post I just wanted to add something. I said “less carnage” and that sounds a bit flip to me. We should take a large chunk of the money we are spending daily in Iraq, add a war profiteers tax for Halliburton and the gang and use that money to protect, repay and help in any way possible those whose lives we have already hurt in so many ways in Iraq, and anyone who is accidentally harmed in Afghanistan.

And having a president who took pains to make sure NO CIVILIANS get caught in the crossfire would also be nice. But I guess we got stuck going to war with the president we have. Sigh.

Finally Jen’s book should be required military reading. There is nothing like bringing casualties down to a human level by ensuring those who make war understand the human consequences. Was it Stalin who said that “one death is a tragedy, a thousand deaths is a statistic.” Sadly he was right.

Hi TRex. Marla started the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict, known as Civic, in 2003. When Marla was killed, nobody knew what would come of Civic but thankfully it has survived. Several colleagues from Human Rights Watch and other friends and family have helped keep it going and now has a small staff based in Washington, DC. However, their existence in tenuous. They continue to lobby the Pentagon and Nato to come clean on civlian casualties of war and to put in place a much stronger system to acknowledge their loss and compensate the victims. They are helping individual children in Iraq receive vital healthcare. I implore you to visit www.civicworldwide.org where you can read more about how you can help. The best way to raise awareness of her story and work is by word of mouth - Marla saw the book as an advocacy tool to raise awareness in the country of the issues at hand. The more people read her story, the more her message will be spread.

I’d like to address Afghanistan in particular. The situation is worsening every day there. Ironically, as more civilians are killed in Nato operations to root out the Taliban, the more that average people are turning to them. Raising awareness of the civilian cost of the war, and the need for compensation, is incredibly important at this juncture.

Thanks Jane. But I promise for the good of us all, to go back to tearing into moronic wingers once the holidays are done.

A New Years resolution of sorts.

Jennifer,
Can you tell us a bit about how aid money earmarked for civilian victims in Iraq and Afghanistan does or doesn’t make it to them on the ground?

Jennifer, thanks so much for bringing us a story of such a fiercely brave woman, and thanks for spending this holiday Saturday with us and our community.

han shan @ 11

hi there jen! happy holidays etc., no egg nog where I am but lotsa little ankle-biters! (luckily they distract so I can slink off to a bedroom in my folks little apartment and do this)…

i have a few thoughts/questions about these critical topics but a couple, uh, “lighter questions first: i am very interested to hear how your book tour/travels have gone. specifically, 1) have you had good turnout, and 2) have you come across many haters, on the right or the left?

Thanks for the interst Han Shan…the book tour went fairly well, but we have had a tough time generating more mainstream interest in the story. Much of what I’ve heard is: ‘the story was done when she died.’ That can’t be further from the truth. The precedent Marla set was just the first step. Many people learned that she was a courageous humanitarian worker, but very few truly undersood the critical importance of her work, how she changed U.S. law, and how we as a nation need to carry on in her absence. She wanted the U.S. government and military to take over and help civlilian casualties of war. Although she would have continued on her own as long as she had to, the end goal was to permanently change the way our counry addresses the issue of civilian war victims.

As for the left and right, there has strangely been equal criticism of Marla and her work from both sides. From the extreme right, that she was an unpatriotic ‘Hanoi Jane.’ Not true. She worked within the system in order to fundamentally change that system. She was a patriot who wanted her country to do better. From the extreme left, I’ve heard that she was vying for her own position at the Pentagon, that she had basically sold her soul to the evil empire. Not true. The only way to really change the system is by talking with those who control it.

Matt Browner Hamlin @ 21

Jennifer,
Can you tell us a bit about how aid money earmarked for civilian victims in Iraq and Afghanistan does or doesn’t make it to them on the ground?

Let me say that the legislation assisting victims of U.S. warfare has reached roughtly $50 million for Afghanistan and Iraq. This was groundbreaking work - but a drop in the bucket. The money is being funnelled through USAID and then through NGOs working on the ground. Civic is monitoring this and some of the money, in the form of reconstruction and medical assistance, has begun reaching some affected communities.

Jennifer at 23 — I often think that when you have the ability to anger the opposite ends of the spectrum, you frequently have hit upon something that is somehow the right thing to do or discuss.

So glad that Cliff wanted to discuss this today, and that you and he are able to be here to talk about this wonderful book — and the legacy that Marla leaves behind. (And sorry to be running so late to the discussion — we have holiday company and I’m sneaking computer time while cooking dinner, rude hostess that I am.)

Matt Browner Hamlin @
21

Jennifer,
Can you tell us a bit about how aid money earmarked for civilian victims in Iraq and Afghanistan does or doesn’t make it to them on the ground?

as matt knows, i visited afghanistan this past spring as part of a http://thelisteningprojectfilm.com i’ve been working on about global opinion of the U.S. i found people who knew marla there and i have felt a particular responsibility to those folks, as a friend of marla’s and as an american. i’ve been involved with http://civicworldwide.org
and will continue to do my best but one of the things i’ve found so frustrating and disgusting is the “aid scam” that the U.S. is pulling there, and, well, anywhere the U.S. is “providing development aid.” afghan people have enough reasons to be distrustful of america’s promises. in addition to the deteriorating security situation, the simple fact is that most of the “reconstruction” the administration (and USAID etc.) has bragged about hasn’t happened.

to condense some words by Ann Jones, another wonderful writer whose book “kabul in winter” i found enjoyable and infuriating:

According to a 2005 report by http://actionaid.org, only a small part of development aid - maybe 40% - is real. The rest is “phantom” aid; that is, the money never actually shows up in recipient countries at all.

Paychecks for American “experts” under contract to USAID, for example, go directly from the Agency to their American banks without ever passing through the to-be-reconstructed country. Much aid money, the report concludes, is thrown away on “overpriced and ineffective Technical Assistance,” such as those very hot-shot American experts. And a big chunk of it is carefully “tied” to the donor nation, which means that the recipient is obliged to use the donated money to buy products from the donor country, even when - especially when - the same goods are available cheaper at home.

Fully 47% of American development aid is lavished on overpriced technical assistance. And 70% of American aid is contingent upon the recipient spending it on American stuff, especially American-made armaments. Considering all these practices, Action Aid calculates that 86 cents of every dollar of American aid is phantom aid.

any thoughts on this situation from jen (or any of you brilliant folks) are deeply appreciated…

Christy - thanks for sneaking away! And you are so right. Marla touched a very senstive nerve. she was treading on uncharted territory, thinking well outside of the box. She was stirring things up the way they hadn’t been before. traditionall, aid workers and ngos steer pretty clear of crossing the invisible boundary of neutrality. Marla was anything but neutral and that got under a lot of people’s skin. One friend of colleague of Marla’s told me that she was ‘the good cop to our bad cop.’ She had the ability to actually meet with U.S. officials and say ‘Hey guys, here’s an Iraqi child who lost her whole family. We need to do better. We need to help her.’

han shan 2 — You mean like GWB throwing big press conferences to brag about his largesse and then never coming through with the cash? I think that’s one of his MOs, isn’t it?

The history of Afghanistan, especially its incredibly rich cultural heritage and philosophical development, is amazing. It was such a crossroads of culture on the Silk Road, and it has been swept to the side because its mountains have kept the “major” powers from being able to press advantage there. It is so shameful.

regarding the phantom aid, i can’t speak for the entire aid community but certainly much goes to waste. a lot of donated money does go towards overhead which is necessary, but in many cases, excessive. One of the reasons Marla was so incredibly effective was that she was one person, with very little money, who accomplished more than most NGOs with million dollar budgets. This quoted from an influential player at the Senate who is well-informed on such matters. Not everyone possesses Marla’s superhuman courage and tenacity, but a lesson can be learned from her accomplishments.

Jennifer - how closely tied to USAID is CIVIC … does the current work go through USAID or does CIVIC have independent programs and aid workers?

I’m also curious about what you think led Marla to take on such an immense work … do you see specific things in her background or education that led to this or was she just that sort of person?

I am concerned that the average person doesn’t even care to connect with the pressing issues of the day. Too many are busy with the American Idol kind of stupidities…how do the conscientious people like Marla ever hope to prevail in the wake of the absurd thinking of the average American citizen?

My question echoes Siun’s.
How did she think of doing this work? This seems to be groundbreaking kind of work. How did she get started?

Hi Sian. Civic does not work directly with USAID to my knowledge. But the government money that was allocated through legislation - which most likely never would have passed without Marla - comes from USAID’s budget. I believe. An interesting aside. When Marla was setting up shop in Iraq in 2003, running countrywide civilian casualty surveys, she was originally promised a grant of $100,000 from USAID to complete her work. It was withdrawn. Marla told me she believed this happened because they viewed her work as too controversial at the time.

I have spent countless hours thinking about what drove Marla. There is no one answer. A combination of her own personal drive, sensitivity, demons and even a bipoloar disorder, led to her taking the world upon her shoulders. She was a born activist and was searching for her life’s cause, one which she could truly make a difference. When she stumbled upon her first civilian casualties of war in Afghanistan in late 2001, she found it. She was shocked that nobody was helping the ordinary people accidentally killed by U.S. firepower. So she decided to take the cause on herself - and convince her country to help them. Many people have called Marla a saint. She did not want to be perceived as a saint. She was human, and she wanted others to know that they too could make a difference with enough passion and determination.

Aiding victims of war seems so logical, and sensible, when trying to win hearts and minds. I was amazed at the criticism leveled at the Lebanese, caught in the middle of this summer’s war, who took aid from Hezbollah. Aid like water, food, shelter, medicine. Hezbollah was criticized in our media for offering it, and those accepting it were criticized for taking it.

No one else, of course, was offering any aid to victims of that war. Yet somehow our USA media characterized the aid as a bribe for support, and those taking it as compromised.

How is it possible to expect to win hearts and minds with cluster bomblets when the prevailing notion seems to be that providing humans with basic needs is terrorism?

I’m off to Amazon, now — I hope I can find this book there. Thanks for the Xmas Eve Salon, all.

Happy Holidays Cliff!

I’ve got little to add to this great discussion, but I just had to show up and say how much I love your agressive and righteous take downs of right-wingers on those annoying Sunday shows. Your performances are exactly the tonic democrats need right now!

This is a great thread. (I had to step away and help my mom in the kitchen for a bit.)

I did not know that Marla had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. That should come as interesting news to a couple of our readers who have struggled with that same difficulty. Interestingly, one of them in particular does humanitarian work abroad.

It’s so sad that we don’t have Marla here to thank for her great work on behalf of all people everywhere.

nodding to Trex - I hope our friends who are busy with holiday cheer have a chance to come back and read this … Marla is an important person for all of us to know.

Her friend who I met at the memorial here was quite clear that Marla was very much a wonderful crazy spirited young woman … someone there (it was a tiny group of us) was talking about her as a saint and her friend said that that missed to glory of who she was - very human, very much like any of us but she chose to do so much more.

(I mean “crazy” in the way that all of us are .. not in a bad way )

Jennifer,

Thank you so much for this book. I first heard about it here, when Jane Hamsher announced this chapter of the book salon the other day. I tried to get it in Anchorage, but the only bookstore which had it has already sold out their few copies.

Are you giving talks about your book, Marla Ruzicka and her legacy at CIVIC? If so, anywhere in the Pacific northwest soon?

i had to step away for dinner w/ the family and now need to get back in there to watch the little ones open blinking, beeping, singing, made-in-china plastic, um, “gifts!”

anyway, thank you very much jen for your continued impassioned work to raise awareness of marla and the work being carried on by CIVIC. and thank you cliff and FDL for the great discussion. these are real gifts at this time of year. best wishes to all – keep the faith, and keep up the good fight.

Thanks so much Matt. I appreciate it. Let’s just say it is as cathartic for me to go after these wingnuts as it hopefully is enjoyable for you to watch.

Like I said in my intro here, what Debbie Schlussel said about Marla made my blood boil. I am just lucky enough to have a forum to take it to these miscreants when they spew their garbage.

TRex has retracted this comment as being unduly cruel to wood-chippers.

Merry Christmas Marla Ruzicka wherever you are. And I am thinkin’ I know just where that is. People like you awe me. And shame me. For not doing more. I will not forget you. Ever. You belong to the ages.

Thanks to all of you guys, Cliff, Jane, Jennifer, and of course, Marla, for fighting and never giving up.

Despite my username, sometimes I gotta cry.

But with you guys speaking for so many of us, we not only feel better about things, but we actually win a few battles.

Cliff Schecter @
43

Thanks so much Matt. I appreciate it. Let’s just say it is as cathartic for me to go after these wingnuts as it hopefully is enjoyable for you to watch.

Like I said in my intro here, what Debbie Schlussel said about Marla made my blood boil. I am just lucky enough to have a forum to take it to these miscreants when they spew their garbage.

You mean the same Debbie Schlussel who said about Obama:

“So, even if he identifies strongly as a Christian … is a man who Muslims think is a Muslim, who feels some sort of psychological need to prove himself to his absent Muslim father, and who is now moving in the direction of his father’s heritage, a man we want as President when we are fighting the war of our lives against Islam? Where will his loyalties be?”

Why are these people allowed to be considered a reasonable part of any kind of public debate?

GottaLaff @ 46

Thanks to all of you guys, Cliff, Jane, Jennifer, and of course, Marla, for fighting and never giving up.

Despite my username, sometimes I gotta cry.

But with you guys speaking for so many of us, we not only feel better about things, but we actually win a few battles.

Welcome.

I have very few heroes. Among them are Abraham Lincoln, MLK, Yitzhak Rabin, Anwar Al-Sadat, RFK, and Rachel Corrie.

And Marla Ruzicka.

These folks did the heaviest lifting possible.

To echo the comments on Debbie Schussel. Marla was someone who was a friend. I understood her work, her vision and her motivation completely as we worked very closely. Anyone who actually interacted with her in Afghanistan, Iraq or Washington, knew that what Debbie wrote was completely inaccurate. What I read did more than boil my blood. It was so uninformed and slanderous. And in the days following her death…words cannot describe the the disgust. Marla was respected by many in our government, and by many troops on the ground in Iraq who have witnessed the suffering of Iraqis and who wanted to help where they could. I have met and talked with members of our military who revered Marla, and thought there needed to be more people like her out there. She helped many - ordinary guys on the ground who wanted to minimize civilian harm and help those who were harmed - do their job better. Shame on Debbie. Shame.

Why are these people allowed to be considered a reasonable part of any kind of public debate?

They’re meeting some kind of need among the angrily ignorant and belligerently uninformed segments of our society. Which is why I feel that we on the left need to fight back with equally inflammatory and viscerally appealing arguments or we’re toast. But that’s a whole other thread.

Why are these people allowed to be considered a reasonable part of any kind of public debate?

To avoid the trillion dollar questions or the most basic of answers. /snarl

Lurking in admiration and curiosity. Wondering if the book spells out techniques on how this inspiring woman got through the mechanics of our bureaucracy.

There will always be people who will pick up the torch of freedom, truth and justice, and carry it to the far corners of darkness.

Oklahoma kiddo @
49

I have very few heroes. Among them are Abraham Lincoln, MLK, Yitzhak Rabin, Anwar Al-Sadat, RFK, and Rachel Corrie.

And Marla Ruzicka.

These folks did the heaviest lifting possible.

Since Jane announced this fdl book salon, I’v been thinking about why it might be that Rachel Corrie has become so much better known than Marla Ruzicka. I’ve been re-reading a few articles about both of these strong, motivated peace activists.

Regarding Corrie, there has been very little criticism from the left, except the predictable criticism from pro-Zionists who are otherwise liberal. But the criticism from the left on Ruzicka has mostly been about the level of interaction she had developed for CIVIC with the US Government.

Strange how we on the left keep having to yell to government entities “Listen, you fools!” Then when they listen to and co-operate with one of us, some leftists immediately become suspicious of such progress. Sad…

If there had not been an Iraq invasion, Marla would still be with us. I know full well where to direct my rage for Ms. Ruzicka’s death.

I agree with TRex 100%. When peole ask me why I get so hostile and sarcastic with these people on television I always ask “do you listen to what they say?” I am not trying to make friends with frothing, right-wing intellectual ring dings.

Jane is right, in a rational political environment there would be no place for these people in the media. But sadly Jen, Debbie Schlussel has no shame…So I will do my best to deliver it (please God let me debate her on tv..oh please).

As for the Pacific Northwest, I have nothing scheduled right now. Perhaps when the paperback comes out (sometime next year). I had a reading a Portland last month and have done several in California and the East Coast but I must get back to my own humanitarian career for the time being!

Thanks for your support up in Alaska - if I could I would hop on a plane immediately. You can find the book on Amazon. There may still be books available through civic: www.civicworldwide.org. a portion of the proceeds will go to them.

Our President ‘has no shame’.

Jennifer Abrahamson @
57

As for the Pacific Northwest, I have nothing scheduled right now. Perhaps when the paperback comes out (sometime next year). I had a reading a Portland last month and have done several in California and the East Coast but I must get back to my own humanitarian career for the time being!

Thanks for your support up in Alaska - if I could I would hop on a plane immediately. You can find the book on Amazon. There may still be books available through civic: www.civicworldwide.org. a portion of the proceeds will go to them.

How about Democracy Now? If you were on, I missed it, but their archive is excellent. I may get the book through CIVIC as a way to contribute.

Are you working on your next book?

(please God let me debate her on tv..oh please).

*sigh* Alright, but don’t wear a yellow tie.

Ed*ard Teller @ 54

Oklahoma kiddo @
49

I have very few heroes. Among them are Abraham Lincoln, MLK, Yitzhak Rabin, Anwar Al-Sadat, RFK, and Rachel Corrie.

And Marla Ruzicka.

These folks did the heaviest lifting possible.

Since Jane announced this fdl book salon, I’v been thinking about why it might be that Rachel Corrie has become so much better known than Marla Ruzicka. I’ve been re-reading a few articles about both of these strong, motivated peace activists.

Regarding Corrie, there has been very little criticism from the left, except the predictable criticism from pro-Zionists who are otherwise liberal. But the criticism from the left on Ruzicka has mostly been about the level of interaction she had developed for CIVIC with the US Government.

Strange how we on the left keep having to yell to government entities “Listen, you fools!” Then when they listen to and co-operate with one of us, some leftists immediately become suspicious of such progress. Sad…

Yes.

No new book for now. Waiting for the right subject to come my way. In the meantime, going back to my old profession, humanitarian spokesperson. This time for the British NGO Oxfam instead of the UN.

Working with Oxfam - very cool indeed Jennifer!

I recently had dinner with someone on the Oxfam team here and was very impressed … the organization has done such good work for so long.

The ghosts of Marla Ruzicka and Rachel Corrie are upon me.

My country is holding Americans hostage in Iraq. Our soldiers.

Jennifer Abrahamson @
61

No new book for now. Waiting for the right subject to come my way. In the meantime, going back to my old profession, humanitarian spokesperson. This time for the British NGO Oxfam instead of the UN.

Isn’t Oxfam where Jennifer Loewenstein has been working? She’s a wonder!

Heroes? Maj. McClung qualifies.

Actually, since we’re talking very strong people, I like Jessica Lynch too. And Cindy Sheehan.

As this salon is coming to a close, I’d like to ask everyone to think of Marla this New Year’s Eve. It would have been her 30th birthday. Her loss was tragic - another among thousands of civilian casualties of war. But she is gone. The only way we can adequately memoriallize her is to ensure that her work and legacy carries on. That she did not die in vain.

I thank Cliff, Jane and all of you all for taking a moment to join this salon. For those who have not read the book and plan to, and to those who already have, I would like to express that the book only conveys a snapshot of her story. It was originally twice as long and much of its soul, context and analysis was expunged by the hand of my publisher who wanted to produce a read for the A.D.D. generation. I hope that some of its soul, and Marla’s, remains.

Peace to everyone during this holiday season.

Jennifer Abrahamson @ 69

As this salon is coming to a close, I’d like to ask everyone to think of Marla this New Year’s Eve. It would have been her 30th birthday. Her loss was tragic - another among thousands of civilian casualties of war. But she is gone. The only way we can adequately memoriallize her is to ensure that her work and legacy carries on. That she did not die in vain.

I thank Cliff, Jane and all of you all for taking a moment to join this salon. For those who have not read the book and plan to, and to those who already have, I would like to express that the book only conveys a snapshot of her story. It was originally twice as long and much of its soul, context and analysis was expunged by the hand of my publisher who wanted to produce a read for the A.D.D. generation. I hope that some of its soul, and Marla’s, remains.

Peace to everyone during this holiday season.

Gone. But NOT forgotten.

Thank you so much Jennifer … for visiting with us and for your book!

And thank you Cliff for hosting and introducing us to your friend.

Thank you so much for joining us today, Jennifer and Cliff, and thanks also to everyone who took part in the discussion. Marla’s story is an inspirational one especially right now during the holidays, and the care you are taking to keep her memory and her legacy alive is commendable. We really appreciate you giving us the opportunity to let us share in that.

The A.D.D. Generation? Full circle today. Brings us back to Christy’s post on Deborah Howell’s “Oumbudsmanship for Dummies” piece, eh?

Another thousand prayers for Marla Ruzicka and the victims she helped.

Another thousand lumps of coal for Deborah Howell and the victimhood of the right she helps invent.

Siun and Jane,

Thank you for inviting me and Jen to be here. I really enjoyed being a part of this and helping keep alive the memory and work of this fantastic women.

And once again, thanks so much for showing up Jen. I just finished the book last week and loved it!

Once again, enjoy your holidays everyone!

I am very late to this important thread and yet cannot let it pass by because I was otherwise occupied.

Marla (and her mostly uncelebrated and underappreciated sisters and brothers of all nationalities– too many to mention and too many unknown) have my heartfelt gratitude and share a place of honor among the true heros of humanity.

Thank you very, very much Cliff and Jen.

thank you FDL.

Now to go back and read and remember this remarkable young lady…

That sounds like an excellent book! THanks so much! I have to start that RIGHT after I finish this one…

http://www.patriotictruthteller.net/index.html

mod note: edited to remove promotional copy.