Chicago Tribune | Iraq bomb takes `angel’ of mercy

There was also an NPR story on Marla – she was interviewed a few years ago and you can hear her talk about her work. She was a relative unknown, but I feel her loss – I admire people who can really put their money where their mouth is, and she ran her charity on her own meagre savings until she managed to bully and embarass our government and military to take notice, step up, and “do the right thing.” She basically got Congress to fund aid and medical care for innocent victims of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. What better way to reach out to people and fight terrorism than to try to heal the wounds caused by our own response to it?

Listen to her interview – there’s tape of a confrontation between her and a US diplomat in Afghanistan, who she confronts face-to-face with the reality of collateral damage. She took a family to meet with the diplomat to ask for medical help – the 9-year-old son had been blinded in an air attack. She basically asked him “what are you going to do about it?” She was supposed to go on vacation last week, but decided that another young boy, Iraqi this time, needed her help.

If only someone else steps into her shoes. What a great loss.