27 February—A 25-year-old airman on active duty, dressed in camouflage fatigues, set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington early Sunday afternoon. As he flicked his Bic, he described his self-immolation as “an extreme act of protest” over the latest assault on Israel (although he wouldn’t have put it quite that way). It certainly was extreme, though.

The late Senior Airman Aaron Bushnell had links to at least two Ohio-based anarchist groups (Burning River Anarchist Collective and Mutual Aid Street Solidarity) and had claimed on LinkedIn that he had “very good communication skills.” So evidently he knew precisely what he was doing to make his point, such as it may have been and for all that his ultimately pointless sacrifice accomplished.

As he was going up in flames, in front of a camera he had cleverly set up on a selfie stick, Airman Bushnell told onlookers (and posterity?), “I will no longer be complicit in genocide” and repeatedly screamed “Free Palestine!” as he was collapsing, consumed by flames. Kids and their selfies. It would appear, in all events, that Senior Airman Bushnell didn’t approve of Israel’s defensive strategy against Hamas.

Some might say it was lucky for Airman Bushnell that he died. Because he likely would have faced court martial for his rather outré behavior. While the beloved First Amendment protects the right to free expression and most of its concomitants, Air Force regs—AFI 51-508, DODI 1325.06—specifically prohibit “military members . . . from participating in demonstrations or rallies: 1) while on duty; 2) when in uniform; 3) when their activities constitute a breach of law and order; or 4) if violence is likely to result.”

Airman Bushnell breached at least three of those regs: 1) He was on active duty (but was he actually on duty when he demonstrated by igniting himself?). 2) He was in uniform. 3) His performance was a clear breach of law and order. 4) And setting fire to kill oneself must be construed as an act of violence, even if limited in scope.

As for self-immolation, news readers seem to think that it means setting oneself on fire. These days it’s certainly used almost always in the context of suicide by fire. But immolate, from the Latin immolare (to sprinkle with sacrificial meal—sacrificial meal?), actually means to sacrifice, offer in sacrifice, or kill as a victim. Fire need not be involved. Immolation is sacrificial slaughter and self-immolation is willing sacrifice of oneself—i.e., suicide.

Thus, you can immolate yourself by jumping off a cliff, for instance; and you can immolate someone else by suffocation. But we prefer not to think of immolation by gun, lest we give the anti-gun lobby undeserved ammunition. And we prefer not to think of immolating innocent animals by any means.

So what did the late Senior Airman Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation really accomplish? Your guess . . .