I have follow you, The Grey Zone, The Duran, used to follow iearlgrey’s Mike Jones, Levan Gudadze to name a few. I never like Gonzalo. I tried to, as so many people were praising him. Then he made some really rude, nothing to do with Ukraine, statements about women. Too weird. Never listened to him again. I don’t wish him ill, but not a loss, imo, to the stellar list I just mentioned. Thank-you, Scott Ritter.
I’m the granddaughter of WWll Guadalcanal Marine Lt. Col. Roy L. Walters. I spent summers in Officer’s Quarters at Camp Lejuene as a girl with him and his war bride wife from Australia, my grandmother. I knew, along with my three brothers and cousins the Marine Corp. hymn by heart by the time I was 7. I think of him every time I see you. He hated war, agreed with Smedley Butler and loved the Marine Corps. Semper fi! He and my grandmother were married for 68 years.
Doesn't that physiognomy just scream "lifestyle coach" and "South American aristocrat" (as Lira laughably described himself in his futile attempt to dunk on BAP shortly before his "arrest" in May)!
I do find Ritter (and others of like mind, such as George Eliason, Eva Bartlett, Vanessa Beeley, Andrei Martyanov, etc.) much more persuasive on the Gonzalo Lira question than their critics. I have followed all those Scott mentions (Berletic, The Duran, Sloboda, Larry Johnson, etc.) almost since the SMO kicked-off, and usually find them well-informed and persuasive. I think they have allowed their personal fondness for some guy they probably didn't know 18 months ago (with a rather sketchy past the more you look into it), and with whom they have only interacted with a bit in online chats, cloud their judgment in this matter. Berletic especially seems to paint the issue in stark black-and-white terms of "either with or against Lira" and "if you believe he may be compromised by the SBU, you must therefore wish him dead, and therefore you are evil yourself and have no empathy, etc." (Berletic seems to have some personal animosity toward Ritter also, judging from his recent Twitter posts.)
I have also been wondering, as does Ritter above, whether this sowing of discord among the "alt-media" who oppose the US/NATO Narrative on the Ukraine is part of the psyop. All very sad. I hope the truth emerges soon and that people can move on from what is ultimately a distraction; Lira is a lifelong e-grifter type who is in the end a minor player who does no real original reporting, and has little intellectual or experiential background for enlightening in-depth analyses of the key military and geopolitical matters at hand. His whole appeal and shtick was based upon him being on the ground Kharkov and saying things for which almost anyone else would have been disappeared by the Banderite regime's thugs long ago. Perhaps now we know why he was allowed to continue doing his thing for 15 months - and perhaps now the SBU has decided he's outlived his usefulness and has no more need of him...
You are right Scott. Lira is a frustrated filmmaker. In Chile where I live, he produced a film titled "Secuestro" = "kidnapped" which bombed. His "kidnapping" in Kharkov was life imitating art, a "tongo" as we call it in Chile.
Lira’s story has not been believable for a while now. What Scott says makes total sense. He shows courage by stepping out of the pack and defending his opinion. By communicating his concerns he is alerting us and protecting others from exposure to nefarious elements.
“I have a heart condition” while lighting his next cigarette. Chain smoking is not something a person does with a heart condition. He acts and sounds like a bullshit artist .
I never followed Gonzalo but do follow The Duran and a number of others like Will Schryver and Big Serge etc. However, I personally feel the Duran is one of the best sites out there with well elaborated perspectives.
I was very surprised when Lira published that tweet about trying to escape to Hungry. I just could not understand why someone "under threat" would do that. Many tried to explain that this was a "timed release" and he would have been out of Ukraine by the time it went on the web. It still didn't make sense to me at all. What was the benefit? Ukraine is a vast country so how is it possible to not get out with some judicious planning and care? In any case I am sure others will have lots of answers.
I certainly believe what you say about him could very possibly be true. I also fully agree that the SBU would surely seek to push apart competing messages and prevent a united front. I have been following the BBC news for over 50 years and regularly monitored the "Have Your Say" section for over 15 years. It used to be a reasonable forum until Brexit raised its head and then filled up with polarized options overnight. However since the Ukraine war started I find it quite stunning that so many commentators appear to be rabidly anti-russian. Indeed, I find many of their comments appear to mirror comments made in tweets but Ukrainian supporters. I drew the conclusion that, since anyone can sign up on the BBC site by providing an email address from anywhere in the world, many of the commenters were undoubtedly of Ukrainian origin and quite likely part of a cadre detailed to infiltrate Western media sites and "influence" opinion.
So while having no military / political / governmental affiliations, I have absolutely no doubt that "hearst & minds" are being manipulated on a daily basis. Anyone with a brain (and some knowledge of history) knows that the first casualty of war is truth. Western media today rarely tells the truth.
I think Gonzalo Lira is a trickster, creating performance art and ruses whenever he’s bored. I don’t buy any of his current experiences. All theater done only for the kerfuffle factor.
He had made some real nasty "ultra-right" statement early on. It smells CIA death-squadron long way. If you are anti-abortion, anti-workingclass, you would probably not wind up as a "natural" progressive journalist concerning Azov? Another hint: Check out his asslicking interviews, so cozy and how it contradicts his erratic body language and constantly smoking. Real scary character. Thanks Scott!
If what you say is true about Gonzalo, then the commentators you mention, The Duran, Brian Berletic and Larry Johnson(Intel expert) are right in calling for his release. Obviously Gonzalo is a changed man after his initial arrest. He presents as one, very anguished. Instead of trashing him to the delight of many, "Alt journalists", work to see that he's free. We don't have to agree, but working to free and American whilst he's still above ground should be in all of our interests.
It's amazing how adult men don't see what even a child should understand. A fuckin looser desperate for her 15 minutes of fame. Bloody fucking Warhol! Lira is the genius who denies the CIA's involvement in the coup d'état in Chile after the CIA itself and several CIA agents admitted to their involvement. Lira is a friend of Pinochet's - one of the most bloodthirsty dictators - most likely, the son of a Chilean landowner who has never done anything worthwhile in his life other than spending an allowance from the family fortune.
Who arrived in Ukraine with a wife, children and a motorbike. 🤣That's why I don't agree with Scott that he was managed by the SBU. Lira is a dolt that all agencies love. He don't have to be an official agent. Lira has been infiltrated into Ukraine by the CIA to do what Scott says. In Kharkov alone there are thousands of Russians who transferred it to RU or BY. Honestly, I'm even ashamed to comment on something so futile. Everything in Lira is fake. A "marriage counselor" who wanted to give Scott Ritter lessons in geostrategy. That even George Galloway invited him to his show?! Social media is definitely the current twilight zone.
p.s. More stupid only the SBU and the judicial system of Ukraine. Today a dictatorship. That releases an accused with the documents a few days before his trial. No electronic bracelet to not hurt the Lira baby's leg.
Very interesting article, lots of gritty and nasty details as well.
Ultimately I wish you were wrong, but just thinking about the whole Gonzalo affair for 5 minutes (after the 1st arrest) points into one direction unfortunately.
Makes me wonder how many other of these bloggers are being used in the same way. Much of the information and analysis from Berletic and the Duran is old. The analysis is uninformed opinion. (Mercouris always prefaces his comments by saying he knows nothing.)
Gonzalo Lira, the SBU, and Information Operations
I have follow you, The Grey Zone, The Duran, used to follow iearlgrey’s Mike Jones, Levan Gudadze to name a few. I never like Gonzalo. I tried to, as so many people were praising him. Then he made some really rude, nothing to do with Ukraine, statements about women. Too weird. Never listened to him again. I don’t wish him ill, but not a loss, imo, to the stellar list I just mentioned. Thank-you, Scott Ritter.
I’m the granddaughter of WWll Guadalcanal Marine Lt. Col. Roy L. Walters. I spent summers in Officer’s Quarters at Camp Lejuene as a girl with him and his war bride wife from Australia, my grandmother. I knew, along with my three brothers and cousins the Marine Corp. hymn by heart by the time I was 7. I think of him every time I see you. He hated war, agreed with Smedley Butler and loved the Marine Corps. Semper fi! He and my grandmother were married for 68 years.
Doesn't that physiognomy just scream "lifestyle coach" and "South American aristocrat" (as Lira laughably described himself in his futile attempt to dunk on BAP shortly before his "arrest" in May)!
I do find Ritter (and others of like mind, such as George Eliason, Eva Bartlett, Vanessa Beeley, Andrei Martyanov, etc.) much more persuasive on the Gonzalo Lira question than their critics. I have followed all those Scott mentions (Berletic, The Duran, Sloboda, Larry Johnson, etc.) almost since the SMO kicked-off, and usually find them well-informed and persuasive. I think they have allowed their personal fondness for some guy they probably didn't know 18 months ago (with a rather sketchy past the more you look into it), and with whom they have only interacted with a bit in online chats, cloud their judgment in this matter. Berletic especially seems to paint the issue in stark black-and-white terms of "either with or against Lira" and "if you believe he may be compromised by the SBU, you must therefore wish him dead, and therefore you are evil yourself and have no empathy, etc." (Berletic seems to have some personal animosity toward Ritter also, judging from his recent Twitter posts.)
I have also been wondering, as does Ritter above, whether this sowing of discord among the "alt-media" who oppose the US/NATO Narrative on the Ukraine is part of the psyop. All very sad. I hope the truth emerges soon and that people can move on from what is ultimately a distraction; Lira is a lifelong e-grifter type who is in the end a minor player who does no real original reporting, and has little intellectual or experiential background for enlightening in-depth analyses of the key military and geopolitical matters at hand. His whole appeal and shtick was based upon him being on the ground Kharkov and saying things for which almost anyone else would have been disappeared by the Banderite regime's thugs long ago. Perhaps now we know why he was allowed to continue doing his thing for 15 months - and perhaps now the SBU has decided he's outlived his usefulness and has no more need of him...
Thank you-Scott Good Article👍🏼
You are right Scott. Lira is a frustrated filmmaker. In Chile where I live, he produced a film titled "Secuestro" = "kidnapped" which bombed. His "kidnapping" in Kharkov was life imitating art, a "tongo" as we call it in Chile.
Lira’s story has not been believable for a while now. What Scott says makes total sense. He shows courage by stepping out of the pack and defending his opinion. By communicating his concerns he is alerting us and protecting others from exposure to nefarious elements.
“I have a heart condition” while lighting his next cigarette. Chain smoking is not something a person does with a heart condition. He acts and sounds like a bullshit artist .
I never followed Gonzalo but do follow The Duran and a number of others like Will Schryver and Big Serge etc. However, I personally feel the Duran is one of the best sites out there with well elaborated perspectives.
I was very surprised when Lira published that tweet about trying to escape to Hungry. I just could not understand why someone "under threat" would do that. Many tried to explain that this was a "timed release" and he would have been out of Ukraine by the time it went on the web. It still didn't make sense to me at all. What was the benefit? Ukraine is a vast country so how is it possible to not get out with some judicious planning and care? In any case I am sure others will have lots of answers.
I certainly believe what you say about him could very possibly be true. I also fully agree that the SBU would surely seek to push apart competing messages and prevent a united front. I have been following the BBC news for over 50 years and regularly monitored the "Have Your Say" section for over 15 years. It used to be a reasonable forum until Brexit raised its head and then filled up with polarized options overnight. However since the Ukraine war started I find it quite stunning that so many commentators appear to be rabidly anti-russian. Indeed, I find many of their comments appear to mirror comments made in tweets but Ukrainian supporters. I drew the conclusion that, since anyone can sign up on the BBC site by providing an email address from anywhere in the world, many of the commenters were undoubtedly of Ukrainian origin and quite likely part of a cadre detailed to infiltrate Western media sites and "influence" opinion.
So while having no military / political / governmental affiliations, I have absolutely no doubt that "hearst & minds" are being manipulated on a daily basis. Anyone with a brain (and some knowledge of history) knows that the first casualty of war is truth. Western media today rarely tells the truth.
I think Gonzalo Lira is a trickster, creating performance art and ruses whenever he’s bored. I don’t buy any of his current experiences. All theater done only for the kerfuffle factor.
Thank you Scott, very educational article
He had made some real nasty "ultra-right" statement early on. It smells CIA death-squadron long way. If you are anti-abortion, anti-workingclass, you would probably not wind up as a "natural" progressive journalist concerning Azov? Another hint: Check out his asslicking interviews, so cozy and how it contradicts his erratic body language and constantly smoking. Real scary character. Thanks Scott!
To drive the point home, have a look at this video and it makes more sense:
https://rumble.com/v34o3m5-gonzalo-lira-why-i-stand-with-scott-ritter-and-eva-bartlett-new-circumstant.html
If what you say is true about Gonzalo, then the commentators you mention, The Duran, Brian Berletic and Larry Johnson(Intel expert) are right in calling for his release. Obviously Gonzalo is a changed man after his initial arrest. He presents as one, very anguished. Instead of trashing him to the delight of many, "Alt journalists", work to see that he's free. We don't have to agree, but working to free and American whilst he's still above ground should be in all of our interests.
Very well said Scott.
It's amazing how adult men don't see what even a child should understand. A fuckin looser desperate for her 15 minutes of fame. Bloody fucking Warhol! Lira is the genius who denies the CIA's involvement in the coup d'état in Chile after the CIA itself and several CIA agents admitted to their involvement. Lira is a friend of Pinochet's - one of the most bloodthirsty dictators - most likely, the son of a Chilean landowner who has never done anything worthwhile in his life other than spending an allowance from the family fortune.
Who arrived in Ukraine with a wife, children and a motorbike. 🤣That's why I don't agree with Scott that he was managed by the SBU. Lira is a dolt that all agencies love. He don't have to be an official agent. Lira has been infiltrated into Ukraine by the CIA to do what Scott says. In Kharkov alone there are thousands of Russians who transferred it to RU or BY. Honestly, I'm even ashamed to comment on something so futile. Everything in Lira is fake. A "marriage counselor" who wanted to give Scott Ritter lessons in geostrategy. That even George Galloway invited him to his show?! Social media is definitely the current twilight zone.
p.s. More stupid only the SBU and the judicial system of Ukraine. Today a dictatorship. That releases an accused with the documents a few days before his trial. No electronic bracelet to not hurt the Lira baby's leg.
Very interesting article, lots of gritty and nasty details as well.
Ultimately I wish you were wrong, but just thinking about the whole Gonzalo affair for 5 minutes (after the 1st arrest) points into one direction unfortunately.
Makes me wonder how many other of these bloggers are being used in the same way. Much of the information and analysis from Berletic and the Duran is old. The analysis is uninformed opinion. (Mercouris always prefaces his comments by saying he knows nothing.)