As we mark the 20th anniversary of the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq, I will be publishing several vignettes about my journey from being a weapons inspector to vocal opponent of US policy in the Middle East. I will start with a brief review of the documented record about my clash with then-Secretary of State Colin Powell over weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and the role of UN weapons inspectors in overseeing the disarmament of those weapons.
Scott Ridder: " The consequences of such action are not only dire in terms of their near-term consequences as measured by death, destruction, and lost opportunities but also the long-term global destabilization that will result in the rejection of an international law by the world's most powerful nation "
20 years ago I knew that the justification for war against Iraq was a lie simply because I live in a country that was bombed by the USA and justified by the same lies. If I was an American that did not see the counter argument, I would have bought in the Powell "evidence".
We all remember well how the United States with its European poodles started an unprovoked war against a sovereign independent state, and how the rest of the world supported Iraq with arms as long as necessary. We also remember how at least 10 sanctions packages were placed against the brutal aggressor and Putin ordered 3 US oil rigs to be blown up, which of course he never acknowledged.
Nevertheless, the US military special operation produced results; As a continuation of Saddam's rope, 100,000 dead civilians, not to mention the wounded, the birth of ISIS, and refugee flows to Europe. And turnover for the arms industry. War is what's worth it, at least for the US money elite.
When Colin Powell said Scott Ritter is no longer in the "chain of intelligence," I thought, wow... it wasn't a chain of intelligence, it was a chain of corruption.
I heard Scott Ritter speak at the Cinema Arts in NY before the Iraq war. He was emphatic that there were no weapons of mass destruction. I was already aware of our agenda for the Middle East and knew this was only the first of our many wars there. More and more I wonder how sick are the people we place in positions of power who have no problem rationalizing the death of millions and the destruction of whole countries, and stay comfortable with their lies, and rationalizations so the US can retain world power. Wesley Clark on You-tube states in an interview that he was told that even before we went into Afghanistan there were seven countries on our hit list, and Iraq was the first.
Project for the New American Century last updated: October 16, 2019
Nancy Pelosi, actually being taped said she knew there were no weapons of mass destruction because she and others worked on the intel comm. Too bad she didn't have the soul to tell Biden who used his position in the Senate to push that war.
P. S. It's quite unfortunate that I don't believe in hell, at the very least it would give me some degree of comfort.
Here from the quisling US vassal state of Norway, I still hold Scott Ritter in the highest possible esteem - for having the integrity, the moral backbone, and above all - the genuine conscientiousness to tell it like it is!
THAT, ladies and gentlemen, constitutes what only A Genuine Patriot will do! . . .
[FYI: 'Conscientiousness' is a trait that is commonly associated with AWARENESS . . . ]
You should write more often, Scott. .. you're the only Goat [of all Weapons Inspectors] that we got.
Don't get me wrong: love your fireside chats w/ Jeff & co. @ WineTasters dot com. .. . but I've always found the 'written word' to be the most clarifying, direct, revealing and indelible form of human communication.
Plus, if there's a comment section (& I don't trust anything anymore without a comment section), I get to talk back! fwiw I like that.
In my more limited view, our present hyper-dysfunctional dystopian bitter-partisan tyranny all began with the 1st AUMF and the ensuing Global War on Terror (GWOT). That's when president G.W. Cheney & Rummy the Dummy "took the gloves off" and slapped the whole wide world silly with extreme prejudice.
Now. As we stroll down memory lane and commemorate our hard-won 'victory' in Iraq - no matter what you/we may say to the contrary to sully the memory - afaict the great 2001 Space Odyssey and global war on terrorism continues unabated.
You are still either with us, or with the terrorists. .. and 'doing right in Ukraine ain't got no end.'
"Harvard prof Laurence Tribe, a favorite of the “resistance” — back when dissent was still patriotic — recently argued that Fox News host Tucker Carlson and other Republicans he claims are praising Russian President Vladimir Putin have provided “aid and comfort” to an “enemy” and thus would meet the definition of “treason” under Article III, Section 3 of the US Constitution."
*btw, if you and Jeff still believe the much revised, [semi-]final NIST wtc bldg #7 report .. . I've got some ocean front property in Mousey, Ky to sell you.
I like to report that I see other channels using your podcasts on YouTube, and I hope these individuals are going it legally. Me. Alexander Mercuris warned us that there are individuals publishing his podcasts illegally. The other concern I have that I hope that you are still able to publish your podcasts on YouTube because I believe in the freedom of speech. YouTube should be banning pornography, videos encouraging terrorism and violence and not educational videos like yours. People need to have the ability to hear analysis on issues with objectivity and not biased analysis and news!
Please send me the address where I can send you the check. The reason that I don’t use the internet for payments is that my identity was stolen because my house was broken into three times by criminals three summers ago. Then I will send you the rest of my information, like the book dedication and my address, using this email address. As a son whose father was a US Army volunteer who fought the ODIOUS Nazi ideology with PASSION and made a more amphibious landing than many US Marines, I thank you for standing up to the antisemitic and racist ideology of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, CaudilloFranco, Stepan Bandera, Ante Pavelic, Tiso, Quisling, and others. I carry the scars on my head that a believer of the ODIOUS ideology almost killed me at a southern European port with a piece of wood.
Thank you for your service. You are a great American Patriot.
Winston Churchill proclaimed:
1. A nation that forgets its history has no future.
2. Farther back, you can look into history farther ahead; you can see in the future.
And I am adding this:
A nation that puts God and His Commandments out of its life has no future.
A nation that operates using Dr. Goebbels’s paradigms, propaganda, lies, and deceits has no future!
With my profound gratitude, admiration, and respect!
Colin Powell was being ‘used’ to lie to the American people. Larry Wilkerson might have some idea about when Powell realized that he was being used.
Both Ritter and Wilkerson are in VIPS, Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity.
The main issue here is not Powell’s character but the character of the actors and agencies that defrauded and lied to the American people through Powell, if and when he was witting, or unwitting.
Scott, sorry, this relates to Ukraine, not Iraq, but I am anxious to ask you this question: Why don't the Russians interdict the weapons shipments by bombing the supply roads and rail lines?
Of course, there is no easy way to prove a negative.
Looking back, it is especially hard to demonstrate a negative to a judge who is bound and determined in good faith or in bad faith to find otherwise.
The legacy of Troy's Cassandra is a bitter pill.
Scott Ridder: " The consequences of such action are not only dire in terms of their near-term consequences as measured by death, destruction, and lost opportunities but also the long-term global destabilization that will result in the rejection of an international law by the world's most powerful nation "
Boy oh boy, have those words come to pass...
20 years ago I knew that the justification for war against Iraq was a lie simply because I live in a country that was bombed by the USA and justified by the same lies. If I was an American that did not see the counter argument, I would have bought in the Powell "evidence".
Fantastic piece, thank you
Thank you Scott !! Thank you for your efforts toward peace.
FYI - the very day Taibbi was testifying in Congress about weaponization of FBI -- our odious Fuehrer Biden sent IRS agents to Matt’s house
We all remember well how the United States with its European poodles started an unprovoked war against a sovereign independent state, and how the rest of the world supported Iraq with arms as long as necessary. We also remember how at least 10 sanctions packages were placed against the brutal aggressor and Putin ordered 3 US oil rigs to be blown up, which of course he never acknowledged.
Nevertheless, the US military special operation produced results; As a continuation of Saddam's rope, 100,000 dead civilians, not to mention the wounded, the birth of ISIS, and refugee flows to Europe. And turnover for the arms industry. War is what's worth it, at least for the US money elite.
When Colin Powell said Scott Ritter is no longer in the "chain of intelligence," I thought, wow... it wasn't a chain of intelligence, it was a chain of corruption.
I heard Scott Ritter speak at the Cinema Arts in NY before the Iraq war. He was emphatic that there were no weapons of mass destruction. I was already aware of our agenda for the Middle East and knew this was only the first of our many wars there. More and more I wonder how sick are the people we place in positions of power who have no problem rationalizing the death of millions and the destruction of whole countries, and stay comfortable with their lies, and rationalizations so the US can retain world power. Wesley Clark on You-tube states in an interview that he was told that even before we went into Afghanistan there were seven countries on our hit list, and Iraq was the first.
Project for the New American Century last updated: October 16, 2019
https://militarist-monitor.org/profile/project_for_the_new_american_century/
Nancy Pelosi, actually being taped said she knew there were no weapons of mass destruction because she and others worked on the intel comm. Too bad she didn't have the soul to tell Biden who used his position in the Senate to push that war.
P. S. It's quite unfortunate that I don't believe in hell, at the very least it would give me some degree of comfort.
Here from the quisling US vassal state of Norway, I still hold Scott Ritter in the highest possible esteem - for having the integrity, the moral backbone, and above all - the genuine conscientiousness to tell it like it is!
THAT, ladies and gentlemen, constitutes what only A Genuine Patriot will do! . . .
[FYI: 'Conscientiousness' is a trait that is commonly associated with AWARENESS . . . ]
I rest my case.
You should write more often, Scott. .. you're the only Goat [of all Weapons Inspectors] that we got.
Don't get me wrong: love your fireside chats w/ Jeff & co. @ WineTasters dot com. .. . but I've always found the 'written word' to be the most clarifying, direct, revealing and indelible form of human communication.
Plus, if there's a comment section (& I don't trust anything anymore without a comment section), I get to talk back! fwiw I like that.
In my more limited view, our present hyper-dysfunctional dystopian bitter-partisan tyranny all began with the 1st AUMF and the ensuing Global War on Terror (GWOT). That's when president G.W. Cheney & Rummy the Dummy "took the gloves off" and slapped the whole wide world silly with extreme prejudice.
Now. As we stroll down memory lane and commemorate our hard-won 'victory' in Iraq - no matter what you/we may say to the contrary to sully the memory - afaict the great 2001 Space Odyssey and global war on terrorism continues unabated.
You are still either with us, or with the terrorists. .. and 'doing right in Ukraine ain't got no end.'
"Harvard prof Laurence Tribe, a favorite of the “resistance” — back when dissent was still patriotic — recently argued that Fox News host Tucker Carlson and other Republicans he claims are praising Russian President Vladimir Putin have provided “aid and comfort” to an “enemy” and thus would meet the definition of “treason” under Article III, Section 3 of the US Constitution."
*btw, if you and Jeff still believe the much revised, [semi-]final NIST wtc bldg #7 report .. . I've got some ocean front property in Mousey, Ky to sell you.
Respectfully request your Prehestorica book:
29th March 3023
Major Scott Ritter, USMC (Ret.)
I like to report that I see other channels using your podcasts on YouTube, and I hope these individuals are going it legally. Me. Alexander Mercuris warned us that there are individuals publishing his podcasts illegally. The other concern I have that I hope that you are still able to publish your podcasts on YouTube because I believe in the freedom of speech. YouTube should be banning pornography, videos encouraging terrorism and violence and not educational videos like yours. People need to have the ability to hear analysis on issues with objectivity and not biased analysis and news!
Please send me the address where I can send you the check. The reason that I don’t use the internet for payments is that my identity was stolen because my house was broken into three times by criminals three summers ago. Then I will send you the rest of my information, like the book dedication and my address, using this email address. As a son whose father was a US Army volunteer who fought the ODIOUS Nazi ideology with PASSION and made a more amphibious landing than many US Marines, I thank you for standing up to the antisemitic and racist ideology of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, CaudilloFranco, Stepan Bandera, Ante Pavelic, Tiso, Quisling, and others. I carry the scars on my head that a believer of the ODIOUS ideology almost killed me at a southern European port with a piece of wood.
Thank you for your service. You are a great American Patriot.
Winston Churchill proclaimed:
1. A nation that forgets its history has no future.
2. Farther back, you can look into history farther ahead; you can see in the future.
And I am adding this:
A nation that puts God and His Commandments out of its life has no future.
A nation that operates using Dr. Goebbels’s paradigms, propaganda, lies, and deceits has no future!
With my profound gratitude, admiration, and respect!
Angelo
The intelligence was ‘cooked’ and ‘fraudulent’ for the war on Iraq as per Ray McGovern at this link.
Ray McGovern Connects Anniversary of Iraq Invasion and Ukraine Proxy War - Part 1
https://raymcgovern.com/2023/03/27/comparing-us-uk-attack-on-iraq-to-proxy-war-in-ukraine/
Colin Powell was being ‘used’ to lie to the American people. Larry Wilkerson might have some idea about when Powell realized that he was being used.
Both Ritter and Wilkerson are in VIPS, Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity.
The main issue here is not Powell’s character but the character of the actors and agencies that defrauded and lied to the American people through Powell, if and when he was witting, or unwitting.
Still powerful words today!
US tactics to drag us into a war that should have never happened: "How twisted the web we weave when we endeavor to deceive..."
Scott, sorry, this relates to Ukraine, not Iraq, but I am anxious to ask you this question: Why don't the Russians interdict the weapons shipments by bombing the supply roads and rail lines?