Posted on 02/05/2005 6:12:49 PM PST by Calpernia
Scott Ritter may be the Bush reelection team’s worse nightmare.
The former UN chief weapons inspector in Iraq and card-carrying Republican is barnstorming America with a blunt message: George W. Bush’s war on Iraq was waged on a “bodyguard of lies.”
“We need regime change, and we need it quick,” Ritter told a gathering of peace activists in New Jersey on Sunday. “George W. Bush does not have the right…to represent the American people, if he told a lie. And he told a whopper.”
That whopper, said Ritter, was claiming that the US government had evidence that Saddam Hussein was hiding massive amounts of weapons of mass destruction and that was why Iraq must be invaded. The facts, he said, are that “the inspections worked. The United Nations did disarm Iraq.”
“I want the president impeached because he lied to the Congress of the United States,” Ritter said. “He may well go out and tell another lie about weapons of mass destruction” being found amid the rubble in Iraq. But, Ritter said, any scheme to plant evidence would run afoul of professional soldiers like those he served with in Gulf War I. “I can tell you, my fellow officers won’t sustain that lie.”
Ritter is a former Marine major who worked as a weapons inspector for the United Nations in Iraq from 1991 to 1998. These days he’s an antiwar activist on a mission to pacify Washington, DC.
“What happened in Baghdad last month was not in accordance with international law. What happened in Baghdad last month was a west Texas lynching,” Ritter said at New Jersey Peace Action’s annual dinner, where he was the guest of honor. “President Bush is implementing a policy of imperialism.”
Ritter said Americans who don’t want the United States to go the way of all empires—which, he said, die of indigestion—will have to fight an historic political battle over the nation’s future. “We can’t allow a bunch of neoconservatives to hijack America,” he said. “It’s not a right-wing fraternity pin—the American flag, we own it, the American people.”
Ritter said he has been taking his blunt message to college campuses and other forums around the country. And when anyone demands that he support the war in Iraq, he replies: “What part of war do you want to support?” and describes in graphic detail the hell hole of war.
Recounting the story of a Marine in a battle in Iraq, Ritter said that a soldier is only one face of patriotism. “Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the other face of patriotism—the people of the United States. … The other face of patriotism is the American citizen who gets up in the morning” and carries out the duties and responsibilities of citizenship.
“If you give up now, you are giving up on American democracy,” he said. Ritter urged the assembled peace activists to reach out to Republicans like himself and raise the constitutional issues and uncomfortable facts that Bush has run roughshod over. Among those facts, he said, is this glaring one:
“Bush was a deserter from his unit during the Vietnam War. He doesn’t know what it means to support the troops.”
Jan Barry, a Vietnam veteran, is a journalist living in New Jersey. Jan is also an editor of VAIW and a contributing editor of Intervention Mag.
Hey Tonk, better take a gander at this; shades of Kerry and the VVAW.
Thanks.. please don't bother with me anymore... I don't need you to explain the war scenario or anything to me... I appreciate you as you are. You have a good SuperBowl sunday too!@!! ~ JJ :)
Where was I up in arms? And what didn't I address that you asked?
actually I bumped your post and addressed my comment to NorCalRepub.
But, there seems to be some cache problem here at FR with names following off when more than one problem is pinged to a post.
well cause you are now getting into all the other aspects of why we went to war and such...that was not the point of the post....just cause I wrote what I wrote doesn't mean that I said anywhere that we should not have gone to war. I was only addressing one minute small point about Ritter head....nothing else about Iraq
Then I don't follow your questions. Be more specific.
Okay cal... thanks.
I have no questions.......really...I only addressed on thing on this thread.......nothing else on Iraq.....my point was that regardless of what I believe or if the weapons are in Syria, we have not proven it yet to the satisfaction of Bush or the rest of the hee haw gang. When we do, we can say "I told you so".....after the Iraqi elections we are looking pretty good anyway and shouldn't be bringing up the WMD issue too much right now
Yes, Saddam had them - his lust for WMDs was great before and after the first Gulf War. Saddam never abandoned his Nuclear ,Chemical, and Biological weapon programs. Even the blind Blix found evidence that Saddam tried to put VX nerve agent into a weapon's platform. We knew Saddam had the following:
- One thousand tons of poison gas contained in 6,500 missing chemical bombs.
- Several thousand missing rockets warheads for carrying poison gas.
- 8,500 liters of anthrax and related materai to produce 5,000 liters more.
- Saddam illegally imported 300 rocket engines on other components for ballistic missiles.
- Conducted illegal tests for long-range missiles that Saddam was not suppose to have.
Saddam never cooperated with the international weapon inspectors, although, Blix congratulated the Iraqis on "process" of letting them look around.
During the 1980s, Saddam fooled the UN inspectors about his secret A-bomb weapons program, and he did it again in the 90s when he destroyed whole buildings to hide evidence.
Someone should know where in the desert the stuff is buried but I doubt he'll talk.
Well, she's not quite seventeen…so my interest was keen
And before too long, we'd meet at Burger King
Like weapons she has me excited….ooooohhh
I'll be showing her my thing
So she promised me…total secrecy
'Cause if I got caught, much trouble it would bring
She really has me excited…ooooohhh
I'll be showing her my thing
Dear, what do you think…should I bring my sink
Or will BK let me use theirs…theirs
So we typed through the night…while my kids were tucked in tight
And a DFU parody we would sing
Like weapons she has me excited….ooooohhh
I'll be showing her my thing
(musical break)
Dear, what do you think…should I bring my sink
Or will BK let me use theirs…theirs
So we typed through the night…while my kids were tucked in tight
And a DFU parody we would sing
She really has me excited….ooooohhh
I'll be showing her my thing
Yes, I'll be showing her my thing…yes, I will be showing her my thing
But, there has been evidence of 'something' moving to Syria... there has been evidence of whole sites dissapearing into sand.... This of course begs the obvious question...what the heck was there, and why was it moved? It is a time critical question IMO.... Who has it, how was it dispersed, explain to me about those ME guys that showed up in Florida with undiagnosible rashes............all that is true.. Where in the he** is the stuff??? We have to stay on the hunt. The *suiciders* can only do damage within a sphere of projectile range..... But the bio's, chem's, *THE* WMD'S of Saddams easy reach, can do massive murder. Whatever nuclear progress was made, was IMO, sold for promises of protection to Saddam and those rascally boys...
We've got to find them, before they find us. For those that ignored Beslan, imagine what they could've to those children, with an ounce of bio.
I do know that Soros has quite an office in Trenton, NJ. I DON'T know the real office name. Even Indymedia has a sign in point that pings to Trenton NJ.
My husband currently works with a research office that receives referrals from Soros Pharm research company that is into Stem Cell Research for Pharm companies.
My point is, I would look to the Soros path for the source of funds for this new VAIW. All my research seems to trace back to Soros for everything. Corzine does get in the middle sometimes. But he connects nicely.
>>>When we do, we can say "I told you so".....after the Iraqi elections we are looking pretty good anyway and shouldn't be bringing up the WMD issue too much right now
Ok. So we are covered then on your questions for now. Night!
If the peaceful Saddam didn't have WMD, what killed the Northern Kurds? His government knew how to make them, they used them and it doesn't take long to grow bio weapons in a petri dish. HE WAS A THREAT!
Holtz
JeffersonRepublic.com
>>>When we do, we can say "I told you so"
We can't right now. Look at the new info that is out on "Oil for food". We can say 'I told you so' after all of the investigations are done.
Notice I said all. That means more than the 'Oil for Food'.
BUMP!
Exxxxxxxxactly.
" ... which gives him some credibility in some circles...'
Which circles are those? You do know he was arrested for picking up teenage girls on the internet right?
>>> such as Saddams chemists and scientists, are now buried deep in Arkansas...(semi-joke).
Semi joke? Actually, I had retorts; but, I'm tired and off to bed. My posting of this article got the attention of the people I wanted to reach. And I had a full plate today. So I don't feel guilty about not answering you fully. Sorry. If I don't have a full inbox tomorrow, I will respond to you.
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