The blackmail, if it occured, occured years ago, or at the latest, when he took the $400,000 from the Iraqi-American for the film, well before this arrest of his. The arresting officers just got lucky and caught the guy on one of his net forays trolling for girls. You will get caught eventually, and pedophiles get nailed frequently in every district in the country form these stings- but it's random who will fly to the proverbial bug light.
People with this kind of behavior are compulsive; at Ritter's age, this certainly wasn't his first time out. An observant person or someone with access to his activity on the net could find this out quite easily- ad the person with the most likely access to his home computer would of course be his wife. Who just happens to be a woman well-vetted by the Soviet intelligence services she worked for back in 1988. She's quite capable of monitoring Ritter and reporting anything she knows about him to others.
The interesting thing about this kind of sting is that it is hard to nab the wrong people if it was done in the usual way. There was one down here in Florida last year where a cop built an identity on the net of a very young girl. Over a period of time one persontargetted this girl and started working her. After a while, he hinted around about things and then became increasingly graphic. He finally arranged a meeting with the girl (knowing she was 14) at a Denny's in her town, and exchanged mail on what he would be wearuing and what she would wear, and it seems that one of them was supposed to ask a waitress if so-and-so was holding a table open for a guest. So the cops just went to the Denny's and followed the plan and waited for Joe Schmoe to arrive and set the meeting in motion by doing what he and "the girl" had already planned. And he did, which eliminated doubt. So after they arrested him they looked in his car and he has duct tape or rope there too, which just made his intentions that much more obvious.
These stings are not rare. And they aren't "mistaken identity." When people get off on these it is from some technicality, a negligent judge, or I suppose, a little help from above.
Anyway, back to Ritter : Here's what was going on about the time Scott stumbled on the children's prison while doing inspections and decided- his own admission- that it so horrible that there would be a cry for war if he revealed what he had seen. He evidently believed that it was his job and not congress's to make such decisions, and did not reveal the information. This is akin to sitting in a metro car watching people get mugged and staying out of it for fear someone might get hurt if they stop it. What would he have done if he had stumbled upon Commander Speicher, the missing US Navy pilot, in one of Saddam Hussein's cells- hide the fact that Speicher was still alive to prevent a rescue attempt and a reignition of war?
Scott Ritter's job was not to "prevent war," much less prevent war at all costs. He seems to think that was his job. Maybe it was his OTHER job- the one we didn't know he had. The question is, who was his other employer? Was he hiding the info to benefit Clinton who didn't want a war with Iraq either, or was it for Iraq, which obviously wouldn't want to get beaten again, or was it with France or Russia, both of whom most certainly didn't want war with Iraq.
So here is what was going on while he was visiting with the chillun:
JANUARY 1998 : (ANOTHER LAUNCH WAIVER IS APPROVED OVER OJECTIONS OF DOJ) Over the objections of the Justice Department, which is investigating Loral's 1996 sharing of sensitive information with China, the Clinton administration approves another Loral satellite launch waiver. - "U.S.-China Techonology Transfer: Annotated Timeline 1980-January 1998," by Bates Gill, GlobalBeat, NYU.edu, June 22, 1998
JANUARY 1988 : (UNSCOM TEAM INSPECTS BUILDINGS, FINDS IRAQI CHILDREN'S PRISON - INTERVIEW WITH SCOTT RITTER) Q : You've spoke about having seen the children's prisons in Iraq. Can you describe what you saw there? A: The prison in question is at the General Security Services headquarters, which was inspected by my team in Jan. 1998. It appeared to be a prison for children — toddlers up to pre-adolescents — whose only crime was to be the offspring of those who have spoken out politically against the regime of Saddam Hussein. It was a horrific scene. Actually I'm not going to describe what I saw there because what I saw was so horrible that it can be used by those who would want to promote war with Iraq, and right now I'm waging peace.
(*My note : if the team inspected this site, did they individually report the information or was that solely Ritter's job, one he opted not to do?)
JANUARY 1998 : (SCOTT RITTER UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR SPYING- HE SAYS THE SUSPICION WAS ISRAEL BUT WAS IT, OR WAS IT RUSSIA? DOES ANYONE ELSE CORROBORATE WHO IT WAS FOR?) But in January 1998, he learned the Federal Bureau of Investigation was investigating him for espionage with the Israelis. ''The idea of it, questioning me on the subject of patriotism!'' he said. To add to his ire, he had been told that the F.B.I. also held concerns about his wife, whom he had met in Votkinsk, where she had worked as a Soviet translator. Some in the F.B.I. thought she might be an agent, ''a hostile penetration attempt.'' He was furious. - according to Ritter, take with large grain of salt.- "Scott Ritter's Iraq Complex: One man's continuing war with Saddam, Washington -- and himself ," by Barry Bearak, New York Times Magazine, November 24, 2002
1998 : (MADDIE ALBRIGHT GOOFS UP) By 1998, Unscom itself was flagging. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright had earlier declared that even if Iraq disarmed, sanctions would continue as long as Saddam was in power. Iraqis had one less reason to cooperate. They grew more brazen in blocking inspections, and the Security Council was letting them get away with it. At the same time, Ritter was contending with a reputation as a cowboy. Some promising inspections were canceled from above at the last minute. Richard Butler, the Australian who succeeded Ekeus as Unscom's chief, told me these missions were of the ''kick-the-door-down variety'' and he thought them ''ill conceived and possibly dangerous.'' . - "Scott Ritter's Iraq Complex: One man's continuing war with Saddam, Washington -- and himself ," by Barry Bearak, New York Times Magazine, November 24, 2002
JANUARY 2, 1998 : (IRAQ, ATTACK ON UNSCOM INSPECTORS) Rocket attack on the headquarters of the UNSCOM inspectors in Baghdad; it did not cause damage because the rocket did not explode. No 'group' claimed responsibility for the attacks.
JANUARY 31, 1998 : (ETA ASSASSINATES SPANISH POLITICAL LEADER & HIS WIFE) Basque ETA gunman shoots dead the leader of a Spanish political party and his wife in Seville.
FEBRUARY 1998 : (ANTHRAX) FBI arrests two men, including Larry Wayne Harris in Nevada, alleging they are carrying anthrax. They are later cleared.
FEBRUARY 1998 : (BIN LADEN DECLARATION) Bin Laden published declaration which included the objective: "To kill Americans and their allies, civilians and military, is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it, in any country in which it is possible to do it."
FEBRUARY 1998 : (LIBYA, KUSA, CLINTON ADMIN MEETING PLANNED) Still, the diplomatic dance between the U.S. and Libya has produced a stark change in Libya's previously sharp anti-American rhetoric. It began in secret more than two years before Sept. 11, in a series of meetings on the outskirts of London and in Geneva, Switzerland. Those meetings brought together senior officials of the Clinton administration, British officials and a top Libyan intelligence operative, Musa Kusa, according to U.S. officials. The idea to meet emerged in February 1998, when the U.S. was embroiled in one of its periodic crises with Iraq. British Prime Minister Tony Blair telephoned Clinton to discuss growing complaints by moderate Arab allies that the West was dealing unfairly with Arab states. Mr. Blair suggested it might be helpful to resolve the Libya issue in some way, a Clinton administration official recalls. The Saudi Arabian government, saying the U.S. needed to show it was prepared to believe a radical Arab state could mend its ways, made the same case privately. A Blair spokesman in London referred a request for comment to the British Embassy in Washington, where another press spokesman declined to comment on the phone call. President Clinton didn't move until after Col. Gadhafi agreed in April 1999 to hand over two Libyan suspects in the Pan Am 103 bombing. The White House then sent Martin Indyk, the assistant secretary of state for the Middle East at the time, and Bruce Riedel, the top White House Middle East staffer, to meet with Mr. Kusa, who often handles delicate missions for Col. Gadhafi. Mr. Kusa has been associated for more than 20 years with Libyan intelligence, which has been connected to assassinations of Libyan dissidents abroad and the Pan Am bombing.
FEBRUARY 1998 : (TJ) "Newsline", a monthly of Pakistan, quoted workers of the TJ as saying that the TJ had many offices in the US, Russia, the Central Asian Republics, South Africa, Australia and France and that many members of the Chechen Cabinet, including the Deputy Prime Minister of Chechnya, were workers of the TJ and participated in its proselytising activities. . One of them, merely identified as Khalil, said: " It is possible that France may become a Muslim state within my lifetime, due to the great momentum of Tablighi activity there. "
FEBRUARY 1998 : (BIN LADEN'S INTERNATIONAL FRONT & FATWA, AL-GAMA'AT AL-ISLAMIYYA, EGYPTIAN ISLAMIC JIHAD, HARAKAT UL-ANSAR) Bin Laden announced the creation of an "international front” against the US. According to a document obtained by the PBS program "Frontline," bin Laden "regards an anti-American alliance with Iran and China as something to be considered.” Bin Laden announces the front as the "World Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders." The Front included the Egyptian al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya, the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, the Harakat ul-Ansar (Johnnie Taliban's group), and two other groups. The Front declared its intention to attack Americans and our allies, including civilians, anywhere in the world. By at least February 1998, the Egyptian Islamic Jihad had effectively merged with al Qaeda and joined with al Qa'ida in targeting American civilians. Osama bin LAden issued and signed a 'fatwa' which included a decree to all Muslims:
"...the killing of Americans and their civilian and military allies is a religious duty for each and every Muslim to be carried out in whichever country they are until Al Aqsa mosque has been liberated from their grasp and until their armies have left Muslim lands." In the same 'fatwa' he called on Muslim scholars and their leaders and their youths to :
"...launch an attack on the American soldiers of Satan." and concluded:
"We- with god's help - call on every Muslim who believes in God and wishes to be rewarded to comply with God's order to kill Americans and plunder their money whenever and wherever they find it. We also call on Muslims... to launch the raid on Satan's US troops and the devil's supporters allying with them, and to displace those who are behind them."
When asked in 1998 about obtaining chemical or nuclear weapons he said:
"acquiring such weapons for the defense of Muslims (was) a religious duty"
In an interview aired on Al Jazira (Doha, Qatar) television, he stated:
"Our enemy is every American male, whether he is directly fighting us or paying taxes."
FEBRUARY 1998 : (CLINTON, LATE REPORT ON AVIATION SAFETY & SECURITY) 16 months after enacting the law HR 3539, the Clinton Transportation Department published a "Status Report" on Aviation Safety and Security. In it, the administration claimed the FAA was finally "preparing new rules to verify the backgrounds of airport employees and certify the people at our airport checkpoints." None in Congress or the press condemned the Clinton foot-dragging... employee backgrounds were never checked during the Clinton administration.
FEBRUARY 10, 1998 : (CLINTON MONICAGATE) Monica Lewinsky's mother, Marcia Lewis, testified before the grand jury investigating her daughter's alleged affair with President Clinton.
FEB. 26, 1998 (CHANG, DNC, MCAULIFFE, TORICELLI) Mr. Chang meets at Old Executive Offfice Building with Bruce Riedel, senior director of the National Security Council for Near East and South Asian Affairs, to discuss his proposal for a dialogue between the United States and Iraq.
Honestly, I can't figure this out.