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.
I never trusted Lira either. I thought he was a narcissist from the first video posting in Kiev where he was sneering at all the other journalists. I didn't believe his sincerity when he was walking around Kharkov with his cell phone. It was too obvious that his location could have been pinpointed. His whole persona is just a shallow PR stunt.
Besides all that, he didn't know Russians or Ukrainians, he didn't know their languages, not one showed up in person for his shallow rants. Frankly, he was just another Yankee cheerleader.
Clare, thanks for bringing that up. As a matter of fact- if anyone asked me what I remember of Lira, the answer would be exactly those lines, "Never trust a woman who doesn't have children because that is against her nature and will turn her into a witch or something". My first thought back then (after feeling slightly offended :-)) ) was "why?". Why would he say that, although he could easily choose among a thousand other legitimate arguments against VN, why would he go there? Is he trying to create a wedge among his audience? Is he twisting the discourse into some BS like pro-SMO = ultra-conservative, misogynist, (you name it) politics, cutting the educated/sane, specially female audiences out?
If anything was a "red flag" for me, that was it, way before all these arrest stories and whatnot.
For everything that Democracy demands as far as it’s bedrock in free speech he should be released. I don’t think anyone is contesting that. The sick part is as a possible double “journalist” he knows this and so do his captors. It’s the real journalists, who, like Assange, they don’t wish to see the light of day.
You appear to be saying that because you "never liked" Lira, for reasons you do not give, he should be held to be a spy, guilty of charges which include no one to harm, and sent to prison. ? Is this true? The thing is, these things must be judged on purely objective evidence of harm caused or intended, adn as far as I can see, not one iota of such has been produced. When it comes to issues of guilt or otherwise, your personal emotional reactions, which could be based on the fact that he looks like a school teacher who used to mock you, cannot ever be allowed to count. All I am hearing is kitchen table gossip of bitchy witches kind, condemning a stunning blonde simply because of her appeal to men. It happens a lot. It should not be happening in this case.
Gopal, your simple comment may be the best (and I read several hundred).
Lira basically acted as an aggregate service of open source information (something many of us do because it has value). Consequently, he had value.
He was stupid or brave enough to do that from within Ukraine, maybe thinking that his passport provided him protection. Considering the nature of all wars, and Lira fully knowing the horror of the SBU, I lean towards stupid. Not a criticism since I've also done stupid things in my fight against my government, but it is a fact to be considered by people who evaluate facts before choosing a side.
Lira has a family. It is up to each individual to decide whether a country is more important than one's children. Again, not a criticism, just a question needing weighing.
I cannot be 100% certain of Lira's position but it's logical to play safe or work on probability. And to consider the safety of those Lira interacts with.
Lira was arrested by monsters who torture and kill. He bizarrely defied all the odds to be released and carry on doing what he was arrested for. If someone doesn't think that's suspicious, then they're falling prey to the very wilful ignorance and cognitive dissonance the alt community is supposed to be fighting.
Regards the alt community, let's not pretend its pure. It's had in-fighting before, sometimes valid but sometimes because some humans, especially Americans, unconsciously drag their division into places it doesn't belong. Scott presenting an argument is not that, but some of the commentators are. Keep in mind that most are anonymous not because their lives are at risk but because they're social cowards. I don't consider them part of the alt community but my opinion doesn't have to be yours.
I would have to be an idiot for anyone to tell me that I, for example, should be a Scott OR a Larry follower. I'm smart because I don't dismiss everything about a person because I disagree on a point. I may despise the American Empire but there are many great Americans. That sense should prevail here too.
Gopal, your response was good because I wish Lira the best too! I have sympathy for someone I expect is under severe pressure. I don't know where that emotion will be once the war is over. If he isn't dead, Lira will then have to decide how honest he's going to be with us regarding what's happened.
Lira isn't the only rat that eats from this box, no matter how you all roll over the fact that one of your rats got outed, he's still a rat, and in the hood you don't rat, maybe Ritter is to gentle, but if in prison if you rat, you die, on the street if you rat you die;
Not the only rat here there are dozens, there is Duran, and Pepe, and dozens of Rats, which is why Saker bailed early from this mess, rather than go down with the ship its always better to bail; For some odd reason Lira decides to stay with the ship maybe he see's himself as a hero? Often criminal minds ( or CIA sociopaths) can justify their actions.
... SCOTT NAILS It, I grew up in Watts, LA and my entire Life, I never snitched, nor played the rat because I saw all too many people get screw drivers shoved in their eyes or their teeth pulled out with pliers on the street; All that can be said is Lira grew up in high nob family, and went to the best schools, where his type are often 'recruited', naive? While Scott nails it, IMHO I think it was all an act all we ever saw was Lira in a room talking generality's about the UKRO-NAZI war, with no proof he was ever where he said he was, my explanation would be better, because like I said if he were a snitch, he would be wearing an eye pad and have missing teeth
... Scott's comments
This is a classic “catch and release” scenario, with Gonzalo Lira playing the role of “police confidential informant”—someone who provides information in exchange for lenient treatment. There literally is no other plausible explanation for what happened other than this.
"You appear to be saying...." Did you actually read the article? He doesn't appear to be saying that at all. He not only appears to be saying, but is in fact actually saying, that the circumstances surrounding Lira's arrests, release, postings, behaviour and subsequent arrest are all consistent with him having become an SBU asset. The article contains a great deal of evidence to support that assertion too. "All I am hearing... ." you say. Perhaps that is because you and all Scott's other detractors are not actually listening to what he is saying.
You got it. Gonzalo befriended participants in the Round Table. Their responses are based on emotion. They are defending their "friend". Scott is explains in great detail how the intelligence business works, and why he thinks Lira has been a controlled asset of the SBU since his first arrest in April 2022. Those who are defending Lira are not paying attention to what Scott says in this article. They have been manipulated. As Mark Twain famously said, "It is easier to con a man than to convince him he has been conned".
Not all feelings are 'emotional reactions'. Intuitions are knowledge gained from honesty about all matters of conscious perception regarding a matter.
'Never liked' is a way of saying Lira did not win my trust' in spite of expectations in consideratoin of the man as a speaker on behalf of Russia's interventiuon in Uktraine, or mreely criticosm of Ukraine's regime.
In short, yes evidence of harm is important in crimnal matters, but we are not takking of imprisonment as a spy, but of information warfare, and beiung used in that.
As fo rmyself, Lira grabbed my attention, amongst others, early on. I soon found I was not interested in his words because they offered nbothing in the way of real information, and yes, he seemed vain. Putting himself at risk as he said for no good reason - producing nothing of value. How he hid form th eSBU in in Karkhov for so long after fleeing SBU in Kiev, beggars belief, with an internet connection.
I think the point of the suspicions is to be careful how much information one reveals in interaction with Lira. Suspicions are not evidence so there is no basis for any legal action.
I base my judgement on what Scott Ritter says. He is not saying what he says out of some kind of personal envy or antipathy, but because he is far more familiar with the way intelligence operations work than you or I will ever be, and his reasons are the best. He knows what he is talking about.
clare (claire?), you should try to stick to your point,being you didn't like lira cause he was misogynist (and quit the 'stellarisation'). your second paragraph sounds suspicious. ;-)
Lol, maybe you could try building a capacity to deal with two points within a comment and their order and just go with the flow from their. Not interested in your thoughts on my shared experiences with Scott Ritter, but, I’m all about free speech. 😃
the ;-) was about the stroking of egos and other 'hofstede dimensions' mentioned in the text. of course, in your case it's genuine, but it kinda struck me as a textbook example of how this psycho-informational warfare thing might work with regards to mr ritter (his thingie being his bond with the marine corps).
Wow I called him out on Saker +2 years ago, and banned, nobody can handle the truth that 90% of these self-made alt-ukraine talking heads are London owned agents,
...
This is a classic “catch and release” scenario, with Gonzalo Lira playing the role of “police confidential informant”—someone who provides information in exchange for lenient treatment. There literally is no other plausible explanation for what happened other than this.
Lira’s “Roundtable” podcast provided a platform for alternative media personalities such as Mark Sleboda, Brian Berletic, Alexander Mercouris and Alexander Christoforou from The Duran, Larry Johnson, and a host of others. One thing all these guests have in common, beyond their critical appraisal of Ukraine, is that all believe that Gonzalo Lira cannot be an asset of the SBU.
Mark Sleboda found the notion of Lira having been turned by the SBU “baseless, absurd, and puerile slander.” Brian Bertelic, Alexander Christoforou, and Alexander Mercouris’ all found the notion of Gonzalo Lira being recruited—or even recruitable—by the SBU “crazy.”
...
It wasn't just covering Lira's ass I didn't care about that, but when PRIGOZHIN started coming out with his dis-satisfication with Moscow, the Oligarchs in London & Moscow sleeping in same bed, all these 'talking heads' above all like synchronized swimmers said Prigozhin was crazy. Prigozhin said "I have been killing the wrong people", Prigozhin said we should be killing the Moscow Oligarchs whose children aren't dying in these senseless wars.
This is an easy explain, they're all on the LONDON Oligarch payroll, and Prigozhin was calling for their execution so of course they went nuts
The rats outed themselves accept this obvious fact;
This is a classic “catch and release” scenario, with Gonzalo Lira playing the role of “police confidential informant”—someone who provides information in exchange for lenient treatment. There literally is no other plausible explanation for what happened other than this.
...
BINGO we don't know LIRA's real position here we know he was soliciting money and emails and private correspondence, stuff that the western INTEL would greatly like to know what kind of people support the 'pro-putin' anti-ukro war, give us their bank account info & real-id all over the world, enlarge the Zelensky death-list
In two years LIRA was caught&released 1/2 a dozen if not more times, what was that a vacation, maybe two months back home in Argentina? like contract work, four months on,
two months off
...
The biggest thing that TEAM-SAKER has done during all this alt-UKRAINE bullshit is control the narrative, where even the people opposed to the ukro-nazi war get fed bullshit, kept in dark, fed shit, make mushrooms
I'm not saying the-Saker was a homo,a cuck, or one of them, but he certainly introduced us to (((THEM))); So ergo I call it all team-saker cuz he was the glue, up until last year that held all of alt-ukraine together and pushed the homo-cuck talking heads that we have all came to love
The quote below is an example of GL’s less offensive misogynistic comments ( there are others which are a lot worse).
“Never date a woman in her thirties,” Lira, who’s in his fifties, said in one video created in 2020. He also argued that, “irrespective of what they claim they want,” all women only truly desire money, a house, and kids, as child-rearing is the one thing that will biologically validate them.”
The moment people resort to such labels (racist, fascist, misogynist...) instead of actual arguments, it's the moment they declare to the world that they have lost the discussion.
Try to get an education in Evolutionary Biology, it explains soooo many things which you two have no explanation for but your labels...
Did I say he should go to prison? Where did that come from based on my experience of watching him and others? Never had a good feeling about him the misogyny just the door. I’m not an extremist in the sense that if someone says or behaves contrary to my thoughts and feelings they should be canceled, beaten, imprisoned, smear, or weakly attacked. Maybe chill a bit.
He's absolutely a misogynist and that's enough reason to dislike him, even without all the nonsense he pulled with Scott and whatever he's got up to with the SBU.
People are capable of using their brains and understanding a bit of nuance (or they should be, FFS).
Criticising Jews or women does not make you a racist or a Misogynist.
Permit me a little loose talk... misogynist loose talk...
I like criticism of women, just as much as I like women. I have high expectations of them, still afyter many years alive. Not necessariuly in resality, but in any case. MOreover, I am sure women were more agreeable as whole to me my grandmother's age and all time before that. Even my mothjer's time, in the sixties.
MY daughter is amazing. No need criticism of her and she's 21. Just admitration of her a s a young virtuous, sensible consientious, honest woman. That makes her intelligent.
SOme women turn my head.
The womenfolk neighbours here from Afghanistan are amazing too. Truly berautiful - in all ways.
I can recognise a beautiful woman. They are not inconsiderate, rude, lazy, always on the phone, and selfish, and therefore ugly. You cant be part-time a good woman, part time a selfish, me , my body, my money, my life, bitch... th ekind who thingks life is about making nmonmey, not provideing food for the table, who thinks food and houses is a gift from the government and technologists.
Many men, even as good fathers, are disappointed by women these days. The are given a hard time. Famiulies suffer. Famlies are broken up.
And lots of men now ar ebecoming crap a lot more... or trying not to, or just weak.
WOmen used to say, when women are in politics it will be a good thing.... and now what do we see, admirable women politicians? Hardly.
But Gonzol's staments as given here, about the bilogical validation is a bit weird for me. It's like condemmning al lwomen for havinbg wombs!
I might have understood whre he was coming from him, if he had said severly, something along the lines of , 'women (a lot) have children for profit, for money, have at least two, leave the man and clain all the child benefit, estrange them from the father, and ny an SVU to go shopping for chocloate donuts oin one child's government benefit. They are noit loving or caring their childrne as they push their prams along glued to their phone 24 hours a day, even as the serve up pasta and bottled ketchup with one hand every day of the week.'
Ha! That's just a little bit. much more to say really. Men and women are to a great extent divided in the West, just as families are broken.
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...
Good post. My guess after the 2nd arrest the sbu wanted to turn it up a notch, which always happens in these situations. Doing roundtables directing conversations is one thing. Its not that guilty, theres no "crime" being committed against your peers. There is not much feeling of guilt. Its the traditional stick and carrort approach all law enforcement uses in all types of cases. Then they always turn it up a notch. Putting the heat on you,so to speak. which usually involves the arrest of another person/persons.. Obviously what they turned it up to was something so nefarious that it made Lira try to make a break for the Hungarian border....the Hungarian border. Not Russia or Belarus but Hungarian...the question no one asks is why the Hungarian border? It would have been much easier to goto Russia. I don't really buy his 2 bullshit stories 1 about the prison torture for 70k, 2 his story about why Hungary for asylum. Also never bought his bullshit story about wrecking his motorcycle. IMO he chose Hungary cause Russia would know what happened to him after his first arrest. So that would also cross out Belarus. Poland/Romania team Ukraine so there out. His only shot was a disgruntled Nato/EU country. Notice how he never even brings up the idea of going to Hungary and applying for asylum from the Russian embassy? Just strange
Re. Hungarian border: Actually the first thing I thought that made no sense about his recent videos was why a guy allegedly on the run form the SBU would risk trying to make it 1400km across the country on a motorcycle in two days to reach an EU/NATO border instead of the Russian border (or even Lugansk) much nearer Kharkov (and I wondered where he even got access to gas money? Did the SBU give him bank cards back or a wad of cash when they also magically gave him back his passports and driver's license and failed to give him a tracking bracelet? Just too many things don't add up). Perhaps the Russian border is mined or more difficult to get across at this point, but it still just seems there had to be closer points of egress to slip through than going 1400km to Hungarian border (and broadcasting his location and intentions to the world before actually trying to cross the border!)
BTW, on the border choice issue...does anyone know what country his wife and kids are in (obv. not trying to dox exact locale, just in a general sense of what country they may be in)? I'd heard contradictory claims that they had taken refuge in Russia, and also that they had taken refuge somewhere in the West (not clear if Western Europe, or just the West of the Ukraine). Perhaps being nearer to them or being able to more easily re-connect with them later may help explain which border he attempted to cross (assuming his story is truthful to begin with - do we even have proof he was actually at the Hungarian border at all when he posted his recent videos and Twitter stream?)
Look them up yourself (He doesn't actually Tweet much, and I think only one recently was a specific dig at Ritter, and not even addressing the latter's actual claims regarding Lira, which is why it appeared to convey some long-standing personal animosity).
And if you don't like or agree with my impression of Berletic's recent posts and interviews regarding either Lira or Ritter, fine - Then provide some argument or reason why, instead of a vague, "Uh, sounds suspicious, can you clarify, even though I haven't said exactly what I am claiming to be suspicious or to need clarifying about these posts I also haven't bothered to look up myself."
Look son, I've looked at Brian's tweets. I couldn't find what you claim. Why do you assume I didn't try looking them up?
So now, you are saying it was just "your impression" of what Brian said? And you accuse me of being vague? Do you even know what irony means?
What argument do you want me to give you when you made vague statements without being able to actually clarify them when asked? Do you even know how logic of argumentation works? It is not for me to clarify but for you to, since you made the initial claims.
It is for you to do your own research though. Dennis isn't here to serve your every need. If you have issues with his post, you should be specific about what it is you find contentious.
I apologize for my language earlier, but I don't take kindly to being addressed with condescending, self-righteous epithets like "look, son..." Got that, boy? (How you like that eh?).
You persist in somehow pretending I've failed to make myself clear, while providing no explanation yourself for what aspect of my analysis or opinion you take umbrage with, and and then accuse me of only "now saying it was just 'your impression'" and apparently disagree with my "initial claims". You seem to have some reading comp issues.
I'm not making "claims" and anyone capable of reading would see that my first post was simply providing my take on what Berletic has been saying recently in various interviews and posts about Lira and Ritter. Yes, it was my personal "impression" and understanding of what he's been saying. Disagree with my understanding of him if you want, but don't claim I was not clear or that my take was "suspicious" (Suspicious how? Because you don't agree? Is Ritter's analysis of Lira also "suspicious" if one simply doesn't agree?).
I specifically referenced his Twitter post on Ritter the other day as betraying, to my mind, a long-standing personal dislike for Ritter that was also probably clouding his judgement of the Lira issue. Instead of addressing Ritter's arguments re. Lira, Berletic instead just posted a link to a 12 year-old article about a past legal case against Ritter...the implication was that Berletic wants us to think Ritter is a bad character, and therefore we have no need to address the substance of his claims regarding Lira. It's fine if Berletic or others disagree with Ritter, Eliason, and others regarding Lira, but I think they should deal with the specific claims they make rather than engaging in character assassination by proxy through decade old UK news article links (Why does Berletic prefer to go down that road rather than address the specific claims Ritter and Eliason have made in the Lira case based on their extensive expertise in the relevant areas?).
"You persist in somehow pretending I've failed to make myself clear, while providing no explanation yourself for what aspect of my analysis or opinion you take umbrage with"
Look. It is very simply. You claimed Brian said something on Twitter. I found no such posts. It is for you to clarify this and back your claims up with references to the actual Twitter posts.
"accuse me of only "now saying it was just 'your impression'" and apparently disagree with my "initial claims".
This is what you wrote in the previous comment: "with my impression of Berletic's recent posts" So, I'm not accusing you of anything. YOU said it yourself that it was your impression. If you are accusing someone (Brian) of saying something based on "your impression", it is vague. So, it is only natural that someone asks for clarification, e.g. the references to the posts themselves.
The "claim" here is the allegation that Brian made some Twitter posts that give the impression he, and I quote you, "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."
When you say that you think or that you have the impression a person seems to be saying this or behaving that way, you have to clarify and back your claim or allegation up with actual justification and/or sources when someone challenges you. This is how the real world works. We are NOT even at the point of whether we are in agreement or disagreement! I have to look at the posts themselves, make my own interpretation of them and then decide if I agree or disagree with you. So, when I wrote it wa suspicious, it was a challenge, not a disagreement. Get it?
"I specifically referenced his Twitter post on Ritter the other day"
I have not seen that reference.
"Instead of addressing Ritter's arguments re. Lira, Berletic instead just posted a link to a 12 year-old article about a past legal case against Ritter."
I think I know which one you are referring to here (the post about an article on The Guardian). Brian WAS addressing one of Ritter's arguments being that Lira was arrested then released, this was enough to suspect he is an asset (rough summary). The gist of Brian's argument was that one cannot conclude that an individual has become a secret service asset just because that person was arrested and subsequently released; and Brian used the similar case with Ritter to drive his point home. In any case, I thought that was a low blow by Brian posting that article. Both have shown uncharacteristic lapse of judgement feuding like this in public. As I wrote elsewhere, this is damaging to the alt media community as a whole.
I second you on that. All the good people he mentioned: The Duran, Brian Berlitic, Larry Johnson and others I've subscribed to.
Scott made a good case, things that never occurred to me. To think the SBU and my own government consider me an Information Terrorist is a sobering thought. I've always suspected that Google suppresses my comments.
Considering the actions of the Ukro-Nazis and my government, I think I'm something else. One man's terrorist is another man's Freedom Fighter or one man's traitor is another man's hero. Yet I must keep in mind Scott's Sun Tsu quote.
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.
Most of all he depends on the fact that he is in Ukraine and no one can verify any claims he makes. For example, his recent videos have no proof that he was actually at the Hungarian-Ukrainian border. He could of made that video anywhere yet no one even asks themselves if he was really at the border. They just take his word for it just like everything else he claims. By the strength of his personality he has won over guys an The Duran, Brian Berlectic, L. Johnson and others. Not just his personality, but his political and culture war beliefs gives him the benefit of the doubt by the guys I just named.
“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 recently learned of the death last year of a one time friend, who had a heart condition, had a triple bypass, had always smoked and didnt stop even after the by pass. Many people cant handle an addiction, and many just dont care anyway.
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.
Ritter is using instructional slides to convict Lira. Its ridiculous. Gonzalo would have been more effective for the SBU had he retained his audience. The SBU stole his channels. He had to start over again.
Ritter is insane. Lira is what he appears to be. A good dude stuck in NAZI Ukraine who did what he could to bring truth to the world.
"Ritter is using instructional slides to convict Lira. " -- what's ridiculous is this utterly ABSURD depiction of Ritter's argument. Seriously, this is idiotic. Ritter provides a long detailed analysis and all you get out of is "instructional slides." You missed his entire argument about WHY Lira was released 5 days after his first arrest with no explanation as to what happened; in which Lira said he was released under certain conditions that he had to follow. That's a red flag immediately. This is the SBU -- much like the gestapo. The SBU arrests, tortures, kills anyone they view as "pro-Russia" which in western Ukraine could mean something as simple as speaking too much Russian. Furthermore, Lira was allowed to post videos and social media posts critical of Ukraine and pro-Russian for MONTHS. Freely. And you find nothing strange about that. You're the gullible fool here.
I don't believe Scott's detractors are even listening to a word he has to say. They seem to have their preconceived ideas about his position and are using that as a basis for comment, rather than reading the actual article with anything like an open mind.
Before Lira went missing that first time he went on a guest interview circuit laughing at “all the stupid kids who believed the propaganda and went to Ukraine to die”. That’s where my opinion was formed about the guy and he didn’t really radiate anything resembling a “good dude” but to each their own.
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!
Juxtapose Lira's embarrassingly transparent pandering with his unstable and nervous mannerisms and you start to get a sense of how disingenuous and potentially dangerous he is.
he tried to extort Steve Keen after being in charge of that man's websites. he tried to extort and manipulate various online commentators and influencers in private chats (many youtube videos about his intimidation and threat tactics with these people). he had a huge thread on his idiocy at kiwifarms and it was rumoured that was one of the (many) reasons that website is now censored from the internet.
this guy has "bad news" all over him, by his own deliberate goals or inadvertently. i don't know which is worse.
and many supposed "reputable" alternative news and discussion websites kept feeding their audience to the man, and then hammering down anyone making comments showing suspicion of him and his motives. really, pulling out ad-hominems on others to defend him. the whole thing smells to high heaven.
I would not reference that video, there is plenty of stupid claims about IP addresses and meta data that anyone with any IT experience will refute in a second.
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.
And you didn't understand my comment. None of that matters. Anything Gonzalo does as a result of that initial arrest can be attributed to being under duress, and he should be freed. He's an American and must be released.
The reason he was turned into an asset is because of his US passport. He put himself in this position knowing that American citizenship disqualified him from immediate disappearance. This is tantamount to applying for a job at the SBU as an asset. Lira is deriving great benefit from the citizenship status that he chose to Abuse.
Tantamount... why, not necessarily intentional at outset? He could equally have been seeking glory as a journalist portiected by US citizenship , though with little to offer.
He isn't an innocent, human rights advocate, anti-war truth teller. Lira is an intelligence asset. It wouldn't surprise me to find he has always been a SBU, arms length CIA asset.
Agreed! And I agree with The Duran, Brian Berletic and others who simply call for Lira's release.
I think Scott has been a bit too enthusiastic to prove that he is right about Lira being a SBU asset to see the big picture. The big picture is the state of alt media community and free speech. Like it or not, Lira has been part of that community. Public accusation and denounciation of him, whether correct or not, are counter-productive to the community and its goals. This divides and sow suspicion.
Scott's drive-by shooting to discredit not only Lira but the others of the community shows a rare moment is bad judgement on his part.
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.
I've been following George Galloway for many years.... I think he is an idealist and morally sound, but that doesn't make him a highly intelligent person. He seems to be a politician, more honest than most.
A small group of poor Cubans led by the highly intelligent Fidel defeated the CIA for at least 50 years. That shows how stupid the CIA has always been.
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.
Maybe I watched too many WWII movies but one thing I learned from them is when in nazi town, don’t talk about nazis. Dumbest guy on earth or bravest guy on earth or owned by the SBU seem to be the choices. Owned seems most likely to me.
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.
I never trusted Lira either. I thought he was a narcissist from the first video posting in Kiev where he was sneering at all the other journalists. I didn't believe his sincerity when he was walking around Kharkov with his cell phone. It was too obvious that his location could have been pinpointed. His whole persona is just a shallow PR stunt.
Besides all that, he didn't know Russians or Ukrainians, he didn't know their languages, not one showed up in person for his shallow rants. Frankly, he was just another Yankee cheerleader.
Clare, thanks for bringing that up. As a matter of fact- if anyone asked me what I remember of Lira, the answer would be exactly those lines, "Never trust a woman who doesn't have children because that is against her nature and will turn her into a witch or something". My first thought back then (after feeling slightly offended :-)) ) was "why?". Why would he say that, although he could easily choose among a thousand other legitimate arguments against VN, why would he go there? Is he trying to create a wedge among his audience? Is he twisting the discourse into some BS like pro-SMO = ultra-conservative, misogynist, (you name it) politics, cutting the educated/sane, specially female audiences out?
If anything was a "red flag" for me, that was it, way before all these arrest stories and whatnot.
For everything that Democracy demands as far as it’s bedrock in free speech he should be released. I don’t think anyone is contesting that. The sick part is as a possible double “journalist” he knows this and so do his captors. It’s the real journalists, who, like Assange, they don’t wish to see the light of day.
You appear to be saying that because you "never liked" Lira, for reasons you do not give, he should be held to be a spy, guilty of charges which include no one to harm, and sent to prison. ? Is this true? The thing is, these things must be judged on purely objective evidence of harm caused or intended, adn as far as I can see, not one iota of such has been produced. When it comes to issues of guilt or otherwise, your personal emotional reactions, which could be based on the fact that he looks like a school teacher who used to mock you, cannot ever be allowed to count. All I am hearing is kitchen table gossip of bitchy witches kind, condemning a stunning blonde simply because of her appeal to men. It happens a lot. It should not be happening in this case.
I'm able to wish the very best for Mr.Lira, without liking or disliking him.
I'm sure Scott does too - he has made this amply clear publicly.
Gopal, your simple comment may be the best (and I read several hundred).
Lira basically acted as an aggregate service of open source information (something many of us do because it has value). Consequently, he had value.
He was stupid or brave enough to do that from within Ukraine, maybe thinking that his passport provided him protection. Considering the nature of all wars, and Lira fully knowing the horror of the SBU, I lean towards stupid. Not a criticism since I've also done stupid things in my fight against my government, but it is a fact to be considered by people who evaluate facts before choosing a side.
Lira has a family. It is up to each individual to decide whether a country is more important than one's children. Again, not a criticism, just a question needing weighing.
I cannot be 100% certain of Lira's position but it's logical to play safe or work on probability. And to consider the safety of those Lira interacts with.
Lira was arrested by monsters who torture and kill. He bizarrely defied all the odds to be released and carry on doing what he was arrested for. If someone doesn't think that's suspicious, then they're falling prey to the very wilful ignorance and cognitive dissonance the alt community is supposed to be fighting.
Regards the alt community, let's not pretend its pure. It's had in-fighting before, sometimes valid but sometimes because some humans, especially Americans, unconsciously drag their division into places it doesn't belong. Scott presenting an argument is not that, but some of the commentators are. Keep in mind that most are anonymous not because their lives are at risk but because they're social cowards. I don't consider them part of the alt community but my opinion doesn't have to be yours.
I would have to be an idiot for anyone to tell me that I, for example, should be a Scott OR a Larry follower. I'm smart because I don't dismiss everything about a person because I disagree on a point. I may despise the American Empire but there are many great Americans. That sense should prevail here too.
Gopal, your response was good because I wish Lira the best too! I have sympathy for someone I expect is under severe pressure. I don't know where that emotion will be once the war is over. If he isn't dead, Lira will then have to decide how honest he's going to be with us regarding what's happened.
Lira isn't the only rat that eats from this box, no matter how you all roll over the fact that one of your rats got outed, he's still a rat, and in the hood you don't rat, maybe Ritter is to gentle, but if in prison if you rat, you die, on the street if you rat you die;
Not the only rat here there are dozens, there is Duran, and Pepe, and dozens of Rats, which is why Saker bailed early from this mess, rather than go down with the ship its always better to bail; For some odd reason Lira decides to stay with the ship maybe he see's himself as a hero? Often criminal minds ( or CIA sociopaths) can justify their actions.
... SCOTT NAILS It, I grew up in Watts, LA and my entire Life, I never snitched, nor played the rat because I saw all too many people get screw drivers shoved in their eyes or their teeth pulled out with pliers on the street; All that can be said is Lira grew up in high nob family, and went to the best schools, where his type are often 'recruited', naive? While Scott nails it, IMHO I think it was all an act all we ever saw was Lira in a room talking generality's about the UKRO-NAZI war, with no proof he was ever where he said he was, my explanation would be better, because like I said if he were a snitch, he would be wearing an eye pad and have missing teeth
... Scott's comments
This is a classic “catch and release” scenario, with Gonzalo Lira playing the role of “police confidential informant”—someone who provides information in exchange for lenient treatment. There literally is no other plausible explanation for what happened other than this.
"If he isn't dead, Lira will then have to decide how honest he's going to be with us regarding what's happened"
....It is amazing how optimistic we can be, despite the illusions they choose to present to us!
"You appear to be saying...." Did you actually read the article? He doesn't appear to be saying that at all. He not only appears to be saying, but is in fact actually saying, that the circumstances surrounding Lira's arrests, release, postings, behaviour and subsequent arrest are all consistent with him having become an SBU asset. The article contains a great deal of evidence to support that assertion too. "All I am hearing... ." you say. Perhaps that is because you and all Scott's other detractors are not actually listening to what he is saying.
You got it. Gonzalo befriended participants in the Round Table. Their responses are based on emotion. They are defending their "friend". Scott is explains in great detail how the intelligence business works, and why he thinks Lira has been a controlled asset of the SBU since his first arrest in April 2022. Those who are defending Lira are not paying attention to what Scott says in this article. They have been manipulated. As Mark Twain famously said, "It is easier to con a man than to convince him he has been conned".
Not all feelings are 'emotional reactions'. Intuitions are knowledge gained from honesty about all matters of conscious perception regarding a matter.
'Never liked' is a way of saying Lira did not win my trust' in spite of expectations in consideratoin of the man as a speaker on behalf of Russia's interventiuon in Uktraine, or mreely criticosm of Ukraine's regime.
In short, yes evidence of harm is important in crimnal matters, but we are not takking of imprisonment as a spy, but of information warfare, and beiung used in that.
As fo rmyself, Lira grabbed my attention, amongst others, early on. I soon found I was not interested in his words because they offered nbothing in the way of real information, and yes, he seemed vain. Putting himself at risk as he said for no good reason - producing nothing of value. How he hid form th eSBU in in Karkhov for so long after fleeing SBU in Kiev, beggars belief, with an internet connection.
I think the point of the suspicions is to be careful how much information one reveals in interaction with Lira. Suspicions are not evidence so there is no basis for any legal action.
I base my judgement on what Scott Ritter says. He is not saying what he says out of some kind of personal envy or antipathy, but because he is far more familiar with the way intelligence operations work than you or I will ever be, and his reasons are the best. He knows what he is talking about.
clare (claire?), you should try to stick to your point,being you didn't like lira cause he was misogynist (and quit the 'stellarisation'). your second paragraph sounds suspicious. ;-)
Lol, maybe you could try building a capacity to deal with two points within a comment and their order and just go with the flow from their. Not interested in your thoughts on my shared experiences with Scott Ritter, but, I’m all about free speech. 😃
the ;-) was about the stroking of egos and other 'hofstede dimensions' mentioned in the text. of course, in your case it's genuine, but it kinda struck me as a textbook example of how this psycho-informational warfare thing might work with regards to mr ritter (his thingie being his bond with the marine corps).
I wonder what YOUR thingie might be? I have a feeling you'd like playing video games.
that is a very good guess.
Wow I called him out on Saker +2 years ago, and banned, nobody can handle the truth that 90% of these self-made alt-ukraine talking heads are London owned agents,
...
This is a classic “catch and release” scenario, with Gonzalo Lira playing the role of “police confidential informant”—someone who provides information in exchange for lenient treatment. There literally is no other plausible explanation for what happened other than this.
Gonzalo is a sleaze and a manipulator.
Lira’s “Roundtable” podcast provided a platform for alternative media personalities such as Mark Sleboda, Brian Berletic, Alexander Mercouris and Alexander Christoforou from The Duran, Larry Johnson, and a host of others. One thing all these guests have in common, beyond their critical appraisal of Ukraine, is that all believe that Gonzalo Lira cannot be an asset of the SBU.
Mark Sleboda found the notion of Lira having been turned by the SBU “baseless, absurd, and puerile slander.” Brian Bertelic, Alexander Christoforou, and Alexander Mercouris’ all found the notion of Gonzalo Lira being recruited—or even recruitable—by the SBU “crazy.”
...
It wasn't just covering Lira's ass I didn't care about that, but when PRIGOZHIN started coming out with his dis-satisfication with Moscow, the Oligarchs in London & Moscow sleeping in same bed, all these 'talking heads' above all like synchronized swimmers said Prigozhin was crazy. Prigozhin said "I have been killing the wrong people", Prigozhin said we should be killing the Moscow Oligarchs whose children aren't dying in these senseless wars.
This is an easy explain, they're all on the LONDON Oligarch payroll, and Prigozhin was calling for their execution so of course they went nuts
The rats outed themselves accept this obvious fact;
.. Scott's comments
This is a classic “catch and release” scenario, with Gonzalo Lira playing the role of “police confidential informant”—someone who provides information in exchange for lenient treatment. There literally is no other plausible explanation for what happened other than this.
...
BINGO we don't know LIRA's real position here we know he was soliciting money and emails and private correspondence, stuff that the western INTEL would greatly like to know what kind of people support the 'pro-putin' anti-ukro war, give us their bank account info & real-id all over the world, enlarge the Zelensky death-list
In two years LIRA was caught&released 1/2 a dozen if not more times, what was that a vacation, maybe two months back home in Argentina? like contract work, four months on,
two months off
...
The biggest thing that TEAM-SAKER has done during all this alt-UKRAINE bullshit is control the narrative, where even the people opposed to the ukro-nazi war get fed bullshit, kept in dark, fed shit, make mushrooms
I'm not saying the-Saker was a homo,a cuck, or one of them, but he certainly introduced us to (((THEM))); So ergo I call it all team-saker cuz he was the glue, up until last year that held all of alt-ukraine together and pushed the homo-cuck talking heads that we have all came to love
What were those "really rude statements about women"?
The quote below is an example of GL’s less offensive misogynistic comments ( there are others which are a lot worse).
“Never date a woman in her thirties,” Lira, who’s in his fifties, said in one video created in 2020. He also argued that, “irrespective of what they claim they want,” all women only truly desire money, a house, and kids, as child-rearing is the one thing that will biologically validate them.”
In other words, he just described biological reality.
From the perspective of another misogynist.
The moment people resort to such labels (racist, fascist, misogynist...) instead of actual arguments, it's the moment they declare to the world that they have lost the discussion.
Try to get an education in Evolutionary Biology, it explains soooo many things which you two have no explanation for but your labels...
Wrong. Nobody is obliged to argue with you. We are quite free to state what we see.
nope, he downplayed the importance of choice that many women prefer to have and have fought for.
The more "choices" you give women the more miserable they make themselves and the society at large.
oh crap. sure, blame your misery on women, how convenient.
There was always something vulgar and creepy about Lira in my humble opinion.
Gonzalo Lira is a multimillionaire, which might explain itself! Phuck, baby!!! LOL
Baby? https://liborsoural.substack.com/p/someone-to-call-me-baby
https://liborsoural.substack.com/p/a-real-touch-of-love-for-pillow-fights
https://liborsoural.substack.com/p/hello-halo
https://liborsoural.substack.com/p/more-of-fly-y-yay
https://liborsoural.substack.com/p/the-rainbow-fly
https://liborsoural.substack.com/p/ph-ph-ph-fly-as-one
Followed you!!! Ugh! 😄
Did I say he should go to prison? Where did that come from based on my experience of watching him and others? Never had a good feeling about him the misogyny just the door. I’m not an extremist in the sense that if someone says or behaves contrary to my thoughts and feelings they should be canceled, beaten, imprisoned, smear, or weakly attacked. Maybe chill a bit.
He's absolutely a misogynist and that's enough reason to dislike him, even without all the nonsense he pulled with Scott and whatever he's got up to with the SBU.
People are capable of using their brains and understanding a bit of nuance (or they should be, FFS).
Criticising Jews or women does not make you a racist or a Misogynist.
Permit me a little loose talk... misogynist loose talk...
I like criticism of women, just as much as I like women. I have high expectations of them, still afyter many years alive. Not necessariuly in resality, but in any case. MOreover, I am sure women were more agreeable as whole to me my grandmother's age and all time before that. Even my mothjer's time, in the sixties.
MY daughter is amazing. No need criticism of her and she's 21. Just admitration of her a s a young virtuous, sensible consientious, honest woman. That makes her intelligent.
SOme women turn my head.
The womenfolk neighbours here from Afghanistan are amazing too. Truly berautiful - in all ways.
I can recognise a beautiful woman. They are not inconsiderate, rude, lazy, always on the phone, and selfish, and therefore ugly. You cant be part-time a good woman, part time a selfish, me , my body, my money, my life, bitch... th ekind who thingks life is about making nmonmey, not provideing food for the table, who thinks food and houses is a gift from the government and technologists.
Many men, even as good fathers, are disappointed by women these days. The are given a hard time. Famiulies suffer. Famlies are broken up.
And lots of men now ar ebecoming crap a lot more... or trying not to, or just weak.
WOmen used to say, when women are in politics it will be a good thing.... and now what do we see, admirable women politicians? Hardly.
But Gonzol's staments as given here, about the bilogical validation is a bit weird for me. It's like condemmning al lwomen for havinbg wombs!
I might have understood whre he was coming from him, if he had said severly, something along the lines of , 'women (a lot) have children for profit, for money, have at least two, leave the man and clain all the child benefit, estrange them from the father, and ny an SVU to go shopping for chocloate donuts oin one child's government benefit. They are noit loving or caring their childrne as they push their prams along glued to their phone 24 hours a day, even as the serve up pasta and bottled ketchup with one hand every day of the week.'
Ha! That's just a little bit. much more to say really. Men and women are to a great extent divided in the West, just as families are broken.
Do you think adults can give up their hedonistic traits and claim moral high ground?
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...
By the way, you wrote a great and thoughtful comment.
Thanks dude.
Good post. My guess after the 2nd arrest the sbu wanted to turn it up a notch, which always happens in these situations. Doing roundtables directing conversations is one thing. Its not that guilty, theres no "crime" being committed against your peers. There is not much feeling of guilt. Its the traditional stick and carrort approach all law enforcement uses in all types of cases. Then they always turn it up a notch. Putting the heat on you,so to speak. which usually involves the arrest of another person/persons.. Obviously what they turned it up to was something so nefarious that it made Lira try to make a break for the Hungarian border....the Hungarian border. Not Russia or Belarus but Hungarian...the question no one asks is why the Hungarian border? It would have been much easier to goto Russia. I don't really buy his 2 bullshit stories 1 about the prison torture for 70k, 2 his story about why Hungary for asylum. Also never bought his bullshit story about wrecking his motorcycle. IMO he chose Hungary cause Russia would know what happened to him after his first arrest. So that would also cross out Belarus. Poland/Romania team Ukraine so there out. His only shot was a disgruntled Nato/EU country. Notice how he never even brings up the idea of going to Hungary and applying for asylum from the Russian embassy? Just strange
Re. Hungarian border: Actually the first thing I thought that made no sense about his recent videos was why a guy allegedly on the run form the SBU would risk trying to make it 1400km across the country on a motorcycle in two days to reach an EU/NATO border instead of the Russian border (or even Lugansk) much nearer Kharkov (and I wondered where he even got access to gas money? Did the SBU give him bank cards back or a wad of cash when they also magically gave him back his passports and driver's license and failed to give him a tracking bracelet? Just too many things don't add up). Perhaps the Russian border is mined or more difficult to get across at this point, but it still just seems there had to be closer points of egress to slip through than going 1400km to Hungarian border (and broadcasting his location and intentions to the world before actually trying to cross the border!)
BTW, on the border choice issue...does anyone know what country his wife and kids are in (obv. not trying to dox exact locale, just in a general sense of what country they may be in)? I'd heard contradictory claims that they had taken refuge in Russia, and also that they had taken refuge somewhere in the West (not clear if Western Europe, or just the West of the Ukraine). Perhaps being nearer to them or being able to more easily re-connect with them later may help explain which border he attempted to cross (assuming his story is truthful to begin with - do we even have proof he was actually at the Hungarian border at all when he posted his recent videos and Twitter stream?)
Lira claimed that they are (or were) in Spain.
According to the latest court documents his wife and children are in Ukraine.
Oh Man! I love Andrei Martyanov and am a patron.
Totally agree with everything you've said. It matches my experience almost to the letter.
Care to clarify those alleged Twitter posts? Sounds suspicious to me.
Look them up yourself (He doesn't actually Tweet much, and I think only one recently was a specific dig at Ritter, and not even addressing the latter's actual claims regarding Lira, which is why it appeared to convey some long-standing personal animosity).
And if you don't like or agree with my impression of Berletic's recent posts and interviews regarding either Lira or Ritter, fine - Then provide some argument or reason why, instead of a vague, "Uh, sounds suspicious, can you clarify, even though I haven't said exactly what I am claiming to be suspicious or to need clarifying about these posts I also haven't bothered to look up myself."
Look son, I've looked at Brian's tweets. I couldn't find what you claim. Why do you assume I didn't try looking them up?
So now, you are saying it was just "your impression" of what Brian said? And you accuse me of being vague? Do you even know what irony means?
What argument do you want me to give you when you made vague statements without being able to actually clarify them when asked? Do you even know how logic of argumentation works? It is not for me to clarify but for you to, since you made the initial claims.
It is for you to do your own research though. Dennis isn't here to serve your every need. If you have issues with his post, you should be specific about what it is you find contentious.
Keep reading. You are almost up to speed.
I apologize for my language earlier, but I don't take kindly to being addressed with condescending, self-righteous epithets like "look, son..." Got that, boy? (How you like that eh?).
You persist in somehow pretending I've failed to make myself clear, while providing no explanation yourself for what aspect of my analysis or opinion you take umbrage with, and and then accuse me of only "now saying it was just 'your impression'" and apparently disagree with my "initial claims". You seem to have some reading comp issues.
I'm not making "claims" and anyone capable of reading would see that my first post was simply providing my take on what Berletic has been saying recently in various interviews and posts about Lira and Ritter. Yes, it was my personal "impression" and understanding of what he's been saying. Disagree with my understanding of him if you want, but don't claim I was not clear or that my take was "suspicious" (Suspicious how? Because you don't agree? Is Ritter's analysis of Lira also "suspicious" if one simply doesn't agree?).
I specifically referenced his Twitter post on Ritter the other day as betraying, to my mind, a long-standing personal dislike for Ritter that was also probably clouding his judgement of the Lira issue. Instead of addressing Ritter's arguments re. Lira, Berletic instead just posted a link to a 12 year-old article about a past legal case against Ritter...the implication was that Berletic wants us to think Ritter is a bad character, and therefore we have no need to address the substance of his claims regarding Lira. It's fine if Berletic or others disagree with Ritter, Eliason, and others regarding Lira, but I think they should deal with the specific claims they make rather than engaging in character assassination by proxy through decade old UK news article links (Why does Berletic prefer to go down that road rather than address the specific claims Ritter and Eliason have made in the Lira case based on their extensive expertise in the relevant areas?).
"You persist in somehow pretending I've failed to make myself clear, while providing no explanation yourself for what aspect of my analysis or opinion you take umbrage with"
Look. It is very simply. You claimed Brian said something on Twitter. I found no such posts. It is for you to clarify this and back your claims up with references to the actual Twitter posts.
"accuse me of only "now saying it was just 'your impression'" and apparently disagree with my "initial claims".
This is what you wrote in the previous comment: "with my impression of Berletic's recent posts" So, I'm not accusing you of anything. YOU said it yourself that it was your impression. If you are accusing someone (Brian) of saying something based on "your impression", it is vague. So, it is only natural that someone asks for clarification, e.g. the references to the posts themselves.
The "claim" here is the allegation that Brian made some Twitter posts that give the impression he, and I quote you, "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."
When you say that you think or that you have the impression a person seems to be saying this or behaving that way, you have to clarify and back your claim or allegation up with actual justification and/or sources when someone challenges you. This is how the real world works. We are NOT even at the point of whether we are in agreement or disagreement! I have to look at the posts themselves, make my own interpretation of them and then decide if I agree or disagree with you. So, when I wrote it wa suspicious, it was a challenge, not a disagreement. Get it?
"I specifically referenced his Twitter post on Ritter the other day"
I have not seen that reference.
"Instead of addressing Ritter's arguments re. Lira, Berletic instead just posted a link to a 12 year-old article about a past legal case against Ritter."
I think I know which one you are referring to here (the post about an article on The Guardian). Brian WAS addressing one of Ritter's arguments being that Lira was arrested then released, this was enough to suspect he is an asset (rough summary). The gist of Brian's argument was that one cannot conclude that an individual has become a secret service asset just because that person was arrested and subsequently released; and Brian used the similar case with Ritter to drive his point home. In any case, I thought that was a low blow by Brian posting that article. Both have shown uncharacteristic lapse of judgement feuding like this in public. As I wrote elsewhere, this is damaging to the alt media community as a whole.
Thank you-Scott Good Article👍🏼
I second you on that. All the good people he mentioned: The Duran, Brian Berlitic, Larry Johnson and others I've subscribed to.
Scott made a good case, things that never occurred to me. To think the SBU and my own government consider me an Information Terrorist is a sobering thought. I've always suspected that Google suppresses my comments.
Considering the actions of the Ukro-Nazis and my government, I think I'm something else. One man's terrorist is another man's Freedom Fighter or one man's traitor is another man's hero. Yet I must keep in mind Scott's Sun Tsu quote.
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.
Most of all he depends on the fact that he is in Ukraine and no one can verify any claims he makes. For example, his recent videos have no proof that he was actually at the Hungarian-Ukrainian border. He could of made that video anywhere yet no one even asks themselves if he was really at the border. They just take his word for it just like everything else he claims. By the strength of his personality he has won over guys an The Duran, Brian Berlectic, L. Johnson and others. Not just his personality, but his political and culture war beliefs gives him the benefit of the doubt by the guys I just named.
“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 recently learned of the death last year of a one time friend, who had a heart condition, had a triple bypass, had always smoked and didnt stop even after the by pass. Many people cant handle an addiction, and many just dont care anyway.
I know what you mean. My mum smoked till it killed her, couldn’t stop!
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
Ritter is using instructional slides to convict Lira. Its ridiculous. Gonzalo would have been more effective for the SBU had he retained his audience. The SBU stole his channels. He had to start over again.
Ritter is insane. Lira is what he appears to be. A good dude stuck in NAZI Ukraine who did what he could to bring truth to the world.
"Ritter is using instructional slides to convict Lira. " -- what's ridiculous is this utterly ABSURD depiction of Ritter's argument. Seriously, this is idiotic. Ritter provides a long detailed analysis and all you get out of is "instructional slides." You missed his entire argument about WHY Lira was released 5 days after his first arrest with no explanation as to what happened; in which Lira said he was released under certain conditions that he had to follow. That's a red flag immediately. This is the SBU -- much like the gestapo. The SBU arrests, tortures, kills anyone they view as "pro-Russia" which in western Ukraine could mean something as simple as speaking too much Russian. Furthermore, Lira was allowed to post videos and social media posts critical of Ukraine and pro-Russian for MONTHS. Freely. And you find nothing strange about that. You're the gullible fool here.
I don't believe Scott's detractors are even listening to a word he has to say. They seem to have their preconceived ideas about his position and are using that as a basis for comment, rather than reading the actual article with anything like an open mind.
"Lira is what he appears to be. A good dude stuck in NAZI Ukraine who did what he could to bring truth to the world."
It does look like he is quite a stupid dude as well.
Before Lira went missing that first time he went on a guest interview circuit laughing at “all the stupid kids who believed the propaganda and went to Ukraine to die”. That’s where my opinion was formed about the guy and he didn’t really radiate anything resembling a “good dude” but to each their own.
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!
He's also sugar coated the Pinochet regime from some videos I saw.
Juxtapose Lira's embarrassingly transparent pandering with his unstable and nervous mannerisms and you start to get a sense of how disingenuous and potentially dangerous he is.
that's not the half of it.
he tried to extort Steve Keen after being in charge of that man's websites. he tried to extort and manipulate various online commentators and influencers in private chats (many youtube videos about his intimidation and threat tactics with these people). he had a huge thread on his idiocy at kiwifarms and it was rumoured that was one of the (many) reasons that website is now censored from the internet.
this guy has "bad news" all over him, by his own deliberate goals or inadvertently. i don't know which is worse.
and many supposed "reputable" alternative news and discussion websites kept feeding their audience to the man, and then hammering down anyone making comments showing suspicion of him and his motives. really, pulling out ad-hominems on others to defend him. the whole thing smells to high heaven.
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
I would not reference that video, there is plenty of stupid claims about IP addresses and meta data that anyone with any IT experience will refute in a second.
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.
Apparently you don't understand Scott's article. His kidnapping last year and his arrest this year were all staged.
And you didn't understand my comment. None of that matters. Anything Gonzalo does as a result of that initial arrest can be attributed to being under duress, and he should be freed. He's an American and must be released.
The reason he was turned into an asset is because of his US passport. He put himself in this position knowing that American citizenship disqualified him from immediate disappearance. This is tantamount to applying for a job at the SBU as an asset. Lira is deriving great benefit from the citizenship status that he chose to Abuse.
Tantamount... why, not necessarily intentional at outset? He could equally have been seeking glory as a journalist portiected by US citizenship , though with little to offer.
Scott did not claim that.
He isn't an innocent, human rights advocate, anti-war truth teller. Lira is an intelligence asset. It wouldn't surprise me to find he has always been a SBU, arms length CIA asset.
guilty until proven innocent.
why?
"We are at war."
uh ok. i disagree.
People get convicted on less circumstantial evidence than this.
Agreed! And I agree with The Duran, Brian Berletic and others who simply call for Lira's release.
I think Scott has been a bit too enthusiastic to prove that he is right about Lira being a SBU asset to see the big picture. The big picture is the state of alt media community and free speech. Like it or not, Lira has been part of that community. Public accusation and denounciation of him, whether correct or not, are counter-productive to the community and its goals. This divides and sow suspicion.
Scott's drive-by shooting to discredit not only Lira but the others of the community shows a rare moment is bad judgement on his part.
If the word "infiltration" means nothing to someone, they are probably stupid.
Or, a blanket statement about a word stripped of context is pretty stupid.
BUt, if true in your judgement, surely Scottt's article is valuable, or would you say it would be bette rnot to speculate on such a matter?
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.
I've been following George Galloway for many years.... I think he is an idealist and morally sound, but that doesn't make him a highly intelligent person. He seems to be a politician, more honest than most.
I think you may have it - he's a dolt, the kind loved by the CIA. He doesn't appear to be like a responsible, or mature father - serious, dependable.
A small group of poor Cubans led by the highly intelligent Fidel defeated the CIA for at least 50 years. That shows how stupid the CIA has always been.
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.
Maybe I watched too many WWII movies but one thing I learned from them is when in nazi town, don’t talk about nazis. Dumbest guy on earth or bravest guy on earth or owned by the SBU seem to be the choices. Owned seems most likely to me.