151 Comments

I am super pissed that this speech will not be heard. I’ve seen the fights Scott has had. I’ve seen the agents who try to subvert his work. I’ve seen Scott even momentarily think he didn’t do his all. But that was a moment. This is a fight that hits to eternity. God we need a specific change. A Marine invoking the great Dr. MLK Jr--- A Warrior invoking the warrior of non-violent resistance. If it’s come to this, we all must stand and be counted. Damn people needed to hear this.

Expand full comment

i want Scott to deliver and record it, and i offered to do so myself if you get him to my shitty city of San Francisco, killafornia, but watch out for the needles and dope pushers, who are way nicer than the freakin government round here

Expand full comment

Yeah, he’s not going to deliver it. There is a huge fight behind the scenes, so this is what you call a strategic withdraw. He will win the war, however.

Expand full comment

Tell him to video the thing and speak it now, world needs to hear it today, Ryan

Expand full comment
Feb 11, 2023·edited Feb 11, 2023

I saw a program on The Greyzone with Blumenthal, Mate, and Jimmy Dore and all expect to be in attendance. They were discussing what was going on in regard to the anti-war rally that will be held on the 19th of February. There seems to be a lot of stupidity in play there. Media Benjamin's group, Code Pink encouraged her to back out since they are in opposition to other groups planning to attend who present opposing points of views in regard to other political issues. That is, that although they all have an antiwar position which deeply concerns them their opposing views on other political issues are making groups back out. That is absolute insanity. I don't know if that's why Ritter is backing out because too many oppose his being there and are threatening to not go if he does. I never heard such craziness. I was very active in the anti-war movement at the build up to our war in Iraq and no one was concerned who believed what on other issues. You were there because you were against the war, period.

Expand full comment

The Libertarian groups said he wasn’t anti-war enough!! Hahaha. Certain ones of the Libertarians (Horton) are extremely nasty to Scott and we’re ultimately throwing a tantrum. They were threatening to destroy the whole event.

Expand full comment
Feb 12, 2023·edited Feb 12, 2023

It seems insane to me that these right wing "Libertarians" are pissed he isn't anti-war enough, when in order to attempt to smear him as a some kind of serial pedophile, post links to hard right websites, the SAME websites that are trying to gin up tensions with China (if not Iran) leading to conflicts FAR worse & possibly more world ending as Ukraine. Is their intent to harm Scott or the anti-war movement in general???

I am not a pacifist so I sympathize with Scott's position, there ARE IMO things worth fighting for but in short these profit driven imperialist wars are not.

Expand full comment

He sounds very anti-war to me. Absurd!!!!!!!!!! Are they serious about their cause, because it sounds like they are trying to undermine it at every turn. One focus, NO WAR!!!!!!!!!!! The left has now become so full of themselves they make it all about them, instead of the cause they are supposedly fighting for.

Expand full comment

Yes. That’s a problem. They’re more about position than actually doing anything I think. Like rearranging deck chairs on the titanic.

Expand full comment

Funny, is an odd kind of way.

Expand full comment

Medea Benjamin is a smart person. If she chose not to stand her ground, it's very possible that she was in agreement with her board.

Expand full comment

I have no idea why code pink told her to back out and they refused to join in. I don't remember this crap in the build up to that war in Iraq. I was just listening to John Kiragu and he was at the rally and while extolling the fact that some were there that he really liked, like Chris Hedges, and Kucinich. Dore, etc, he didn't like that a crowd who admired Lyndon LaRouche were there, and a right winger crowd, and I'm wondering if Ritter turned up would he have been added to his list, etc. I don't remember any such thing when people were out there proclaiming their position against the war in Iraq, and whether they agreed or disagreed with their political perspective on various political issues. We were against going into Iraq on a damn lie that could kill hundreds of thousands of people, and destroy a country, which it did. During the Trump years the democrats and way too many on the left, including the mainstream media, as well as many left wing media sites, did a great job of creating division in this country. It's repeating itself in an anti-war rally and against a possible war that could kill us all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Expand full comment

Scott said in Ask the Inspector #44 last night that he will ...eventually... deliver it, and someone else he named already had, so tis an invitation to have others speak it, i guess? i am intending to record it today, just printed it out, will fix the one typo, and deliver it later in my substack, please subscribe so you can hear me speak Scott's words, which i'd rather hear in his own voice, honestly, tis unpaid work to me, but i feel it important to magnify his voice, and no need to wait for a nonexistent date now, i'll get her out there hopefully before end of the day.

Regards,

G

This speech is too too important to allow to be shadowbanned, and needs to be heard audibly.

Any port in a storm...goes the saying, so my voice ain't his, but i will shoulder his words out of love and respect.

Peace + blessings

Expand full comment

Russia won WWII, the United States was on the winning side.

The CIA has been funding NAZIS since the conclusion of WWII, and this practice continues today, in the open, with all branches of the United States Government participating.

Smooth speaking and well dressed thugs and criminals are running this country and many other countries in the World.

Russia stands on the moral high ground and if there is a Supreme Being, will prevail in Ukraine, for the sake of humanity and all that is good.

Mr. Ritter, I cannot imagine how difficult a decision this must have been for you.

I extend profuse thanks and appreciation to you for everything you are doing in the public sphere.

I applaud and thank you for your success implementing the I.N.F. Treaty.

Cheers

Expand full comment

Italy, where I am from, is one uf such dominated countries. We have more than 100 American and Nato bases, we have deadly nuclear bombs stored in Aviano and Gedi and God knows where else. We will be the prime target the Russian will hit, should the situation get out of control.

Expand full comment

A worthy speech. A sad day that it did not see the light of day at the demonstration.

Expand full comment

spread the speach as much as you can. Even abroad if you know somebody. It must been known that not all americans are murderous bastards. There are good people in every countries

Expand full comment
author

Stella,

Thanks! You may translate it into any language you see fit.

Scott

Expand full comment

It would have been a remarkable speech delivered with passion and authenticity!

Powerful words that should be heard by every peace loving person.

It's both tragic and very sad that you are unable to attend the rally.

Expand full comment

the rally (& what is left of the US anti-war movement) will suffer from you being replaced with replicants like Hinkle. i would say the organizers should be ashamed of themselves but i doubt they're capable of that - was already on the fence about attending after hearing what happened when some of the organizers tried to add basic tenets of bodily autonomy to the resolutions (how can we prevent our government from waging war on the foreign enemy du jour when we allow it to wage war on our own bodies using military countermeasures packaged as "healthcare"?), & the more i learn about this event the more i'm glad i didn't book transportation. how the hell do we turn this around? if this is the best showing the "anti-war" "movement" can muster? i've seen how the embodiments of mediocrity always rise to the top in activist movements - thanks to intelligence agency funding they can always afford to spend more time & energy on unrewarding tasks than those who have to put food on the table - but is it possible to break loose from that paradigm when people willingly stick their heads in the proverbial lion's mouth again & again, clamoring for the next capital-H Hero to lead them into battle because it would never occur to them to take on the enemy themselves?

Expand full comment

Agreed, Hinkle is too impressionable, immature, overly concerned with himself, draws his ideas from the thoughts of others and is thus incapable of being truly impeccable with his word.

I too am glad I did not book transportation as the event drew closer my fears had come true and I see the underlying politicization undermining the event they themselves chose to host.

Chris Hedges, Garland Nixon, Max Blumenthal and Jimmy Dore are still a welcome sight however.

Expand full comment

Why can't both Ritter and Hinkle speak? I like you both, what happened? Please don't fall for the people who try to divide us, we need to unite more than ever. Please.

Expand full comment

Hinkle is not the issue. It’s the pressure on the organizers from the Scott Horton types. They would rather soapbox and say “Ritter isn’t anti-war enough “ , retail slanders and get their way than actually stop nuclear war. That is the issue. Not A-listers/B-listers or any of that.

Expand full comment

So the rally has a few B-list speakers. Who cares? All rallies do. This rally has a ton of A-list speakers.

The level of complacency, apathy, and cynicism for this rally is over the top. In 1964 the anti vietnam war movement was fledgling. They could barely keep lit tables going. But by 1968 a million people were marching on Washington. Sometimes I feel like we're at 1964. But, boy, there sure are a lot of FABULOUS SPEAKERS lined up! What a quirk. Quality preceding quantity.

Rosa Luxembourg said the powers that be have everything - money, media, military might, power, control. That all we the people really have is our numbers. History will not absolve the Code Pinks and naysayers of the world for diminishing the impact of our numbers.

Rallies and marches DO matter for 3 reasons:

1) The powers that be are put on alert that not everyone is sleeping. There are people speaking out and putting them on notice.

2) It’s an opportunity for the hoi polloi to see that there is a movement, however fledgling and that there are people who have not succumbed to the global psyop.

3) It’s a valuable means of support for those of us on the right side of history to experience the exhilaration and camaraderie of coming together, as well as network further.

What I find sad is the degree that people are looking from 9 ways to Sunday for excuses to not go to the rally. Rather than point out the countless ways this rally and march does not meet your expectations, why not come and be a positive contributor toward building a mass grassroots movement to counter the NWO?

Expand full comment

the issue isn't that the rally has a few b-list speakers, it's that the organizers can't put aside their petty need for social validation long enough to realize that calls to deplatform a speaker might POSSIBLY be motivated by bad faith. of course Ritter & Hinkle could both speak. that was not my point at all & i suspect you know that. people have every right not to want to show support for the snitch virus seeping into what was supposed to be a sacrosanct space (the antiwar "movement" or whatever's left of it).

Expand full comment

Of course Hinkle and Scott Ritter could both speak. And Code Pink could as well. Scott is head and shoulders above Jackson in his knowledge, experience, wisdom, gravitas, humility, analytical skills and REAL WORLD, REAL MILITARY, US GOVERNMENT AND INTERNATIONAL service. ASparently Code Pink is joined at the hip with the Democratic Party, which is sad. A major point and (hopefully not lost) opportunity is to demonstrate solidarity among disparate organizations and individuals in being AGAINST unnecessary Endless War and all of the wasted funds and opportunity for a better future.

Expand full comment

Hinkle has been on it from a start, I'm not a fan but as stated in comments here I don't think he effected the decision one way or another, I'm confused about David Swanson though, I thought World BEYOND War were principled but I'm having my doubts, I cant find much on why he protested Scott's inclusion.

Expand full comment

Politicizing these movements is a horrible idea on the behalf of the organizers. In doing so, they have sown the seeds of their own division, thus stopping a populace movement in its tracks.

Sadly, I cannot attend as plane tickets have become ridiculously expensive and I simply do not have the funds.

The fact that you are choosing not to attend helps me come to terms with my own decision to save my money so that I may use it to benefit our rallying cry in my own way.

I stand with you in solidarity Scott and I thank you.

Expand full comment

Dear Mr. Ritter, I hope that this unspoken speech will still reach many people. You see, I read you as a Hungarian, and your writing fills me with hope that there are still decent people overseas who think in terms of peace and do not want to use bomber planes to force what has become a mockery of democracy onto the planet! Here in Europe, we have already lived through a big war twice, twice our country was destroyed and torn into pieces, and the greater part of our country's territory was stolen by great powers. One of which was the USA ! Unfortunately, your great country used the strength that came from the diligence of the hard-working American workers, the latter did not advocate for peace, but rather the abominable abuse of power all over the world ! But we hope that men like you like Mr. Ritter will open the eyes of the American people and the time will come when they will chase away the agents of the greedy military industrial complex from the Pentagon, the Parliament and the White House ! Good luck !

Expand full comment

Give a video record of speech

I'll do it with you if you're near SF

Holler and we can knock it out in an hour I have necessary gear

Expand full comment

I agree there should be a video. And the background should be the Lincoln Memorial (or enlarged photo thereof).

Expand full comment

I have recorded the speech in my own voice, will post when I get home, no Lincoln memorial sorry

Expand full comment

Scott. It seems the bastards got to you. We need you back when you can.

Thanks for posting. WE'RE GOING TO SHARE THE HELL OUT OF THIS

Expand full comment

Way to go.

Fuck those folks.

We love you.

Expand full comment

I understand what was behind your action and it is also expressed in your beautiful speech. We see from this process why there has been no effective resistance. There are the FBI infiltrators and then there is FEAR. Your actions, as usual, demonstrate love of humanity, and courage. I would encourage everyone who is deeply disappointed by this, as I am, to still participate. If we could organize ourselves without all these problems, we probably wouldn't be on the brink of nuclear war.

Expand full comment

I have not seen an explanation yet for why Scott is taking one for the team and dropping out of this event. But, I can guess the old smear campaign against him is in full swing? It certainly is on Twitter.

While waking up this morning a useful analogy popped into my head:

Scott Ritter is to "pedophile" as Julian Assange is to "rapist"

Expand full comment

I studied the timeline of everyone who was trolling Ritter on twitter, and not one of them was dedicated to stopping this war. .. I found one, maybe 2, influential Libertarians who were putting on that the complaints were more than they were. Such a shame that Scott will not be speaking, being that he is the strongest voice we have to prevent WW3.

Expand full comment

I have heard Scott in passing tell us that it's BS.

But i would like to read in detail why it's BS.

Do you have a link to some place where hew or someone goes over why it's not true?

Expand full comment

Scott's detailed account is about halfway in: https://www.scottritterextra.com/p/cancel-culture

excerpt:

"Court records will show that there was an online incident that occurred between myself and a police officer posing as an adult female in an adults-only chat room on February 9, 2009."

Expand full comment

Perfect. Exactly what i was looking for, thank you.

Expand full comment

My heart is absolutely gutted. Thank you Scott. It's so unfortunate we've come to this point in the world. I wish you could give this speech in person.

Expand full comment

Inspired. I think it may be time that the growth in the numbers of ordinary people who object to permanent war will grow and grow fast. Love the references to the Bhagavad Gita. Please keep up the good work.

Expand full comment

You are right, Scott. It is the best speech you never gave, and we will share the hell out of it. I am so sorry the people who will be at the rally will miss hearing this brilliant, heartfelt speech, from someone who has been speaking out against this madness, at great personal cost, for so many years, as you saw, up close and personal, the devastation our foreign policy has wrought. Yours is a powerful and credible voice, possibly more than any other, and that is why the government continues to go to such lengths to destroy you. We are in awe of your heroic efforts to stop this madness of our government “leaders”, at times almost singlehandedly. Thank you, Scott.

Expand full comment