Audio: Scott Ritter Speech 8/22/02
This is the audio from the speech by Scott Ritter that I heard on August 22, 2002 in Baltimore that really catalyzed The Echo Chamber Project. This was four days before the Bush Administration kicked off their PR campaign to sell the war in Iraq when Dick Cheney came out and said that "We now know that Saddam has resumed his efforts to acquire nuclear weapons." ...
Ritter was immediately skeptical. He had been in contact with senior members of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, and they told him that they had not seen any evidence or intelligence to back up these claims -- claims that would be rolled out to the public over the 30 weeks following Ritter's speech.
Here's the key quote from Ritter at the 7-minute mark that is undeniable evidence that not everyone believed that Iraq absolutely had Weapons of Mass Destruction.
But the problem is, this war hinges on Iraq's possession or efforts to reacquire weapons of mass destruction. If you listen to the rhetoric that comes out of Washington DC -- from members of the Bush Administration -- we have been told that 'They know Iraq has chemical weapons. They know Iraq has biological weapons. They know Iraq is on the verge of a nuclear weapons program breakthrough -- within two years Saddam Hussein will have a nuclear weapon that can threaten the United States. They know Saddam Hussein is developing long-range ballistic missiles.'
Now I'm just a simple Marine, but I'm here to tell you. When I hear someone say, "I know something" that implies certainty of knowledge that has to be based upon facts. So if they know, share the facts. Let us know too. And they have failed to do so to date.
As of yet, all we have to back up the allegations about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs -- their possession of weapons or their efforts to reacquire -- is rhetorically-laced speculation completely void of factual substance. Ladies and gentlemen, that is not sufficient to justify a war.
So I started to record the television news media a few months after hearing Ritter's speech because there was a virtual black-out from hearing Ritter or any other experts voice these skeptical viewpoints within the mainstream media.
The following groups should be attributed for this speech.
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (Baltimore Branch)
Physicians for Social Responsibility
Produced by Mission Helper Productions
Digitally Distributed by EchoChamberProject.com
(32:32 / 9.3 MB / Subscribe to Interview Audio)
My First Memory of Scott Ritter
Kent,
I first became aware of Scott Ritter round about 1991 when there was a photo of him in Time wearing a cowboy hat and giving a V-sign. He looked the epitome of the stereotypical redneck arms inspector which, I think, at the time he was. The image stuck in my mind because of the sheer arrogance it portrayed. So for Scott Ritter to have become the very brave and principled individual he is today, is for me all the more impressive. Truly someone I take my hat off for!
Keep up the good work Kent. Just learned about your project through Yeast Radio. I've subscribed to your all media feed and I'm looking forward getting to know your work better. Thanks!