Compared to an aging ad hominem slinging tattooed woman masturbating in a trailer for the dog?
You merely prove the point Anne.

@FrayedBear ummm, your off-topic babbling is astonishing.....
A decent human being would have taken their OP down.

As an authority he has been fairly good at reading what happens next and how we got there. Don't shoot messengers. He is probably the foremost expert on modern Russia. A few things about Scott's conviction.
It was a sting ie he was specifically targeted. Guilty as charged.
He was convicted etc and survived. If the conviction was an attempt to silence him it has not worked. It has made him more dangerous as he no longer gives a fuck eg can't get much worse than being stung wanking over underage women. How can they embarrass him into silence now? He didn't have a computer full of kiddy porn or anything.

Julian Assange, Scott Ritter, Russel Brand and others have all faced sexual assault charges and all are outspoken critics of state agendas. Trump another. Seems to be the go to smear for the powerful, hard to prove either way in most cases. Mud sticks but it also gives a clue in what they deem as the best way to control people; sexual blackmail. Bet they do it amongst themselves
Be nice to see footage and manifests from Epstein's island.

@puff sorry, I prefer Character in my experts, especially if I am going to quote them...and as far as a "sting" if he wasn't

1. An idiot and
2. A sick pedophile they couldn't have found anything, could they!??!
   I feel Ashamed of you for defending that kind of behavior!!!!!

@annewimsey500 Not defending him at all, just stating facts. No physical contact, all online and he was specifically targeted by a pretend 15 year old.
He called Ukraine had strategically lost the war months ago, their army gone. He also warned even though the war is lost for Ukraine, the bloodiest fighting is yet to come. He's been pretty right thus far analytically.
If you only relied on teetotalling moralistic's for information, you wouldn't know much.

@puff I was a 15 year old very sheltered girl once and it is only that there was no internet back then that probably prevented me being the victim of a middle aged SOB like him.
I repeat, you cannot trap someone who acts honorably, you can only trap slimeballs and I say go get them all, and castrate them.

@annewimsey500 I agree but understand that by targeted it means he did not initiate contact. Why not target those who have computers full of kiddy porn if you are going to go to all that trouble?
Like I said, I like his analysis. Sleazy then sure, does not gain him any respect.
You remember how he came to fame? He was the UN weapons inspector who was pressured by the US to confirm Iraq had WMD, a nuclear program. He refused and reported what he found instead, which was no evidence. He was a lone sane voice when all around him were itching for war.

@puff they actually do, he was a by-product of the catch, as they say in commercial fishing...basically "hey, look over here, I'm a slug".
Too bad so sad.........
And as far as resting on one's laurels, I have 2 words for you:
Rudy Guliani.

@annewimsey500 When I was working in Laos, the owner of the "hotel" (Laos) came up to me before I went to work and said an Ozzie policewoman was staying, I thought "cool". That night, saw her in the garden having a beer so I grabbed some and joined her, fellow Ozzie and all. I knew she knew I worked on rigs, owner had warned her we leave early eg noise.
Anyway, asked what bought her here to the bumfuck of Laos and got this bullshit backpackers story. She then started asking really suss questions, little girls question eg did I know where. I clicked the bitch was playing me.
So I told her a story. Said the rig was just cover for some illegal logging and I would supplement that income sourcing out some fresh village "meat" to take down South to Thailand. Her ears pricked up, until she clicked I was pulling the piss and stormed off. fuck her, I was looking forward to a good chat and could have helped her in fact with Laos culture. So I have some idea of what "fishing" by police is. I don't like it.
Ritter has been charged, pleaded guilty and paid his penalty to the state. His reputation forever tarnished. But that does not mean we should ignore what he says.

@puff how right you are. It is the prime control in political & religious circles.
The use of the targeted sting says a lot more about the depravity of those carrying out the sting but of course Anne is not wise enough to see beyond her indoctrination & IQ.

@annewimsey500 "off topic? I'm not the one who stated in a post that they masturbated nor am I an aging woman currently dismissing reasoned commentary with ad hominem. I'm merely dismissing sn ageing tattooed woman who has only put ad hominem forward as argument against the post. . . . The broken analogue clock still correctly tells the time correctly twice a day without even doing anything. . .

@puff if the object of excitement was an adult pretending to be underage please tell me what crime has been committed other than fraud through deception?
I recall David Niven writing that one of the great 30 & 40's male Hollywood actors once took David to show the most beautiful women in town. He took him straight to the local high school for girls when the underage girls were pouring out at end of day. That didn't necessarily make him a pedophile he could simply be a good judge of female beauty. He certainly had millions of women swooning after him and was a product of America.

Art wise yes but the quality in movies and music has gone down with all the Marvel movies etc. Korea putting out better stuff now, probably a technology getting cheaper thing, internet etc. America is still a beacon people are attracted to, but they are not the only beacon (never were) and others are appearing which seem brighter.
Specifically the Biden admin, I'm really trying to wrack my brain on the international stage. Nothing positive I can think of, which is sad. A severe lack of diplomacy.

And most of it is crap propaganda. Plus it usually has the biggest advertising budget.

@puff like I say "propaganda" much of it hubristic nonsense on how great is America & Americans.
At least the British used to know how to laugh at themselves but after the stupidity of the last few prime ministers including the incumbent there is little left to laugh at.

@FrayedBear merica!

@Tejas pride comes before a fall & the greater the pride the greater the shame.