By By Stephen Cooney
A former company commander of the United States Army 25th Infantry Division and a current public relations major at the University, Jean Telfort, approached the microphone during a question-and-answer period of former United Nations Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter’s lecture at Monroe Lecture Hall on Wednesday. Telfort thanked Ritter for relieving some guilt he had felt for questioning military actions taken in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Another student approached the microphone and asked Ritter his thoughts about the claims of Iranian soldiers being found in Iraq. As Ritter was giving his opinion about the situation, the student turned away from the stage and exited the lecture hall, apparently disagreeing with the answer, even after Ritter asked him to stay.
Ritter is not unfamiliar with controversy. Acting as chief weapons inspector for the United States Special Commission (UNSCOM), he determined there were no Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) in Iraq prior to the United States-led invasion. Ritter ultimately resigned from UNSCOM and has since published three books dealing with the current situation in Iraq. He emphasized the point that what he said in the past was not an issue and focus should be placed on solving the Iraq problem and withdrawing United States military forces from Iraq.
A major portion of Ritter’s speech was dedicated to the individual citizen’s need to speak out against the war. Ritter explained many people feel that through speaking out they are betraying the troops at war. He addressed this idea by directly reflecting on his own personal thoughts while serving as a United States Marine Corps Intelligence Officer.
“When I was at war, I did not give a damn what people at home were thinking,” Ritter said “They are not part of my problem set.”
Ritter then moved into an explanation defining why individuals should question the war. “We love firefighters, but we hate fire,” Ritter said. With this analogy Ritter explained that individuals could both support the troops but be against the mission.
“War kills. War destroys,” Ritter said. “Soldiers are trapped in an event that can consume them and destroy them-not in a glorious manor but in a choking one.”
Ritter emphasized the idea that individual citizens need to reject war, “but recognize we may have to use our military,” Ritter said. He explained that war may become necessary, but “we must ensure the mission is worthy of the sacrifice.”
Ritter also said the troops in Iraq do not have a military mission they can understand because they are sent to the country with no other goal than survival.
“You can’t solve a problem without defining the problem,” Ritter said, highlighting the idea that the Iraq problem is undefined.
“How do you solve a problem that we do not have an answer for?” Ritter said. “We are not trying to solve Iraqi problems based on the reality on the ground in Iraq.” Ritter used this concept to explain that “we are not seeking solutions in Iraq based on political importance at home, but are ignoring the reality in Iraq.”
Ritter ended his speech by explaining his position on Iraq. “The only right course of action is to get the troops out now,” he said. “Iraqis can solve their own problems. This is not an American problem.”
Ritter’s views are controversial, but that should be expected from a man who questioned the war from its beginning. Ritter did, however, convey his viewpoint while emphasizing the individual’s responsibility to become more informed and make educated decisions.
Throughout his speech he called for his audience to ask the question “Am I the best citizen I can be?” and to become active thinkers.
This idea highlighted the point of view of the Professional Organization In Speech Education (P.O.I.S.E), the student group that had a hand in planning the event.
P.O.I.S.E’s purpose, as stated by acting President and creator Sid Nathan, is “to increase campus activism via speech communication.” Nathan cited this as the reason P.O.I.S.E hosts campus events such as free speech days and speakers.
“Scott Ritter provides an opinion that is not mainstream,” Nathan said. “This opinion is what students need to hear outside of mainstream media.”

Scott Ritter encourages individual citizens to speak out against the war in Iraq. (Stephen Cooney)