William Rivers Pitt
Encyclopedia
William Rivers Pitt is an author, editor, and political activist.
, and lived several years in Alabama
(where his father, Charles Redding Pitt
, served as chair of the state Democratic Party) before eventually moving to Boston. He was educated in English literature
at Holy Cross College
, a Catholic college in Massachusetts, and after graduation spent two years in San Francisco
doing law-related work. Formerly, Pitt taught English literature
, journalism
, grammar
and history
at a small private school
outside Boston. He set aside teaching in 2003 and became a full-time professional writer.
trial
of former President
Bill Clinton
. Since President George W. Bush
took office on January 20, 2001, Pitt has worked to fight what he describes as "the rising tide of conservative fundamentalism
in American government".
In 2002, Pitt wrote the book War on Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn't Want You to Know
which consisted of an in-depth interview with former United Nations weapons inspector
Scott Ritter
. In it, Pitt and Ritter examine the Bush administration's justifications for war with Iraq and call for a diplomatic solution instead of war. In reviewing this book, The Guardian
called it "the most comprehensive independent analysis of the state of knowledge about Iraq's weapons programmes until the new team of inspectors went back."
Pitt has worked as the managing editor at the liberal commentary website truthout.org.
as the Press Secretary for Dennis Kucinich
, who was seeking the Democratic Party's nomination in the 2004 presidential election.
Following his involvement in the Kucinich campaign, Pitt decided to push his career in teaching to the side in order to focus on political activism. As a result, he joined the staff of Progressive Democrats of America
in 2005 as their Editorial director.
Background
Pitt was born in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and lived several years in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
(where his father, Charles Redding Pitt
Charles Redding Pitt
Charles Pitt is an American attorney and former chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party.Pitt was born in Decatur, Alabama. He attended the University of Alabama and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1967. He was active in campaign for Robert F...
, served as chair of the state Democratic Party) before eventually moving to Boston. He was educated in English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
at Holy Cross College
College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...
, a Catholic college in Massachusetts, and after graduation spent two years in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
doing law-related work. Formerly, Pitt taught English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
, journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, grammar
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
and history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
at a small private school
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
outside Boston. He set aside teaching in 2003 and became a full-time professional writer.
Writing career
Pitt had been writing about politics off and on for several years, but became devoted to the practice during the impeachmentImpeachment
Impeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as other punishment....
trial
Trial (law)
In law, a trial is when parties to a dispute come together to present information in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court...
of former President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. Since President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
took office on January 20, 2001, Pitt has worked to fight what he describes as "the rising tide of conservative fundamentalism
Fundamentalism
Fundamentalism is strict adherence to specific theological doctrines usually understood as a reaction against Modernist theology. The term "fundamentalism" was originally coined by its supporters to describe a specific package of theological beliefs that developed into a movement within the...
in American government".
In 2002, Pitt wrote the book War on Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn't Want You to Know
War on Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn't Want You to Know
War on Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn't Want You to Know is short book, written in 2002, by William Rivers Pitt and featuring an extensive interview with former United Nations weapons inspector Scott Ritter...
which consisted of an in-depth interview with former United Nations weapons inspector
United Nations Special Commission
United Nations Special Commission was an inspection regime created by the United Nations to ensure Iraq's compliance with policies concerning Iraqi production and use of weapons of mass destruction after the Gulf War...
Scott Ritter
Scott Ritter
William Scott Ritter, Jr. was an important United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq from 1991 to 1998, and later a critic of United States foreign policy in the Middle East. Prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003, Ritter stated that Iraq possessed no significant weapons of mass...
. In it, Pitt and Ritter examine the Bush administration's justifications for war with Iraq and call for a diplomatic solution instead of war. In reviewing this book, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
called it "the most comprehensive independent analysis of the state of knowledge about Iraq's weapons programmes until the new team of inspectors went back."
Pitt has worked as the managing editor at the liberal commentary website truthout.org.
Political activism
In January 2004, Pitt took over for David SwansonDavid Swanson
David L. Swanson is an American activist, blogger and author.-Education:Swanson obtained a Master of Philosophy degree from the University of Virginia in 1997.-Career:...
as the Press Secretary for Dennis Kucinich
Dennis Kucinich
Dennis John Kucinich is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He was furthermore a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections....
, who was seeking the Democratic Party's nomination in the 2004 presidential election.
Following his involvement in the Kucinich campaign, Pitt decided to push his career in teaching to the side in order to focus on political activism. As a result, he joined the staff of Progressive Democrats of America
Progressive Democrats of America
The Progressive Democrats of America is a progressive political organization and grassroots political action committee operating inside the United States Democratic Party.-History:...
in 2005 as their Editorial director.