William Rivers Pitt was a teacher, writer and political activist who said he would fight injustice until “the day comes when we can once again stand in awe and pride before our flag, our government and our nation.”

Pitt went from being a high school English teacher to exposing the lies and manipulations of government. His book War on Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn’t Want You to Know (2002) revealed how false information led to the United States waging the second Iraq War during the presidency of George W. Bush.

Pitt worked as an editor and columnist at the alternative online news organization truthout.com. He also went on to write several more books about corruption and war, including The Greatest Sedition is Silence: Four Years in America (2003) and House of Ill Repute: Reflections on War, Lies, and America’s Ravaged Reputation (2006).  He wrote his last book, The Mass Destruction of Iraq: The Disintegration of a Nation: Why It Is Happening, and Who Is Responsible (2014), in collaboration with Dahr Jamail, who had worked as an in unembedded journalist in Iraq during the war.

Pitt’s political work included serving as press secretary to Congressman Dennis Kucinich’s 2004 presidential campaign. He also worked as an analyst for the Institute for Public Accuracy.

In his writings and public talks, Pitt documented collusion among government officials, military leaders and weapons manufacturing companies to keep the United States in a perpetual state of war. He faulted mainstream media for not adequately investigating the truth, and encouraged ordinary citizens to find out for themselves what their government is doing.

“I’m a school teacher. I just started doing this because somebody had to do it. If I can do it, you can do it,” said Pitt.

Pitt was born on Nov. 9, 1971, in Washington D.C., but grew up in Alabama and Massachusetts. He graduated from Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts, and taught high school until 2003, when he became a fulltime political activist and writer.

“I am one of those fools who think that the idea of America is one of the last, best hopes for humankind. When used properly, it can work wonders. The idea itself is in mortal peril . . . if you murder the idea, you have murdered America itself,” said Pitt. “People of good conscience cannot surrender.”