godsavengerslavenomore
05-02-2007, 02:55 AM
If you have never heard of Major General Smedley D. Butler
I would recommend reading what he had to say on the subject of war. he wrote many things after he retired from service in the United States Marines. One of the most powerful statements that he made was
"War is a racket"
[Direct quote]
"I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purifly Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-12. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras "right" for American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested... . Looking back on it, I feel I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three city districts. We Marines operated on three continents."
As we approach what I think is another world war in the making I thought I would re-read what the General had written and said. I found his thoughts on how to stop wars was a very useful insight. here he is again on this subject.
"HOW TO SMASH THIS RACKET!
WELL, it's a racket, all right.
A few profit – and the many pay. But there is a way to stop it. You can't end it by disarmament conferences. You can't eliminate it by peace parleys at Geneva. Well-meaning but impractical groups can't wipe it out by resolutions. It can be smashed effectively only by taking the profit out of war.
The only way to smash this racket is to conscript capital and industry and labor before the nations manhood can be conscripted. One month before the Government can conscript the young men of the nation – it must conscript capital and industry and labor. Let the officers and the directors and the high-powered executives of our armament factories and our munitions makers and our shipbuilders and our airplane builders and the manufacturers of all the other things that provide profit in war time as well as the bankers and the speculators, be conscripted – to get $30 a month, the same wage as the lads in the trenches get.
Let the workers in these plants get the same wages – all the workers, all presidents, all executives, all directors, all managers, all bankers –
yes, and all generals and all admirals and all officers and all politicians and all government office holders – everyone in the nation be restricted to a total monthly income not to exceed that paid to the soldier in the trenches!
Let all these kings and tycoons and masters of business and all those workers in industry and all our senators and governors and majors pay half of their monthly $30 wage to their families and pay war risk insurance and buy Liberty Bonds.
Why shouldn't they?
They aren't running any risk of being killed or of having their bodies mangled or their minds shattered. They aren't sleeping in muddy trenches. They aren't hungry. The soldiers are!
Give capital and industry and labor thirty days to think it over and you will find, by that time, there will be no war. That will smash the war racket – that and nothing else"
This would be food for thought for any politician. And we would be perfectly justified in asking the government to do this the next time they want to send our children to War.....
You might like to find out more about Major General Smedley D. Butler
and read in full what he had to say, as the information you can glean from what he wrote is invaluable. he also exposes some of the evils of the last century.
Arm yourselves with knowledge not the Gun
here are some links: http://coat.ncf.ca/our_magazine/links/53/butler01-by_schmidt.html
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/smedleywarisracket.shtml
Smedley Butler - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peace be with you :)
I would recommend reading what he had to say on the subject of war. he wrote many things after he retired from service in the United States Marines. One of the most powerful statements that he made was
"War is a racket"
[Direct quote]
"I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purifly Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-12. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras "right" for American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested... . Looking back on it, I feel I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three city districts. We Marines operated on three continents."
As we approach what I think is another world war in the making I thought I would re-read what the General had written and said. I found his thoughts on how to stop wars was a very useful insight. here he is again on this subject.
"HOW TO SMASH THIS RACKET!
WELL, it's a racket, all right.
A few profit – and the many pay. But there is a way to stop it. You can't end it by disarmament conferences. You can't eliminate it by peace parleys at Geneva. Well-meaning but impractical groups can't wipe it out by resolutions. It can be smashed effectively only by taking the profit out of war.
The only way to smash this racket is to conscript capital and industry and labor before the nations manhood can be conscripted. One month before the Government can conscript the young men of the nation – it must conscript capital and industry and labor. Let the officers and the directors and the high-powered executives of our armament factories and our munitions makers and our shipbuilders and our airplane builders and the manufacturers of all the other things that provide profit in war time as well as the bankers and the speculators, be conscripted – to get $30 a month, the same wage as the lads in the trenches get.
Let the workers in these plants get the same wages – all the workers, all presidents, all executives, all directors, all managers, all bankers –
yes, and all generals and all admirals and all officers and all politicians and all government office holders – everyone in the nation be restricted to a total monthly income not to exceed that paid to the soldier in the trenches!
Let all these kings and tycoons and masters of business and all those workers in industry and all our senators and governors and majors pay half of their monthly $30 wage to their families and pay war risk insurance and buy Liberty Bonds.
Why shouldn't they?
They aren't running any risk of being killed or of having their bodies mangled or their minds shattered. They aren't sleeping in muddy trenches. They aren't hungry. The soldiers are!
Give capital and industry and labor thirty days to think it over and you will find, by that time, there will be no war. That will smash the war racket – that and nothing else"
This would be food for thought for any politician. And we would be perfectly justified in asking the government to do this the next time they want to send our children to War.....
You might like to find out more about Major General Smedley D. Butler
and read in full what he had to say, as the information you can glean from what he wrote is invaluable. he also exposes some of the evils of the last century.
Arm yourselves with knowledge not the Gun
here are some links: http://coat.ncf.ca/our_magazine/links/53/butler01-by_schmidt.html
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/smedleywarisracket.shtml
Smedley Butler - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peace be with you :)