truthsupplier
13-02-2007, 05:36 PM
Do you seriously believe any of this has changed?
<><><><><><><><><>
Excerpt from a speech delivered in 1933, by Major General
Smedley Butler, USMC.
http://www.fas.org/man/smedley.htm
War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe,
as something that is not what it seems to the majority of
people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about.
It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense
of the masses.
I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing
else. If a nation comes over here to fight, then we'll
fight. The trouble with America is that when the dollar only
earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes
overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the
dollar and the soldiers follow the flag.
I wouldn't go to war again as I have done to protect some
lousy investment of the bankers. There are only two things
we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the
other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is
simply a racket.
There isn't a trick in the racketeering bag that the
military gang is blind to. It has its "finger men" to point
out enemies, its "muscle men" to destroy enemies, its "brain
men" to plan war preparations, and a "Big Boss" Super-
Nationalistic-Capitalism.
It may seem odd for me, a military man to adopt such a
comparison. Truthfulness compels me to. I spent thirty-
three years and four months in active military service as a
member of this country's most agile military force, the
Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second
Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent
most of my time being a high class muscle- man for Big
Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I
was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.
I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I
am sure of it. Like all the members of the military
profession, I never had a thought of my own until I left the
service. My mental faculties remained in suspended animation
while I obeyed the orders of higher-ups. This is typical
with everyone in the military service.
I helped make Mexico, 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 benefits of Wall Street. The record of
racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the
international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912
(where have I heard that name before?). I brought light to
the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916.
In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its
way unmolested.
During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room
would say, a swell racket. Looking back on it, I feel that I
could have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do
was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on
three continents.
<><><><><><><><><>
Excerpt from a speech delivered in 1933, by Major General
Smedley Butler, USMC.
http://www.fas.org/man/smedley.htm
War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe,
as something that is not what it seems to the majority of
people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about.
It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense
of the masses.
I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing
else. If a nation comes over here to fight, then we'll
fight. The trouble with America is that when the dollar only
earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes
overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the
dollar and the soldiers follow the flag.
I wouldn't go to war again as I have done to protect some
lousy investment of the bankers. There are only two things
we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the
other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is
simply a racket.
There isn't a trick in the racketeering bag that the
military gang is blind to. It has its "finger men" to point
out enemies, its "muscle men" to destroy enemies, its "brain
men" to plan war preparations, and a "Big Boss" Super-
Nationalistic-Capitalism.
It may seem odd for me, a military man to adopt such a
comparison. Truthfulness compels me to. I spent thirty-
three years and four months in active military service as a
member of this country's most agile military force, the
Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second
Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent
most of my time being a high class muscle- man for Big
Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I
was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.
I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I
am sure of it. Like all the members of the military
profession, I never had a thought of my own until I left the
service. My mental faculties remained in suspended animation
while I obeyed the orders of higher-ups. This is typical
with everyone in the military service.
I helped make Mexico, 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 benefits of Wall Street. The record of
racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the
international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912
(where have I heard that name before?). I brought light to
the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916.
In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its
way unmolested.
During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room
would say, a swell racket. Looking back on it, I feel that I
could have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do
was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on
three continents.