Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Showing Original Post only (View all)''There are only two things we should fight for.'' -- Maj. Gen. Smedley Darlington Butler [View all]
Smedley Butler on Interventionism
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.
SOURCE: http://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.
SOURCE: http://fas.org/man/smedley.htm
Read the good general's book, "War is a Racket," courtesy of Ratical: http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/warisaracket.html
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
108 replies, 17522 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (202)
ReplyReply to this post
108 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
''There are only two things we should fight for.'' -- Maj. Gen. Smedley Darlington Butler [View all]
Octafish
May 2015
OP
If only our citizens had the same idea of what it means to be an American.
raouldukelives
May 2015
#30
She seems to have made a remarkable U-turn in her approach to diplomacy: now it's pure PNAC.
Octafish
May 2015
#29
Roger That - Many Citizens See HRC For What She Is - A Patron Of The Oligarchs
cantbeserious
May 2015
#44
War profiteering: The BIG Conspiracy of the 1%. (They sell the tin-foil hats, too.)
WinkyDink
May 2015
#11
Dubya always spoke his truth. Many simply chose to read him differently. Fool me....won't get fooled
WinkyDink
May 2015
#108
I totally agree with you. There is no question IMO as to the intentions of the
rhett o rick
May 2015
#82
I am disappointed that you got to a point where you thought it was necessary to
rhett o rick
May 2015
#84
"wars where started by people who thought they were defending..." BWAHAHAHAHA! They "thought" no
WinkyDink
May 2015
#59
I never state what their motivations were only what they have said they were...
Cryptoad
May 2015
#105
when Butler said Bill of Rights, he probably meant protecting it from internal threats
yurbud
May 2015
#23
in context, my interpretation is far more likely than one corporatists could use
yurbud
May 2015
#83
the most important post of the day. Every politician should be asked if they read this and forced
yurbud
May 2015
#20
That's a philosophy that sometimes leads to vast numbers of innocent people dying horribly and
Donald Ian Rankin
May 2015
#78
And somehow, Dubya knew FL was safe, even though his whereabouts had been published.
WinkyDink
May 2015
#62
Right Wingers think a country shows it's Power and Glory on the battlefield....
Spitfire of ATJ
May 2015
#58
There was a plot to overthrow FDR during the early years of his administration,
red dog 1
May 2015
#79