War as a racket, USMC Major General.

Stuart Mackey · Post by **Stuart Mackey** » 2004-06-15 06:23am

linky for the full goods

Excerpt from a speech delivered in 1933, by Major General Smedley Butler, USMC.

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.

SecondStorm · Post by **SecondStorm** » 2004-06-15 09:22am

This is obviously a Godless commie who hates America.

And this just show that Reagan was a much better president than Clinton as he beat the living shit out of the commies.

Anhaga · Post by **Anhaga** » 2004-06-15 09:50am

Non sequitur.

Were you being sarcastic, Secondstorm?

Elfdart · Post by **Elfdart** » 2004-06-15 10:14am

SecondStorm wrote:This is obviously a Godless commie who hates America.

And this just show that Reagan was a much better president than Clinton as he beat the living shit out of the commies.

And Butler's remarks mean nothing because Clinton got a blowjob.

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2004-06-15 12:23pm

Wow, when I started reading it I thought it was about the war in Iraq...

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2004-06-15 01:25pm

One man's opinion, there is a kernal of truth there. Exxagerated for sure But i'm a bit of a social darwinist, so what do i care.

SecondStorm · Post by **SecondStorm** » 2004-06-15 05:53pm

Anhaga wrote:Non sequitur.

Were you being sarcastic, Secondstorm?

Extremely.

Anhaga · Post by **Anhaga** » 2004-06-15 07:42pm

My apologies then.

I disembowel myself honourably.

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2004-06-16 12:51am

SecondStorm wrote:This is obviously a Godless commie who hates America.

Considering that communism enjoyed it's greatest popularity in this country around that time, you could have a point and not be aware of it.

Stuart Mackey · Post by **Stuart Mackey** » 2004-06-16 02:04am

Xenophobe3691 wrote:Wow, when I started reading it I thought it was about the war in Iraq...

Thats why I posted it

Also the policy parallels over time.