Guest Editorial
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
Major General Smedley Butler, USMC 1933.
G2mil editorials may be
freely distributed without permission
######################################################################
September 2002 Articles
Letters - comments from G2mil readers
Nine MEUs - improving Marine Corps
readiness
101st in Afghanistan - e-mail from the
"war"
Hydra Bazooka - shoulder-fire 70mm Hydra
rockets
Save a Stage - from the Sky Ramp Technology section
War
Games Rigged? - another maverick Marine General
Fox
News, the War Network - a counterpoint
Cheney's
Former Company Wins Afghanistan War Contracts - just a racket?
G2mil Library
Previous G2mil - August 2002 issue
Transforming National Defense
New Transforming
the US Marine Corps
Library Tour - visit G2mil's library
Library Entrance - members only
All material in G2mil Copyright 2002
G2mil, patents pending on some items. Links to www.G2mil.com are
encouraged. |