It's STILL a Racket

General Smedley D. Butler was a Major General in the U.S. Marine Corps and, at the time of his death in 1940, was the most decorated Marine in U.S. history.

He is one of only 19 people to be twice awarded the Medal of Honor, one of only three to be awarded a Marine Corps Brevet Medal and a Medal of Honor, and the only person to be awarded a Marine Corps Brevet Medal and a Medal of Honor for two different actions.

I think even the most rabid right-wing flag-waver would be obliged to acknowledge that General Butler could not be described as a pinko-coward-commie-faggot-traitor --- or whatever today's preferred ad hominem slur is.

Butler was a stand-up guy. An "eagle scout."

He wrote a little book called, War is a Racket, and it's still the news.

You should read it.

Here's a piece from it:

I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers.

In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.

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.

I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912.

I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916.

I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested.

sj