Marine Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler would be 132 years old today, were he still alive.
He was twice awarded the Medal of Honor, for his heroism during several combat tours in Central America. He took part in World War I, the Banana Wars, and the Boxer rebellion in China.
Consequently he became quite the anti-war activist in his older age. He even put a stop to a real-life potential military coup against F.D.R.
If Butler were around today, engagements like Iraq would have him simply astounded.
Not only is it the most violent since the middle of the American invasion, but it's also grown to become the second-leading nation for oil production in OPEC (first would be Saudi Arabia).
The irony would not be lost on Butler, who toured the U.S. in 1933 giving a speech he called "War is a racket."
Eventually he turned the speech into a book.
Here's an excerpt:
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I suppose that the "everything is okay" imbeciles who can't wait to teach another third world stone age country a "lesson" about "freedom" (like any politician cares about another country's freedom -- they certainly don't seem to like the idea of THAT in THIS country) are so much smarter than this guy. Think about his writings the next time you get whipped up into in a "USA! USA! USA!!!" frenzy.
ReplyDelete"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex."
ReplyDeletePresident Dwight D. Eisenhower
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