I’m a history buff and recovering political junkie, so I am familiar with all that you referenced.
Great, looking forward to your enlightening observations.
I read Ike's farewell address when I was a freshman in HS.
And no comment????
Butler is quite the dichotomy. He yearned for combat, lying about his age to get into the Spanish-American War and was quite upset that he couldn’t get combat assignments during WWI.
The 80-page rant you referenced was written in the '30s. He railed against profiteering wars (the Banana Wars in the Caribbean, etc), but was not anti-war and would have been among the first to request a combat assignment in WWII given the opportunity.
Since I would never presume to speak for any 33 year Military Veteran of our country I’ll let Smedley Butler speak for himself in the following Quote
“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.”
-- Excerpt from a speech delivered in 1933What is most interesting to me about Butler is his claim (the Business Plot) that he was approached by the Wall Street types he denounced in 1935 to lead a military coup against FDR. Wall Street denied it and his claims were ridiculed, with good reason.
The good reason being, Ummmmm because Elite Wall Street Bankers would never do anything to hurt Americans, they are the most honest and upstanding members of society. History shows that these folks only have Americas best interests at heart. Okie dokie can’t argue with that logic.
I believe he lied, but if he didn’t, it defies logic to be asked to lead a coup for the sake of profit when you have lectured publicly against it.
Your beliefs are your opinion however
The McCormack-Dickstein Committee confirmed some of Butler's accusations in its final report. "In the last few weeks of the committee's official life it received evidence showing that certain persons had made an attempt to establish a fascist organization in this country...There is no question that these attempts were discussed, were planned, and might have been placed in execution when and if the financial backers deemed it expedient. You can download PDF files of the Committee hearings here if you really want to research the plot.
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/McCormack ... _the_filesI also find it interesting that the quote he is most famous for was initially published in the socialist rag, "Common Sense". In my book, Smedley Butler had less clarity of though on a position than Jerry Brown.
So your logic is that a War hero and a Military Veteran who served 33 years as a United States Marine is a socialist because of a quote printed somewhere that you don’t like?
So I will see your Medal of Honor recipient Smedley Butler and raise you Medal of Honor recipient Alvin York, the most decorated US soldier of WWI, and Medal of Honor recipient Audie Murphy, the most decorated US soldier in history.
Correction…ONE of the most decorated according to Wikipedia.
Since I’m not interested in devolving into a pissing contest of whose soldier is the most American and since we don’t have bracketologist here to do the rankings I’ll post this interesting yet unscientific link and leave it there.
http://www.veterantributes.org/top20mostdecorated.htmYork was a pacifist on religious grounds. York only agreed to the movie about him, "Sergeant York" so he could take the money and build a school. Murphy wrote the autobiography "To Hell and Back" (which I also read before I had a drivers license) and was the first well-known military guy to bring attention to PTSD.
Awesome. And let’s take a deeper look at Sgt York NYTimes article Nov 11, 1934 titled
SERGEANT YORK HOPES WE WILL AVOID WARS; Armistice Day Finds Him Ready to Fight, but Only in a
Defensive Conflict
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pd ... 5F408385F9from Wiki:
York originally believed in the morality of America's intervention in World War I. By the mid-1930s, he looked back more critically: "I can't see that we did any good. There’s as much trouble now as there was when we were over there. I think the slogan 'A war to end war.' is all wrong." He fully endorsed American preparedness, but showed sympathy for isolationism in saying he would fight only if war came to America.
Both of these American heroes would decry war for the sake of profiteering, but would have also probably cold-cocked you for the image you posted.
Again, that is your opinion BUT to me, if they were true Americans who believed in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights they would not have “cold-cocked” me at all. Seems you are reducing these war heroes to the level of Fundamentalist Islamists who issue fatwa’s against folks who publish pictures of Mohammed. I like to think our military are not quite that fundamentalist yet.
BTW, Murphy's gravesite in Arlington is the 2nd most visited, behind JFK. Butler is an unknown unless you are an anti war type or into American history…
I am an anti-war type and also into world history-- guilty as charged. I should be drawn and quartered for such radical views.
There is an interesting Youtube video I have no doubt you have seen with Rumsfield, Patreaus, et al testifying before Congress with flashbacks to Ike's farewell warning/address. I do find that compelling.
Could you link it? Meantime maybe you’ve seen this.
On Cost Plus Defense Contracts=War profiteering
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9D0QMFTdosI find insulting your attitude, borne out of an ignorance of what many base their faith on, that patriotism and a belief in God equal theocratic nationalism.
Your opinion, again you are entitled to it. That's the great thing about the First Amendment to the US Constitution; isn't it?
I find insulting the attitude also born out of ignorance that I’m unpatriotic because my views about US military occupation of sovereign countries is unconstitutional and
against Americans best interests.
Especially in light of the fact that I have clearly shown through my posts and links that preemptive wars, regime changes, and nation building, goes against all the established wisdom of our forefathers.
Peace and God Bless.
To you as well.