General Smedley Butler was a brave man. Brave in times of war undoubtedly, but far braver in times of peace in my opinion. In common with most dissenting voices, voices that vibrate through the foundations of the architecture propping up powerful elites, you have to dig deep into the annals of history to find him.
Fortunately, there are still those with memory that make those of us belonging to later generations aware of such a principled man. To hear these words from a career military man, inspires and brings hope. It demonstrates men of distinguished mlitary rank were once capable of honest reflection, and moral judgement. So, despite the military’s characteristic appeals to patriotism, tribal emblems, and regimental histories, reason can still prevail; for General Smedley Butler makes explicit what his true ‘military’ role was: ‘a gangster for capitalism’.
That was the description he gave to his role back in 1933. Consider, has the role of the Western military changed today? Are members of Western militaries still nothing more than mercenaries? Young, often unthinking and unflective individuals, are hired to promote specific corporate interests which hide stealthily behind the banner of a national flag? Fortunately, General Smedley Butler figured this out. I’m sure many more would, if only this voice of principled military dissent, was to be heard more widely.
If his book ‘War is a Racket’ was required reading in high school, I doubt that so many young people would be willing to sign up and go kill ‘them over there’. So, has the role of the military changed since 1933? Probably not. However, we can take heart from the knowledge that there are still those within the military elite of more modern times that are prepared to voice dissent. Such a voice is that of Ben Griffin, a former SAS trooper within the British Army whom served in Iraq recently.
I only hope that General Smedley Butler’s example, will encourage others with military connections to reflect on whose agenda they uncritically promote. So, please spread old Smedley’s words far and wide for they foreshadowed President Eiesenhower’s 1961 ‘Farewell Address’ by 28 years and as such are words to the wise indeed.
War is a racket. It always has been…
General Smedley Butler was a brave man. Brave in times of war undoubtedly, but far braver in times of peace in my opinion. In common with most dissenting voices, voices that vibrate through the foundations of the architecture propping up powerful elites, you have to dig deep into the annals of history to find him.
Fortunately, there are still those with memory that make those of us belonging to later generations aware of such a principled man. To hear these words from a career military man, inspires and brings hope. It demonstrates men of distinguished mlitary rank were once capable of honest reflection, and moral judgement. So, despite the military’s characteristic appeals to patriotism, tribal emblems, and regimental histories, reason can still prevail; for General Smedley Butler makes explicit what his true ‘military’ role was: ‘a gangster for capitalism’.
That was the description he gave to his role back in 1933. Consider, has the role of the Western military changed today? Are members of Western militaries still nothing more than mercenaries? Young, often unthinking and unflective individuals, are hired to promote specific corporate interests which hide stealthily behind the banner of a national flag? Fortunately, General Smedley Butler figured this out. I’m sure many more would, if only this voice of principled military dissent, was to be heard more widely.
If his book ‘War is a Racket’ was required reading in high school, I doubt that so many young people would be willing to sign up and go kill ‘them over there’. So, has the role of the military changed since 1933? Probably not. However, we can take heart from the knowledge that there are still those within the military elite of more modern times that are prepared to voice dissent. Such a voice is that of Ben Griffin, a former SAS trooper within the British Army whom served in Iraq recently.
I only hope that General Smedley Butler’s example, will encourage others with military connections to reflect on whose agenda they uncritically promote. So, please spread old Smedley’s words far and wide for they foreshadowed President Eiesenhower’s 1961 ‘Farewell Address’ by 28 years and as such are words to the wise indeed.
References:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article4377.htm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1512767/I-didnt-join-the-British-Army-to-conduct-American-foreign-policy.html
http://www.amazon.com/War-Racket-Antiwar-Americas-Decorated/dp/0922915865
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