is a yeah a very poignant piece again that
I would spent three hours yesterday afternoon at the Memorial Day Parade
here in washington DC watching all these groups go by no israel was really
kinda bittersweet
and a opal luper posted a piece over on Democratic Underground
dot com is I'm a Vietnam vet I was drafted and sent were in that war I
thought to survive
and for the survival love my platoon your freedom was not on the line but my
life was
I can't tell you how many times I heard the announcer the announcer was a
conservative talk show host for the for the gig
and along with blanquita cullum
reserve a friend in and she's conservative but she's
she did not politicize the thing the that the guy was announcing it
said and from the left coast in you know a little things little digs like this
and he kept saying things like freedom is not free
you know Sean Hannity's slogan but this guys is your freedom was not on the line
but my life
was I get a class newsletter every year this time in Sals literature is the
writers
in the letter in class letter is the fight is all the fight for freedom
freedom isn't free
your your freedom to a vet nonsense
I think that talk is more for the Raiders good feelings than it is for
mine
we never really face the truth about these wars we continue to fool ourselves
make excuses for Spence spending billions on death and destruction
so a handful wealthy people like dick cheney can grow
there well and you know
I say to that you know are men and well said and in fact
major Smedley Butler this is also pre/post Andy you but I've
I've quoted extensively from his book wars racket before
and somebody one in posted his first chapter
smelly market Butler in 1933 when Franklin Roosevelt was president
was the most famous marine general
in the United States see them arrange general World War one I he had been a
jerk he had be had fought in the
I'm spanish-american war I believe
and he was the guy who stopped
and attempts to literally overthrow a coup attempt against franklin roosevelt
which after three is a hearings in congress roosevelt put an end to cuz you
know anybody else to get the idea
but a bunch a rich guys can just badly Butler and said hey how about we
overthrow the United
you know that the guy the present as is FDR is a communist we need to get him
out of the white house
so this is what's badly Butler said
he was awarded to congressional matters
medals of honor by the way he retired Marine Corps
in october of nineteen thirty-one he said war is a racket
it always has been is possibly the oldest
easily the most profitable surely the most vicious it is the only one
international in scope it is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in
dollars
and the losses in lives
a racket is best described I believe is something that is
not what it seems to the majority of people only small
inside group knows what it's about it's conducted for the benefit of the very
few
at the expense %uh the very many I war
a few people make huge fortunes dollars interest in the
row ahead be we Ellen got us into the VIP viewing area
and so every chair had a name you know a company in a person's name and they were
the whole the not the whole from Robert part
many sees the front row ahead of us were for military contractors
and now
in the world war restart world war 1
a mere handful garnered the profits the conflict at least 21,000 new
millionaires and billionaires were made in the United States during World
during the World War that many and he admitted their huge blood gains in their
income tax returns nobody knows
how a many other war millionaires falsify their tax returns
no one knows how many these more millionaire shoulder rifle
how many of them dug a trench how many of them knew what it meant to go hungry
in a rat-infested dugout
how many of them a slight spent sleepless Fright Nights ducky shells and
shrapnel and machine gun bullets
on any of them period a bayonet thrust an enemy how many of them were wounded
or killed in battle
I love war nations acquire additional property of their victorious they just
take it
newly acquired territory probably is exploited by the few
the self-same few wrong dollars our blood in the war
and the general public always shoulders the bill
and what is this bill this bill renders a horrible accounting
you replace gravestones mangled bodies
shattered minds: broken hearts and homes economics
instability depression and its attendant miseries
back-breaking taxation for generations and generations
for a great many years as a soldier I had a suspicion the war was a racket
but not many but not until I retired to civil life that I fully realize it
now I see that the international war clouds are gathering again as they are
today
animus face speak out
again they're choosing sides Russian France met agreed to stand side by side
Italy and Austria hurry to make a similar agreement
Poulin and Germany CAS she buys each other for getting for the nonce their
dispute over the Polish corder
may go through this is there are forty million men under arms in the world
today
and are statesmen and diplomats have the temerity to say that war is not the
making
this is written by the way in but 3233
hitler invaded poland in thirty-nine
that's arguably really kicking off the and the sedate land I think was
37 38 but it was it was more of a voluntary annexation the actual invasion
of Poland was in 39 as I recall
any ice is there's forty that 440 million men under arms in the world
today
hells bells and he's forty million men being trained to be dancers
not nearly to be sure prayer mostly knows what they are and being trained
for he
at least as frank enough to speak out on the other day ill do see in
international conciliation the public
publication at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said quote
is quoting the guy who invented the word fascism
Mussolini Benito Mussolini's and above all fascism the Board considers observes
the future development humanity quite apart from
political considerations the moment believes neither in the possibility nor
the utility a perpetual peace
war alone brings up to its highest tension
all human energy and puts the stamp of nobility upon the people who have the
courage to meet
undoubtedly General Smedley Butler rights
mussolini means exactly what is what he says
is well trained army is gratefully a plane's even as Navy are ready for war
anxious for 2 p.m.
here hitler with Israel army in germany in his constant demands for more more
arms is a
and equal if not greater menace to peace
yes all over nations are camping in their arms the Mad Dogs if you're up
around the loose
goes on there what is a profit the man who are killed
and what is a profit their mothers and sisters their lives close we are to
what is a profit their children we forgot george washington's warning about
entangling alliances
we went to war it would have been cheaper
Abbas is safer for the average american obeys the bills to stay out at the
foreign tangled
right so why were the peacemakers not honored guest
you're listening to the Thom Hartmann program call 866
987 thon or if we won our people who died in war and
and and I'm not Desmet dismissing their
sacrifice at all they did make a decision
wanna have submitted