~ War Is A Racket (and the Corporate Connection) ~

contact me at dane@danesnet.com

War is a Racket - a book by Smedley Butler known as "The Fighting Quaker" and "Old Gimlet Eye".
He was a Major General in the U.S. Marine Corps and, at the time of his death, was the most decorated Marine in U.S. history.

Have you ever wondered why we never read about Smedley Butler in our history books?

Check out this website about the book and the author, General Smedley Butler :
http://www.lexrex.com/enlightened/articles/warisaracket.htm

Here is a great video of an Iraq War Veteran speaking his mind about the War in Iraq. He understands many truths about war.

"If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy...
The loss of Liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against danger, real or imagined, from abroad..."
 - James Madison -

The soldier in the video above says that we, as citizens of America, have nothing to gain by the war in Iraq... yet we do have something to gain - access to the vast oil reserves in Iraq and a presence amid the richest oil region on the planet... the energy source that modern civilization is built upon, and to which America is addicted. One must understand the importance of oil to our economy and the growing populations on planet earth to fully appreciate the video below. See why many call this the "War for Oil" in this video released during the summer of 2008:

General Smedley Butler also was involved in an attempted Coup where he tried to expose the perpetrators:

The Business Plot:  In 1933, group of wealthy businessmen that allegedly included the heads of Chase Bank, GM, Goodyear, Standard Oil, the DuPont family and Senator Prescott Bush tried to recruit Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler to lead a military coup against President FDR and install a fascist dictatorship in the United States. And yes, we’re talking about the same Prescott Bush who fathered one US President and grandfathered another one. Smedley Butler was both a patriot and a vocal FDR supporter. Apparently none of these criminal masterminds noticed that their prospective point man had actively stumped for FDR in 1932. Smedley spilled the beans to a congressional committee in 1934. Everyone he accused of being a conspirator vehemently denied it, and none of them were brought up on criminal charges. Still, the House McCormack-Dickstein Committee did at least acknowledge the existence of the conspiracy, which ended up never getting past the initial planning stages. Though many of the people who had allegedly backed the Business Plot also maintained financial ties with Nazi Germany up through America’s entry into World War II. In 1934, the Business Plot was publicly revealed by retired Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler testifying to the McCormack-Dickstein Congressional Committee. In his testimony, Butler claimed that a group of men had approached him as part of a plot to overthrow Roosevelt in a military coup. One of the alleged plotters, Gerald MacGuire, vehemently denied any such plot. In their final report, the Congressional committee supported Butler’s allegations of the existence of the plot, but no prosecutions or further investigations followed, and the matter was mostly forgotten. On July 17, 1932, thousands of World War I veterans converged on Washington, D.C., set up tent camps, and demanded immediate payment of bonuses due them according to the Adjusted Service Certificate Law of 1924. This “Bonus Army” was led by Walter W. Waters, a former Army sergeant. The Army was encouraged by an appearance from retired Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler, who had considerable influence over the veterans, being one of the most popular military figures of the time. A few days after Butler’s arrival, President Herbert Hoover ordered the marchers removed, and their camps were destroyed by US Army cavalry troops under the command of General Douglas MacArthur. Butler, although a self-described Republican, responded by supporting Roosevelt in that year’s election. In a 1995 History Today article Clayton Cramer argued that the devastation of the Great Depression had caused many Americans to question the foundations of liberal democracy. “Many traditionalists, here and in Europe, toyed with the ideas of Fascism and National Socialism; many liberals dallied with Socialism and Communism.” Cramer argues that this explains why some American business leaders viewed fascism as a viable system to both preserve their interests and end the economic woes of the Depression.

BBC – Whitehouse Coup (Part 1)





        

What about the war in Afghanistan?
Greg Mortenson is probably the one American that truly understands the situation in Afghanistan and the Taliban. Author and humanitarian Greg Mortenson, whose best-selling books "THREE CUPS OF TEA" and "STONES INTO SCHOOLS", argues that education is the best way to peace in Afghanistan and across the Islamic world.

See Greg's latest interview with Bill Moyers here (great video to share with everyone):

Direct link for the video is found here: http://bit.ly/4DlZtA

Learn more about Greg Mortenson's work and about the US presence in Afghanistan.

Some nice words from Ron Paul... hey thanks for a glimpse into reality.

Beware the Military Industrial Complex
Don't you find it somewhat strange that Donald Rumsfeld announced, on September 10th, 2001, that the Pentagon was unable to account for $2.3 Trillion dollars? Rumsfeld that day said the following: "...the adversary's closer to home. It's the Pentagon bureaucracy". He said money wasted by the military poses a serious threat: "In fact, it could be said it's a matter of life and death."  See article here and video below:

Of course the events that took place the next day really squelched that announcement, and nothing has ever been done about it. Furthermore, the bulk of the casualties at the Pentagon were in the accounting office, and even that was used as an excuse. The Department of the Army stated that it wouldn't publish a stand-alone financial statement for 2001 because of “the loss of financial-management personnel sustained during the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.” 

Simply put, America creates its own enemies! Without enemies, the Military Industrial Complex is 'out of business'! At this point in time our nation cannot afford the wars in which it is currently engaged. This nation is treading on a fragile and weak foundation, whether it's
the Economy, with its huge debts, including present and future unfunded liabilities, as well as the enormous trade deficit (see the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, where David M. Walker, the former Comptroller General of the USA, is now the CEO. For more info, see http://www.pgpf.org),
the Federal Reserve and their insatiable appetite to increase our money supply by monetizing the debt (what they call "quantitative easing") that renders our money worth less each year, or
the sick megalomaniacs of the Neo-Con group whose website is known as the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) http://www.newamericancentury.org/. 9-11 was just the incident that PNAC needed to implement their goals as outlined in their document from September 2000, "Rebuilding America's Defenses". Check it out , and search for the words "pearl harbor" and also note that the majority of G.W. Bush's first cabinet was filled with PNAC's members Dick Cheney, I. Lewis Libby, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz (to name a few).

For more information about the "Project for the New American Century" and the men behind this mindset, this is a must see video:

Direct link for the video is found here: http://bit.ly/b5acQw

Why is it that this nation feels empowered to force other nations to be "Just Like Us"? It's reminiscent of the lyrics from Steppenwolf's Monster album clear back in 1969, which are as appropriate today as they were then:

Monster/Suicide/America -
"... We don't know how to mind our own business, 'Cause the whole worlds got to be just like us. Now we are fighting a war over there; No matter who's the winner, we can't pay the cost, 'Cause there's a monster on the loose; It's got our heads into a noose, and it just sits there watching! America, where are you now? Don't you care about your sons and daughters? Don't you know, we need you now. We can't fight alone against the monster."

I think that Smedley Butler was on to something nearly 80 years ago. Get, read & share the book! The whole concept of the "Military Industrial Complex" came 20 years before President Eisenhower coined the phrase. Fighting wars with nations that pose no immediate threat to our nation is NOT the American way. We now have numerous examples, including Vietnam and the war in Iraq (going into it's 8th year come March 2011, over twice as long as our involvement in WW2). Are you proud of all the death and destruction that we are responsible for?  Furthermore, do you love the blood of innocents upon your hands (every tax paying American is responsible)? Leave Afghanistan and Iraq now Mr. President Obama, or are you just another sucker for the Military Industrial Complex?

WikiLeaks, more power to them as they expose the REAL TRUTH about these wars!

Here is the short version of that video:

Here is the actual soldier, that rescued the 2 children from the van that was destroyed... You must see his account of the whole situation and what it's like to be a soldier for the great empire on earth known as the United Corporate States of America:

Neil Young's great song, "Living With War" is here to enjoy:

What's the bottom line from all of this evidence about our Nation? It will take an informed public to change our ways. Stop believing in the MYTH, because it's just that... a MYTH!

contact me at dane@danesnet.com