View Full Version : Smedley Butler mini documentary
Fairly interesting
https://youtu.be/crf7A7x-qC8
Butler was an interesting man, complicated. He was a Marine's Marine and beloved, until he wasn't. His views on the military-industrial complex and politics evolved over years and made him unpopular with a lot of people (a lot of his former supporters).
Great vid. I read his book, but didn't know his full history. If anyone earned the right to be highly critical of the scam that is many wars, it's Butler. His book is free online BTW: https://ratical.org/ratville/CAH/warisaracket.pdf
Jocko did a podcast on Butler’s book War is a Racket. It is well worth listening to as Jocko does a good job of reading and analyzing the book.
titsonritz
01-09-23, 19:51
His book War is a Racket predates IKE's "military-industrial complex" speech by over 25 years.
I respect the heck out of Butler. Hell of a guy.
I respect the heck out of Butler. Hell of a guy.
I didn't know he'd been involved as he was in The Bonus Army event, which is black mark on those other two generals who went on to be viewed heroes.
titsonritz
01-10-23, 16:13
That is a cool picture of Smedley Butler, President Warren Harding, John Pershing, and John Lejeune, it was taken at a reenactment of Pickett's Charge at the battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania.
I ordered his book after watching this..........Never heard of him before. Still not entirely sure what he did for those 2 MOH's. I don't think the video did them justice.
The video made it seem like he ended up as a patriotic marxist by the end of his life.
I didn't know he'd been involved as he was in The Bonus Army event, which is black mark on those other two generals who went on to be viewed heroes.
The only thing I have read that is maybe a negative is dabbling in socialism/communism.
At the time, I don't know how much news was coming out of the USSR so I tend to give him somewhat of a pass on ignorance as opposed to socialists/communists of today espousing similar views on .gov over reach while advocating for what has proven to be totalitarian .gov as the fix for their complaints.
If his socialism/communism was limited to his statement about limiting the salary of evert person in the US during war time to the salary of the lowest paid soldier I don't consider that to be socialism/communism, but not sure if that is where he stopped.
Sidneyious
01-11-23, 11:39
I learned about this man from a quote retold by a woke video game youtuber who was a small arms repairman in the army.
“I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.”
― Smedley D. Butler, War is a Racket
I learned about this man from a quote retold by a woke video game youtuber who was a small arms repairman in the army.
“I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.”
― Smedley D. Butler, War is a Racket
As posted, you can read his book for free: https://ratical.org/ratville/CAH/warisaracket.pdf
Folklore in my family is that Smedley is a distant cousin of mine. Amongst other things we share the same last name, same geographical location and my dad used to visit Smedley's son, Thomas, back in the day.
The only evidence I've got to support any claim of being related though is just old letters from like the 1930's that mention a cousin "Smedley."
Some guys I served with (Army) still call me "Smedley" as a nickname and it's flattering but I had never made any direct assertion that we're related. But, .. who knows?
Anyway, this is a fairly recent picture I took of his headstone at what is presumably the Butler family plot near West Chester, Pa.
A fairly humble looking marker and clearly continues to be visited on a regular basis.
https://i.imgur.com/Y5XfCX5.jpg
That's the tragedy of noble and selfless men: to perform their heroic acts in service of the power hungry, who they hate when they come to know them, instead of the kind and innocent they imagine they serve.
That's the nature of hierarchal human behavior. The US' traditional founding culture is the best whack humanity has ever had at stifling the inevitable triumph of scheming tyrants, and even our founders knew it would only last until the tyrants weaseled a way through or around it. Another revolution to throw back the tyrants again was inevitable, I'm just afraid our children are too distracted and weak to even know what's happening.
Another great vid on Butler. I have mentioned him and his book many times over the years, and his book is free for download with simple google search. No one can claim he didn't have the creds to have his opinions that war is a racket. His warnings, just as none other than Dwight Eisenhower - Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in WWII and POTUS - gave us "... a dire warning about what he described as a threat to democratic government. He called it the military-industrial complex" and others warned about, and ignored. Here we are now, as they warned us:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74wrX8rKtzw
Another great vid on Butler. I have mentioned him and his book many times over the years, and his book is free for download with simple google search. No one can claim he didn't have the creds to have his opinions that war is a racket. His warnings, just as none other than Dwight Eisenhower - Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in WWII and POTUS - gave us "... a dire warning about what he described as a threat to democratic government. He called it the military-industrial complex" and others warned about, and ignored. Here we are now, as they warned us:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74wrX8rKtzwI'm a fan of his ideas. Some of the isolationist aspects may be somewhat simplistic in today's complex global environment, but overall I love the warning.
I'm a fan of his ideas. Some of the isolationist aspects may be somewhat simplistic in today's complex global environment, but overall I love the warning.
The events of the decades since his death would probably cause him to advocate limiting the
Navy to within sight of the coast using only the naked eye.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.