I was a racketeer for Capitalism
"I spent 33 years and 4 months in active service as a member of our country's most agile military force -- the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from a second lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period I spent most of my time being a high-class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer for Capitalism...
"Thus I helped make Mexico...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 purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-12. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras 'right' for American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.
"During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room would say, a swell racket. I was rewarded with honors, medals, promotion. Looking back on it, I feel I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three city districts. We...operated on three continents."-- U.S. Major General Smedley Butler, Common Sense (1935).
Nabbed from here.
Comments
Just to clarify, my choice of passage was not to take a jab at the US, but to simply pick a fairly modern and relevant passage of human behaviour. I could have just as easily chosen a different passage, from a different era. I liked the way this one was worded.
tora: according to evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, all organisms are fundamentally selfish and proceed from that basis. Their objective is to ensure genetic propagation of their genes (or family of genes) to the next generation. This provides an explanation of why humans cluster into groups and are fanatical about protecting their group. Whether grouping occurs at the national, religious, linguistic, racial, sports team, etc... level.
and for 33 looong years!
Came over from Motherof and Barbara...I've often admired your comments...