Some Good News the Papers don't want you to know...

[Visitor]

"War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses.

I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing else. If a nation comes over here to fight, then we'll fight. The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and the soldiers follow the flag.

I wouldn't go to war again as I have done to protect some lousy investment of the bankers. There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket.

There isn't a trick in the racketeering bag that the military gang is blind to. It has its "finger men" to point out enemies, its "muscle men" to destroy enemies, its "brain men" to plan war preparations, and a "Big Boss" Super-Nationalistic-Capitalism.

It may seem odd for me, a military man to adopt such a comparison. Truthfulness compels me to. I spent thirty- three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country's most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from 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, a gangster for capitalism.

I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I am sure of it. Like all the members of the military profession, I never had a thought of my own until I left the service. My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military service.

I helped make Mexico, 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 benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912 (where have I heard that name before?). I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to 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. Looking back on it, I feel that I could 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."

-- Excerpt from a speech delivered in 1933 by Major General Smedley Butler, USMC.

http://www.fas.org/man/smedley.htm - http://www.fas.org/man/smedley.htm'

[Jennifer]

astonamous,
fantastic...hope his world is caving in...

[Visitor]

Jennifer,

Sept. 15, 2004
AP

NEW YORK - Suggesting the government was acting as if it had something to hide, a federal judge Wednesday gave Washington one month to release records related to the treatment of prisoners in Iraq.

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein chastised officials for moving at a "glacial pace" in responding to nearly year-old Freedom of Information Act requests from the American Civil Liberties Union and four other watchdog organizations.

"If the documents are more of an embarrassment than a secret, the public should know of our government's treatment of individuals captured and held abroad," Hellerstein wrote. "We are a nation that strives to value the dignity of all humanity."

The groups brought a lawsuit in June, saying they wanted to expose the treatment of detainees.

Hellerstein said though the government had raised "important issues" of national security as a reason for the delays, "merely raising national security concerns cannot justify unlimited delay."

Megan L. Gaffney, a spokeswoman for federal prosecutors in New York, declined to comment.

Jameel Jaffer, an ACLU lawyer, was heartened by the action.

"Increasingly, the administration's response to requests has been to stonewall or delay as long as possible until documents are forced out of them by a court," he said.

[Visitor]

dumbass,

"Father, why are soldiers killing and dying in Iraq?"

"For freedom, son. It's just part of our 'War on Terror' that began when they killed three thousand Americans a year and a half ago."

"Iraq killed three thousand Americans?"

"Well, no. Actually, it was an organization called al Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden."

"So, then why are we at war with Iraq? We should declare war on al Qaeda, no?"

"We did, son. We bombed the heck out of Afghanistan. The Taliban are history."

"Afghanistan? The Taliban? Who are they? What about al Qaeda?"

"Oh, they got away."

"Huh? So, they're hiding out in Iraq?"

"Actually, no. Saddam and Osama are mortal enemies. I think they think Osama fled to Pakistan."

"So, we should declare war on Pakistan, yes?"

"Heavens, no. Pakistan is our friend. Besides, they might use their weapons of mass destruction. We wouldn't want that."

"Oh. So, then why are we going to war with Iraq?"

"Because they might have weapons of mass destruction. And they are not our friends."

"You mean... like North Korea? Does that mean we are going to war with North Korea?"

"Not at all, son. We already fought them along time ago. And we won... I think."

"Hmmmm... I see. But, then, what about al Qaeda, Father?"

"Who? Oh, right. They'll probably attack us again while we're busy fighting in Iraq."

"Oh, okay. I think I finally understand. Father, you are an idiot."