--- In [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> , I am the eternal <l.shad...@...> wrote: > > http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Smedley_Butler <http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Smedley_Butler> > > "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." > > - Maj.Gen.Smedley Butler, 1935, awarded twice the Congressional Medal of > Honor>
Maj.Gen.Smedley Butler - like some indeciferable kôan - was known as "The Fighting Quaker". The Peace Testimony of the Quakers: "We utterly deny all outward wars and strife and fightings with outward weapons, for any end or under any pretence whatsoever. And this is our testimony to the whole world." >From "A Declaration to Charles II," 1661. Full text at: http://www.quaker.org/peaceweb/pdecla07.html <http://www.quaker.org/peaceweb/pdecla07.html> OffWorld
