2013-47 - War is a Racket, by Brigadier General Smedley D. Butler

47 - War is a Racket, by Brigadier General Smedley D. Butler
WHY I PICKED IT: Recommended by my friend Jess
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days
RATING: Good

Smedley D. Butler was a career soldier for the US Marine Corps, with tours in the Philippines, China, Central America, Caribbean, and France (WWI).  After his career, he became an outspoken critic of US foreign policy (that is largely directed at protecting their capitalist interests at the cost of foot soldiers), believing in isolationism rather than engagement in the world at large.

This collection of essays is reasonably interesting:

a) He articulates how the capitalists' profits increase dramatically during wartime, at the expense of the American People (who's National Debt increases dramatically).  He provides many examples of corporations (with their incomes before and during WWI).

b) He articulates a 3-point plan to reduce war:
          (i) take the profit out of war by conscripting necessary resources from Capitalists (before conscripting soldiers);
          (ii) only able bodied men (potential soldiers) can vote on whether or not the country should go to war (because they're the ones who will!); and
          (iii) military forces must be limited to home defense purposes (ships kept to within 200 miles of US shores, and aircraft to 750 miles).  Embedded within this is a release of US territories in the Philippines, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and even considers the non-protection of Hawaii and Alaska.

The isolationism seems amusing in this time of integrated economies, but the idea of conscripting resources before sending soldiers out is one that I greatly enjoy!