The Truest Soldier Of Them All

On this day, November 11, we remember many brave and amazing men and women. I highly respect them all and I truly appreciate everything they stand for, even if I don't agree with how they are often used.


There is one truly exceptional soldier I would like to thank to high heaven, though:

Major General Smedley Darlington Butler.

This man not only fought bravely and honorably (and kicked a lot of ass), but later on he also learned (from his own experiences) the reality about the less-than-noble nature and purposes of the overwhelming majority of wars. That's really saying something coming from him, the most decorated solider in US history.

He detailed these priceless truths in a packet fittingly titled War Is A Racket.

Furthermore, he recognized that battles for a better world are not limited to foreign lands; they are a domestic fight as well. At home, he fought for human rights and social welfare programs for all Americans in the face of severe slander from the mainstream ("socialist," "anti-American," "Bolshevik," "subversive," etc... you know, all the usual bullshit).

And here's something you'll NEVER hear about in the MSM:

Butler's perhaps greatest achievement was that he gave the USA some breathing room when a bunch of corporate gangsters and sociopaths tried to overthrow FDR and implement pure, unbridled fascism in the US (it should be noted that these same forces were among the most powerful and important factors that helped bring fascism to Europe). The conspirators approached Butler and asked him to lead the coup because he was immensely popular with the troops, especially veterans. But then something unexpected happened: Smedley refused to sell his soul, and he blew the whistle on the plot to Congress!

Of course, it was all hushed up in the Ministry Of Truth, but the Congressional investigation fully confirmed Butler's testimony and the extreme extent of the danger in its final internal report.

His sacrifice bought America the time it needed to develop incredible achievements in social welfare, education, public health, and many other areas crucial to society's well-being. These gifts did the people so much good and were something to be treasured and nurtured... at least, until they started being reversed in the last few decades...

We should not merely remember this man. We should continue to fight for what he stood for, while never forgetting who the true villains are: the market and competition themselves.

If anything, considering what's happening now, we should use Smedley Butler's sacrifice as even more ammunition to fight the cancer of neoliberalism. The "reforms" of that poisonous ideology are destroying everything good that America and numerous other nations created and nurtured with very positive results throughout the 20th century up until the present. It is an understatement to say that the consequences of neoliberalism are devastating, both on human beings and the environment.

We need to fight off this sick culture of competition. It is unproductive, inefficient, and utterly destructive and unhealthy. We must work for a society founded on cooperation and the other virtues of humanity. Smedley knew that... and so should we!