John Kerry's Anti-War Book Riles Former Green Beret

[thedrifter]

John Kerry's Anti-War Book Riles Former Green Beret <br />
By Marc Morano <br />
CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer <br />
February 19, 2004 <br />
<br />
(CNSNews.com) - John F. Kerry downplayed any threat posed by the communist...

[namgrunt]

Hanoi John is not THE JFK, and Max Clelland is no George S. Patton. It wasn't Nixon's war, it was LBJ's.

My eldest sister gave me a copy of Kerry's book decades ago. I think the mice got to it in the attic. I wonder what I could get for a rodent infested book on E-Bay?

[greybeard]

A pristine copy with the origianal picture on the cover was going for over $1000 a few weeks ago. If I had one, I'd run it thru the shredder and use it for kitty litter. No offense intended namgrunt, but if my sis gave me one of those, we'd have to have a heart to heart talk. :D

[namgrunt]

I'd normally never destroy a book, Greybeard. You never know when it may serve as incriminating evidence.

[greybeard]

Good point!!

[Super Dave]

Or use the boot to beat her...Just a thought though.

[usmc4669]

The old saying is a picture is worth a thousand words see Kerry's picture protesting.

[ivalis]

I think Kerry was echoing Smedly Butler's feelings. "War is a racket"

I don't see any of you fine Marines bad mouthing Smedley's sentiment.

[Phantom Blooper]

Excerpt from a speech delivered in 1933 by General Smedley Darlington Butler, USMC. General Butler was the recipient of two Congressional Medals of Honor.
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. . . .

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. 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.
:marine: :marine:

[namgrunt]

Interesting speech by Smedley Butler. Its worth researching the speech to peruse it in it's entirety, and see before whom it was delivered. Until then, I'll withhold comment on it.

It doesn't change my view of Hanoi John Kerry.

namgrunt

[ivalis]

Namgrunt, If Smedly would of said that in 1971 you would have called him a traitor too.

The irony brings a smile to my mug.

[namgrunt]

I don't recall commenting on Butler's loyalties, o smirking one. Don't ever try putting words in my mouth again, you understand me!

I consider Kerry a turncoat by his actions and their consequences. I don't have that opinion of Smedley Butler. If my research changes that oipinion, then it will change. But until and unless I make that change, not you nor anyone else speaks for me. Are we Clear!

Lee Harvey Oswald was once a Marine too. I don't call him "brother" because he betrayed the oath he took. I consider Kerry's oath to have been discarded along with the medals he tossed back. 'Nuff Said!

namgrunt

[greybeard]

If frogs had wings they wouldn't hit their ass on the ground every time they jumped. He spoke those words in 1933 in regards to a time when this country,and the rest of the world was still very much in colonial mode. Very late 1800's and early 1900's. Care to explain the relevance of your analogy to the contemporary? Would you rather be paying the high price the rest of the world paid for it's inaction? Kerry was trying to make a name for himself in front of the anti-war crowd that was prevalent in the 70's-in preparation for a political career. That's the way the wind was blowing at the time. Now, he claims to be a war hero? I'm guessing the wind has suddenly changed direction and he went with it. And yes, Butler took a lot of flack at the time of his comments, from both within and outside the Corps. His words proved to be less than accurate Dec 7, 1941.

[namgrunt]

Interesting reading, this &quot;War is a Racket&quot;, by Smedley Butler. I see where some comparisons may be made to certain antiwar &quot;ideals&quot;, but not in the implementation, nor in the ultimate goal. Gen....

[usmc4669]

ivalis: You are a true blue Democrat or just a plain ass either way
there're the same. Wish that I knew where you are comming from.

Phantom Blooper: you did your home work well. Couldn't have said it any better.

namgrunt: What are we going to do with ivalis?

[namgrunt]

Gunny
I've had my say. Ivalis is free to do whatever he wishes, except speak for me concerning any matters of normal life. I don't speak for him, and expect the same courtesy. Thats how I see it. Its a free country, just don't try and fence me in.
Nice picture of Chesty.

Semper Fi!

[usmc4669]

Agree.

[usmc4669]

Tell NBC To Release The John Kerry "War Crimes" Tape NBC Has Suppressed

On Meet The Press, 5/6/01, John Kerry was played an audiotape from 1971, where he said the following:

(Audiotape, April 18, 1971):

MR. CROSBY NOYES (Washington Evening Star): Mr. Kerry, you said at one time or another that you think our policies in Vietnam are tantamount to genocide and that the responsibility lies at all chains of command over there. Do you consider that you personally as a Naval officer committed atrocities in Vietnam or crimes punishable by law in this country?

SEN. KERRY: There are all kinds of atrocities, and I would have to say that, yes, yes, I committed the same kind of atrocities as thousands of other soldiers have committed in that I took part in shootings in free fire zones. I conducted harassment and interdiction fire. I used 50 calibre machine guns, which we were granted and ordered to use, which were our only weapon against people. I took part in search and destroy missions, in the burning of villages. All of this is contrary to the laws of warfare, all of this is contrary to the Geneva Conventions and all of this is ordered as a matter of written established policy by the government of the United States from the top down. And I believe that the men who designed these, the men who designed the free fire zone, the men who ordered us, the men who signed off the air raid strike areas, I think these men, by the letter of the law, the same letter of the law that tried Lieutenant Calley, are war criminals.

[greybeard]

USMC4669-where did you find that?