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S'està carregant… War is a Racket - The Antiwar Classic by America's Most Decorated Soldier: Illustrated Edition (edició 2016)de Smedley Butler (Autor)
Informació de l'obraWar Is a Racket de Smedley D. Butler Cap S'està carregant…
Apunta't a LibraryThing per saber si aquest llibre et pot agradar. No hi ha cap discussió a Converses sobre aquesta obra. Closer to a pamphlet than a book, clocking in at just over 40 pages, War is a Racket is a condemnation of the military machine by a man who was at the time the most decorated war veteran in America with 19 medals - including 2 medals of honor. While some of the numbers were eye-opening and I'd imagine very surprising to the public in 1935, I wonder if his stance would have changed at all if he lived to write it after the atrocities and aggression of WWII. He did provide a good amount of numbers showing price gouging from American companies to the government in times of war and showed the double-sacrifice the common person had to make while the rich got richer. I appreciated that. I don't know if I can get behind his idea of American isolationism though...it's a smaller world than ever before. An extremely short and concise book on who benefits in monetary profits and who pays for those profits during war. Equally interesting is the role played by military operations in securing benefits and market areas for various corporations and international bankers. It is worth a read and, unfortunately, I think will be once again timely and prophetic in the near future as it was in regard to WWII. (The book was written prior to WWII and the author died before the US entry into that war.) This was so depressing. Originally published in 1935, it drives home the fact that not a single thing has changed. In fact, it has only gotten more entrenched. Worse by magnitudes. Instead of hiding behind platitudes and patriotism, our ruling class barely hides their greed and lack of motivation for waging war beyond greed and avarice now. The press are still their cheerleaders and worse, they aid in spreading the propaganda to enrich themselves. Reading it felt like an exercise in helplessness. It's cliche to say that you are anti-war, but as long as there are still so many who cheer for war there will be a need for anti-war activists. Mark Twain's posthumous [b:The War Prayer|237050|The War Prayer|Mark Twain|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1375469139l/237050._SY75_.jpg|229608] was also part of this volume. I read this some time ago. It's a wonderful piece that I return to for a reminder that I have not run out of empathy for my fellow human beings. Sense ressenyes | afegeix-hi una ressenya
Critics of war are often labeled treasonous lunatics. Even those who are critical of the government are scrutinized and dragged through the mud. Young men and women volunteer to fight wars on their nation's behalf, and we should commend them for their actions, but we should question the steps to board ships and planes bound for foreign soil before their military service is required. Major General Smedley Butler was a 2x Medal of Honor recipient and an advocate for those he lead to war. His legacy is rich with valor in combat but also the bureaucratic fight on the homefront. From exposing war-profiteering to campaigning for veterans benefits that provide returning US troops with rich opportunities in the present day, "Old Gimlet Eye" was an American hero you surely did not read about in school. "War is a racket, it always has been," and it still is. No s'han trobat descripcions de biblioteca. |
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Google Books — S'està carregant… GèneresClassificació Decimal de Dewey (DDC)320Social sciences Political Science Political ScienceLCC (Clas. Bibl. Congrés EUA)ValoracióMitjana:
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When called to take part in something under the boom of loud patriotism, take a step down and do wonder what is going on and who actually is doing the work, for whom and why.
Highly recommended. ( )