https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smedley_Butler
In 1933, Butler claimed to have been approached to become involved in a controversy, the Business Plot, telling a United States congressional committee a group of wealthy American industrialists were planning a coup d’état to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Butler also claimed the plotters of the alleged coup intended to use him, at the head of a group of veterans, to place the federal government under arrest. The individuals alleged to be involved in the coup all denied the existence of such a plot and the media ridiculed Butler’s allegations, but a final report following an investigation by a special House of Representatives committee confirmed at least some of his testimony.
If they had been hanged in `33 as appropriate, we might not be dealing with this shit right now.
There were multiple inflection points that could have changed the direction of the modern day. The founding fathers could have grown a spine and outlawed slavery, for example
That was never going to happen, sadly. Most of the southern states wouldn’t have joined the union if slavery was targeted that early.
Quite directly, yes, because Prescott Bush was one of them.
not just any coup either, but an explicitly fascist one
At least that punished everyone trying to over throw the gov, right?..right?..
Prescott Bush (father of George and grandfather of Dubya) was one of its leaders.
If you haven’t already, read War is a Racket. It’s not especially long but really lays out the profiteering side of war.
https://www.heritage-history.com/site/hclass/secret_societies/ebooks/pdf/butler_racket.pdf
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is also good
https://annas-archive.gl/md5/b0d3b6b5239d0ad8d340e1d0b8b51da4
I feel like we might be able to go back and forth on “depressing reality” literature for a long while hahaha :(
It’s depressing to see how little has changed.
Eisenhower specifically called out the military-industrial complex in his final speech as president.
No one listened to him either (well, they might have used his warning as a road map) and meow the country, and perhaps the world, are in a very dark place.
Twenty years ago, when I was in high school, was the first time I listened to Ike’s military industrial complex speech. I was a smart kid but the speech didn’t have the weight it has now, in my adult life.
I think about that a lot. Same with the Robert Mueller warning. It’s almost like, in both instances, these men felt they had no power to do anything beyond some ominous warnings. And unfortunately, like when I was a teenager, I feel it goes over most people and they are indifferent.
… Did you say meow?
Eisenhower was also a politician and thus often talked the talk without walking the walk. It’s hard to pat him on the back when he also participated in creating the conflict that feeds the military industrial complex.
These were the Technocrats, right? Musk’s family was involved in that and then fled to South Africa
Prescott Bush was involved and later became a senator, so I don’t see why the Musk family would have reason to flee. Maybe they were more culpable? My understanding is that they were Nazis involved in mining in S Africa.
They were Canadian and didn’t approve of liberal reforms. They went to SA specifically because of Apartheid
Adding to Kobolds’ reply, this link’s to a decent CBC long read about Joshua Haldeman.
a few highlights:
-He was the head of Technocracy Inc’s Regina branch and arrested during WW2 (link’s to a newspaper clip from 1940).
-He was also one of the world’s first chiropractors, and railed against fluoridation, vaccinations, and health insurance.
-He ran for the Prime Minister’s gig twice and got VERY sooky when he lost.
-In 1948 when repeatedly interrupted by boos and catcalls at the Regina Housewives League party leaders’ forum, Elon’s granddaddy cried out: “I am making a speech here. Isn’t there still freedom of speech in Regina?”
-Then he heard South Africa would let him Lord it over the locals, so went there to be a super special Whitey. He didn’t “flee” anything (except the reality that nobody wanted to vote for him).
-In 1951, he wrote in the Regina Leader-Post about his new life in SA: “We have two native (Negro) garden boys in the summer and one in the winter and a native girl. […] The natives are very primitive and must not be taken seriously. We get quite a bang out of them and they are really quite useful. It takes three natives to do the work of one white man.”
-Following the 1960 Sharpeville massacre, Haldewell wrote at great length about how it’s really “the white man” who’s being discriminated against etcetcetc.
-He made his family spend their summers camping in the desert looking for a lost city of white people that gave South Africa civilization.
I only learned about any of this last year. Wish it was common knowledge during his “genius on The Big Bang” era.
Butler also wrote “War is a Racket,” which is a must read for basically everyone. Good dude.
You would think it was written yesterday too.
The Business Plot inspired the movie Amsterdam. If I recall correcly, the movie ends with the original footage of Butler revealing the plot.
I just posted about him here lol
https://lemmy.zip/comment/27973126
And I learned about him from this video on Disco Elysium
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ0G4hAUsVE
Scratch a liberal and a fascist bleeds.
Time sure rhymes.
They succeeded by using money, rather than overt violence.
