Book Description
General Smedley Butler's frank book shows how American war efforts were animated by big-business interests. This extraordinary argument against war by an unexpected proponent is relevant now more than ever.
Customer Reviews:
A truth bullet right in the forehead.......2007-09-03
The word "classic", like other words in the abused English language, is regularly misused. It is not misused in describing this book. And at the pittance required to buy this edition, it can also be described as the biggest bargain you will encounter all year. To call the book an "anti-war" classic is not as accurate as it might be, however, because Gen. Butler envisions the need for a standing army and navy to defend the nation. He is merely horrified at these forces being sent to fight other people's wars. Especially at the cost of all wars.
Gen. Butler writes between the two World Wars. Having earned an estimable reputation among the troops he led, he proceeded not to desert them after the war was over. He sided with the bonus marchers who built "Hooverville", and then he finished some thoughts he had been having about the role of the United States Marine Corps in a number of lesser American military adventures. He then wrote this pamphlet to explain why the country needed to rid itself of the conmen who keep taking it to foreign wars.
The work is divided into five sections:
1. War Is A Racket!
2. Who Makes the Profits?
3. Who Pays the Bills?
4. How to Smash This Racket!
5. To Hell with War!
As another reviewer has noted, Gen. Butler rendered even greater service to his country after leaving the Marines than while serving actively. In prose that is utterly direct and unadorned, he outlines the nature of war, the identities and profit margins of the criminals, the role of the propagandizing press, and the victims of the fiscal enterprise of war. He then suggests a practical method for removing the profit from the business of war: simply conscript every owner, manager and employee of the war-making industries into the war effort, 30 days before the troops are called up, at the same pay rate as the enlisted man. During WWI, that was $30.00 per month. It is an idea so simple and brilliant that it will never be tried, unless, of course, the entire population suddenly has the wool pulled from its eyes, and passes the requisite law. As a test of industrial patriotism, this idea has no peers.
(My idea for educating the masses would be to make every thirteen-year-old boy and girl read this book, pass an exam on it, and then administer the book and the exam to their parents. This would be an annual event, and a general election would be held as soon as the parents had passed their exams.)
It is depressing to read this book in 2007, note that it was written in 1935, and reflect that nothing has changed. It is also heartening to realize that the solution to the problem of war is to convey the meaning of one four-word sentence to the masses. That sentence is the title of this book. Even in a time of sinking literacy levels and short attention spans, I can imagine no more worthy project for our country.
A must read for American Citizens.......2007-07-25
While I don't agree with all of Butler's recommendations (among which is, never fight a war), many of his recommendations are great. His documentation of the Facist plot he exposed is very important. (BTW: Prescott Bush was a co-conspirator in these coup-plans, as documented by the BBC.)
Facism was a threat then, and given the growing corporatism in the USA, a threat now.
People never learn........2007-07-23
This small book is timeless in its message. Written before WW2, it applies to much of what has happened since. As Butler wrote, " Why don't those damned oil companies fly their own flags on their personal property - maybe a flag with a gas pump on it." Two Iraq wars prove Butler's prescience.
Read this now.......2007-05-14
One of the most important books ever written by an American military figure, General Butler explains why war is a crime fought for the financial gain of a tiny class of society. This is extremely relevant for all Americans trying struggling to end wars of conquest and profit.
What Seems Is Not Reality - Read This Pamphlet.......2007-04-24
I am torn in giving this small collection a rating. In terms of importance, I would give this booklet five stars. In terms of writing style, it would earn one star. Nevertheless, this is the kind of book you must read, for it will shatter your illusions, should you have them, about the nature of American military might. These words, from pen of the most decorated American general, Brigadier General Smedley Butler, form a well supported middle finger in the face of American hegemony and neo-colonialism.
From a literary standpoint, this is not a book. It is a collection of short essays, written as you would expect a brash general to write. "War is a Racket" is but one of a several essays in this short book. In addition to its namesake, the booklet also contains an arguments against American intervention in World War II, and a photo essay of the horrors of war.
I would recommend this booklet to anyone going off to fight yet another war based on lies and secretly intended for the profit of the ruling class. Parents, read this before considering allowing your child to join forces of evil.
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Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Henri Cartier-Bresson And Walker Evans: Documentary And Anti-Graphic Photographs
Daniel Girardin ,
Ian Jeffrey ,
Agnes Sire ,
Peter Galassi , and
Michel Tournier
Manufacturer: Steidl
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Evans, Walker
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Henri Cartier-Bresson And Alberto Giacometti: La Decision De L'oeil / The Decision Of The Eye
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The Photobook: A History - Volume 2
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Stephen Shore: Uncommon Places
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Henri Cartier-Bresson: Mexican Notebooks 1934-1964
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Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Biography
ASIN: 3865210724
Release Date: 2004-06-15 |
Book Description
In 1935, when the influential New York collector Julien Levy conceived the exhibition Documentary and Anti-Graphic Photographs by Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans & Alvarez Bravo, no one could imagine the eminent place this trio would come to occupy in the avant-garde of their time, nor the immense influence they would have on future generations of photographers. Collected here for the first time since the famous 1935 exhibition, this treasure of images by three great masters of 20th century photography places us face to face with the history of the medium in the making. The Show in New York in 1935 was one of the first exhibitions Henri Cartier-Bresson ever had. This book is the last project he considered before his death this past year.
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Beyond the Barricades: Popular Resistance in South Africa
Andre Odendaal
Manufacturer: Aperture Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Apartheid
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Discrimination & Racism
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ASIN: 0893813753 |
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Coastal Command
Ian Carter
Manufacturer: Ian Allan Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Aviation
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THE CINDERELLA SERVICE: RAF Coastal Command 1939 - 1945
ASIN: 0711030189 |
Book Description
Coastal Command - along with, domestically, Bomber Command and Fighter Command - represented an element in the Royal Air Force's major contribution to Britain's military efforts during World War 2. However, its achievements are less familiar than those of Fighter Command, whose victory in the Battle of Britain ensured that Germany was not victorious in the west, and Bomber Command, whose campaign against occupied Europe severely damaged the German war effort. But the role of Coastal Command was perhaps even more important for, without its campaign in at the Atlantic against the marauding U-boats of the Kriegsmarine, it is unlikely that Britain could have survived, being starved of the food and materials essential for the maintenance of the war effort. Of thee 727 U-boats sunk during world War 2, no fewer than 192 were sunk by aircraft of Coastal Command. Drawn from the archives of the Imperial War Museum, where the author works in the Photographic Department, Coastal Command is a pictorial history of Coastal Command during World War 2. Featuring more than 200 images, the book explores the history of the Command during the war, its aircraft, successes (and failures), and the men who served in it. The book follows on from the author's earlier highly successful and well-regarded volumes on Bomber Command (now out of print) and Fighter Command. Superbly illustrated throughout with remarkable images drawn from the archives of the Imperial War Museum alongside detailed and well-researched captions, Coastal Command is an excellent tribute to the men and machines of Coastal Command during the war. It will be of interest to all students of military aviation during World War 2.
Product Description
Revised edition published by The Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Chapters include Our Freedom Documents, Communism--Enemy of All Freedoms, Why Public Schools?,and Free Enterprise--An American Invention.
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Heroes and Anti-heroes
Magnum
Manufacturer: Carlton Books Limited
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0233986286 |
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Photographs and anti-photographs
Elliott Erwitt
Manufacturer: New York Graphic Society
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Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: 0821204408 |
Customer Reviews:
Weird and Brilliant.......1998-07-09
This is a great book of photography, by a true master of composition. While he is also a very capable commercial photographer (he took that picture of the French man and boy riding away on a bicycle that every student of French has seen), Erwitt's real talent is capturing candid scenes that are surreal, funny, or just plain odd. He is particularly good at taking animals, buildings, and inanimate objects and making them look somehow human, which can be a really moving effect. Highly recommended to photographers and fans of both art and humor.
Book Description
For thousands of years, women have asked themselves: What is the deal with guys, anyway? What are they thinking? The answer, of course, is: virtually nothing. But that has not stopped Dave Barry from writing an entire book about them, dealing frankly and semi-thoroughly with such important guy issues as:
- Scratching
- Why the average guy can remember who won the 1960 World Series but
not necessarily the names of all his children
- Why guys cannot simultaneously think and look at breasts
- Secret guy orgasm-delaying techniques, including the Margaret Thatcher
Method
- Why guys prefer to believe that there is no such thing as a "prostate"
Customer Reviews:
Dave Dave, he's the man, if he can't make you laugh, nobody can.......2007-10-03
What I love about Dave is he's a regular guy....and yet, he's so darn funny! Here he is writing about what he knows best - guys. I laughed so hard that tears were rolling down my face........and I wasn't even past the introduction! Seriously though, this book should be required reading for any girl planning to get married or just moving in with a guy. It might save them some grief later on. Heck - it could even save a marriage or two or thirteen! Dave so hilariously shares with us all the mysteries of being a guy - from scratching (still chuckling about that chapter) to urinal etiquette, fear of committment to special medical conditions such as memory lapses. He truly says it like it is and oh, it's said so well. There's only one other humor writer who has made me laugh so hard I peed my pants (thanks a lot, Jarod Kintz) but Dave rates right up there for Guy Most Likely to Make you Pee.
So True! .......2007-06-29
Out of all of Barry's books, he referred to this book the most when he spoke to us at the Speaker Series. This book covers all of those quirky things about guys that all guys know deep down but never have the balls to mention. I relate well with the male urinal strategy that he outlines. I have never had my prostate examined, but I could not hold back my laughter when he described the prostate exam as all men's greatest fear.
Guides to guys.......2007-05-07
Dave Berry's Guide to Guys is the best book out there to read for guys. It is so funny. It makes you wet yourself in laughter. It will make you want to read more to see what will be his next joke. There is a test that you can take if you are a guy or a man. The jokes are not too bad for young kids.
predictable and unfunny after the first chapter.......2007-03-30
starts with a bang and then fizzles out.
rent a blue-collar comedy tour dvd instead.
Hilarious.......2007-02-22
This is great stuff. It's so good, I gave it to a female coworker who always complained that she had trouble "getting" men. She made the mistake of starting to read this at her desk and was laughing out loud so hard she had to stop. It funny as hell for any guy to read, but my personal suggestion is to give it to a woman who thinks she "knows" men - she'll probably thank you one way or the other.
Amazon.com
Everyone knows Dave Barry as the hard-hitting Pulitzer-Prize winning columnist for the Miami Herald -- but it turns out he writes humor books as well!
For thousands of years, women have asked themselves: "What is the deal with guys, anyway? What are they thinking?" The answer, of course, is: virtually nothing. If you're a guy -- or you're attempting to share a remote control with one -- you need this book, because it deals frankly and semi-thoroughly with such important guy issues as:
- how to have a relationship with a guy
- scratching
- the Noogie Gene
- why guys cannot simultaneously think and look at breasts
- why the average guy can remember who won the 1960 World Series, but not necessarily the names of all his children
- and much, much more.
Book Description
In this wholly original book--except for one classic column on testosterone--Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dave Barry explains why the American guy is not to be confused with a husband, father, hunk, or intellectual, and provides tips for women who want to better understand the species.
Customer Reviews:
Hilarious and useful!.......2006-08-05
As a guy, it is hard not to like something that is clearly written by another guy trying to explain to the rest of the world why we're wired the way we are.
As Barry says, "Woman have always wondered, 'just what are guys thinking?' ... and the answer is, of course, 'not very much'". It's true! Guys are simple creatures -- give a guy a beer and a steak, and he gets happy. Turn off his TV during a game and he becomes unhappy. Cause and effect. None of those inexplicable mind games or multiple levels of reasoning and analysis other genders tend to display; what you see is what you get.
And all jest aside, I think that this is a key message that really needs to get across more so that women everywhere learn to adjust expectations accordingly. A forgotten anniversary is just that -- stupid forgetfulness -- not a sign that he's secretly begun loathing her and now fired the first shot in a battle that will last years and eventually lead to a bitter divorce. A dirty sock on the kitchen counter is not a demonstration of his disrespect for your mother. And yes, that 49ers game really IS more important than your coworker's baby shower.
Of course, this is a humor book so expect at least three laughs per page -- par for the course in Dave Barry reading. So you have a great time PLUS you can use it to make others gain a better understanding when you're done with it. If I ever get married, I'll make sure to strategically leave this book out and "available" -- chances are I just might save myself a ton of grief.
Absolutely hysterical and TRUE!.......2001-12-28
So funny and so on the mark I have bought at least a dozen copies since it came out -- to give to friends. We used to read it at dinner parties, wait until the eating is over, you would otherwise choke!! Laugh so hard you will cry... and smile with recognition. Men and women LOVE this book!
A Boon For Parents of Teenaged Girls.......2000-11-29
My daughter -- in her late teens -- is experiencing her first Venus vs. Mars misunderstandings with her boyfriend. I am about to buy her a copy of "Guide To Guys" of her own. I expect she'll laugh out loud. Or cry even louder.
Can a funnier book be found? I think not........2000-06-02
This is without a doubt the funniest book I have ever read. Period. And I read a LOT of books.
Probably his funniest!.......2000-03-06
I have read: Dave Barry Slept Here, Dave Barry is From Mars And Venus, Dave Barry in Cyberspace, Dave Barry's Bad Habits, Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys, and just recently Big Trouble.
Dave Barry is the funniest person alive! I love all of the books of his that I have read. However, I didn't laugh anywhere near as hard reading the other books as I did when I read this. It is so funny, and so true! If you like Dave Barry, you will love this book!
Product Description
3 Hardbacks & 1 Med Sz PB
Books:
- When Did Ignorance Become A Point Of View
- White Flash/Black Rain: Women of Japan Relive the Bomb
- Wintrobe's Clinical Hematology, 10th Edition (2 volume set)
- Worldwide Volunteering for Young People 2000
- Yellow, Volume 1
- Yet Untitled: Collection Bernd F. Künne
- A Complete Lowlife
- A Dame to Kill For (Sin City, Book 2: Second Edition)
- An Inner Silence: The Portraits of Henri Cartier-Bresson
- Automated Web Testing Toolkit: Expert Methods for Testing and Managing Web Applications
Books Index
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How The World Really Works
