Dec 30th, 2010
A follow up the today's first quote. Again, I would like to share the words of Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler, USMC. Maj. Gen. Butler genuinely embodied the troubling contradictions of our country's journey into modernity. A man of imperious discipline, he fought many bloody conflicts in our name. He later showed even greater bravery by utterly repudiating our colonial tendencies.
"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." -- Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler, USMC
I grew up in Harlan County, Kentucky and have long felt the exploitation of my region and my people is essentially the same as our imperialistic efforts in foreign lands. Have you read, "Storming Heaven"? Pull up the photos of Lewis Hine and find the one where the kids are picking slate from the coal. Note the big guy with the stick behind the boys. My dad did those boys' job as a child around 1923 and came home bruised across his shoulders and back each evening. This went on for years until he and his friends took their fists and built the UMWA into a force. "Storming Heaven", which is set in West Virginia, tells a bit of the story. Thanks for visiting my blog. Come by and read my creative writing under Creative Sundays: "Prospectors", "A Question of Faith", also try "Dulcimers and Dew", and "Have You Ever Commited a Faux Pas" are pretty funny. Humor is woven into the DNA of the Appalachian people and my posts often reflect that advantageous bit of biology. I love your blog and will check back often. Please pass the word regarding my blog if you like what you read. I will certainly pass yours along as soon as I figute out how to do those type things. Cletis
ReplyDelete