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War Is a Racket: The Antiwar Classic by America's Most Decorated Soldier Kindle Edition

by Smedley Darlington Butler (Author), David Talbot (Foreword), Jesse Ventura (Introduction), Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,086 ratings
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War Is a Racket is the title of two works, a speech and a booklet, by retired US Marine Corps Major General and two-time Medal of Honor recipient Smedley Darlington Butler. In these works, Butler frankly discusses from his experience as a career military officer how business interests commercially benefit from warfare. After his retirement from the Marine Corps, Gen. Butler made a nationwide tour in the early 1930s giving his speech, “War Is a Racket.” The speech was so well received that he wrote a longer version that was published in 1935, now republished with a foreword by former governor of Minnesota and New York Times bestselling author Jesse Ventura.

Jesse Ventura reviews Major General Butler’s original writings and brings them up to date, relating them to our current political climate. Butler was a visionary in his day, and Ventura works to show how right he was and how wrong our current democracy is. Read for the first time Butler’s words with Ventura’s witty, yet insightful spin on this relevant work that will appeal not only to military historians, but also to those interested in the state of our country and the entire world.
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  1. Print length
    225 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Skyhorse
  5. Publication date
    October 1, 2013
  6. File size
    17485 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jesse Ventura is the former independent governor of Minnesota. He is also a former US Navy frogman, a professional wrestler, a movie actor, a visiting fellow at Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and the New York Times bestselling author of seven books, including American Conspiracies, 63 Documents the Government Doesn’t Want You to Read, and Don’t Start the Revolution Without Me! He was the host and executive producer of truTV’s Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, which won the Stony Award from High Times magazine in 2010. He was also the host of the political talk show Off The Grid, which aired on RT America and online at Ora.tv. He has a reputation as a rebel and a freethinker, and he has no qualms about questioning authority. He spends half the year in Baja, Mexico and the other half in his home state of Minnesota.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00E25IYES
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Skyhorse; Reprint edition (October 1, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 1, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 17485 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 225 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,086 ratings

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Smedley D. Butler

Smedley D. Butler

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
1,086 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Dr. D
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2024
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The Price was worth the product.
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E
5.0 out of 5 stars Educate yourself by reading this book.
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2014
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This book is quite an eye opener. Anyone thinking about joining the military should read this before making a decision. Too many young kids join up thinking they are actually fighting for freedom or to defend this country only to realize that war is nothing but a horrible thing that makes no sense. The reason it makes no sense is because it only benefits the people who profit from war.

As stated by General Butler in this book, the only legitimate reason for war is to defend your country from an invading force that's at your borders. Other than that there is no good reason for war. Money, resources, and land are things that most wars are fought for these days. Things that the average soldier and citizen that is doing the fighting and sacrificing will never benefit from.

I'm fairly certain that if kids in high school were required to read this book, you'd have less people supporting these illegal wars we are currently engaged in. It might even help stop future wars if enough citizens were educated instead of just blindly following patriotic propaganda.
20 people found this helpful
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Avid Reader
4.0 out of 5 stars soldiers are given better pay, and allowances and are given extra combat ...
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2016
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This book has sound philosophy (all war is fought for the profit of the few.) It contains eye opening details about the obscene profits made during WWI. It's main fault lies in the solutions General Butler presents. The people in charge aren't going to make sure nobody profits from war. They are not going to allow a limited referendum whereby only soldiers get to vote on whether or not we declare war.

One thing has changed since WWI. Then young soldiers were paid a dollar a day and were encouraged to spend their money on war bonds so that they were essentially paying for the war they were forced to fight. Today, soldiers are given better pay, and allowances and are given extra combat pay so that they get to enjoy a small portion of the profits generated by war. War hasn't been eliminated but the wealth is spread around better.
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars This book should be required reading in High School
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2024
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I wish that I had known about this at seventeen years old when I joined the Army , I would have made different life choices .
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Cecille C
5.0 out of 5 stars War "IS" a Racket
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2015
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Everyone should read this book, ESPECIALLY those who love to accuse antiwar people of being against our own soldiers. They somehow manage to distort what is being said to suit their agenda. No one can accuse me of not knowing how it is to have a loved one join the military and be sent off to a war zone. I have had loved ones do exactly just that. War really is a racket. Both sides of any war (since time immemorial) is funded by the same people. The controllers of the wars (they control everything else) pit us against each other as they rake in billions of dollars in income from selling war machines, etc. The value of our lives, our loved ones lives, is of no consequence to them. These controllers are heartless. I cringe every time I see TV programs patronizing this long running SCAM. I do not consider our soldiers heroes. I consider them VICTIMS of this racket. Our world is in a dismal state and I have little hope we would ever get out of this state since most of the population has been dumbed down. Only a very small part of the population knows exactly what is going on. Everyone is too busy watching their sports channel, their tele novelas, etc., oblivious to the destruction being foisted on us by the controllers of this planet. Everyone needs to wake up. I read 65-70 books a year, just for the information. This is the only way to hone one's bullsh*t radar (to read extensively). I do not expect anyone to read a much as I do, but read at least a few books a year, or subscribe to alternative media online and have a glimpse of the truth. WAKE UP!
22 people found this helpful
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Delmico Collins
5.0 out of 5 stars The General has created a timeless work relevant for ages to come
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2022
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General Smedley Butler has outlined the criteria for a ideological issue that has continued to today. Our system has provided the perfect environment for the use of war as a means to enrich the few at the expense of the many. While some may see this as a partisan political treatise he carefully explains how this is an issue that affects everyone no matter their station in life. I recommend that everyone read this book and learn as much about the general and what led him to write this book.
5 people found this helpful
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Tom Demaree
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written book preserving the orignal texts upon which the book is based.
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2022
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The General's message is one of a voice crying in the wilderness. Is anyone listening? Jeepers, how much does a new F-35 cost? How much does a soldier on the battlefield get paid?
One person found this helpful
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Troy Schilperoort
3.0 out of 5 stars Content is great. Edition is crap.
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2016
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I will never understand publishers who release a nice hardcover edition without putting the least effort toward editing. This edition is riddled with spelling errors, grammatical errors, and basic formatting errors. It lacks footnotes or endnotes. The content is great, and the title essay is a must-read, but the rest of the speeches seem to have been transcribed either by someone who lacks even a high school education, or someone who lacks English fluency. The tells lie amongst the failure to accurately transcribe basic English idiomatic expressions or grammar. The following examples are some of the great instances of word salad you'll find in this edition:

"this estimate most also include"
"[the average overseas soldier] knows now that he was merely a poem in a game"
"How will he might fare should he to lucky enough to return"
"As far a wealth and properties are concerned"

These were taken from a mere 20 page section. I could comb the rest of the book for more examples, but I think you get the picture of the effort that was put into editing this edition.
8 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Imprescindible para entender como funciona el mundo
Reviewed in Spain on May 6, 2024
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Me lo recomendó un amigo, aunque es un libro viejo, la historia está más vigente que nunca, cada alumno de EEUU debería leer este libro. El resto del mundo quizás también.
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linwood d ellsworth
5.0 out of 5 stars Should be read by every service member
Reviewed in Germany on August 11, 2019
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This is a book written by a real American hero and patriot which should be read by every service member or anyone thinking about joining the military.
2 people found this helpful
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Stefanoresi
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent. Fast. Effective. Eye opener.
Reviewed in Italy on May 7, 2019
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Eye opener. Coming from a person with the reputation of General Butler. Very fast to read and written with the military style (fast, sharp, precise) that resembles Julius Ceasar. It's a must read.
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DENIS
5.0 out of 5 stars Still the same old story
Reviewed in Australia on April 14, 2019
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A very punchy piece of writing which argues well for the overthrow of the capitalist system and the abolition of the nation state.
One person found this helpful
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Wooding
5.0 out of 5 stars Dated but still relevant
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 30, 2016
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A quick read with some interesting points. I dare say the 3 points raised are still valid today.
Posting this so I can move on in the book
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