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These articles reflect the opinion of the author and are not endorsed by the Greater Milwaukee Green Party.

Why This Former Marine Stands Against the Iraq War
By Robert Miranda

Some people find it hard to believe that a former Marine, one of America’s best-trained warriors, would go against his president and his country’s resolve to engage in war against Iraq. But I am against this war.

I’m not a pacifist. I don’t have the courage to be one. As a member of the Green Party I believe nations and people have the right to self-defense. However, I’m against this war because of the teachings I learned from America’s most decorated General, this two-time Medal of Honor recipient not only fought wars for us, he fought domestically to ensure wars were fought in our defense, not for profit.

My views on wars were shaped by a real hero to many rank and file Marines, United States Marine Corps General Smedley Darlington Butler. General Butler is a hero to many rank and file Marines because, as many senior non-commissioned officers know, he was a Marine’s Marine.

I served my country for 8 years by serving in the Marine Corps as a non-commissioned officer. Serving my country gave me an opportunity to see through the obfuscation of the pro-American rhetoric of the Reagan era; however, it was not until I attended college and earned my degree that I was able to sharpen my political views and beliefs.

During my years as a Marine I was assigned to an infantry division, the 2nd Marine Division based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. My unit deployed to many areas around the world, Central America, the Caribbean, Korea and the Middle East, to mention a few. During these deployments I always took the opportunity to reflect on the military campaigns we were charged to carry through. Then as now I believe many of the battles and peace-keeping missions my unit endeavored upon were actions which benefited a few people.

Many active duty Marines today are unaware of General Butler’s notions and opinions about war. If the Marines allowed the rank and file to study General Butler’s words, my hunch is that there would be many military leaders questioning our president’s actions today.

General Butler's book, "War is a Racket," highly influenced my own opinions about war and the way this country uses its military force. Originally printed in 1935, “War Is a Racket” is General Smedley Butler's frank speech describing his years as a Marine serving as a puppet for big-business interests. General Butler went against the corporate war machine because he saw how corporations were raping democracy by attempting to take control of our government.

General Butler served our country with honor and distinction. As a Marine engaged in campaigns for the United States his valor and courage were without equal. Later he would acknowledge, but was careful not to renounce the Marines, that the use of US Military forces outside of our borders in campaigns he was involved in, did not serve the interest of the United States Constitution or its citizens. He believed these campaigns to be tools of Big Business.

Once General Butler came to terms with this notion he became a very politically charged and controversial figure. Imagine, a former General of the United States Marine Corps declaring that he was against war? Actually, he didn't go against war, what he resolved to be was an advocate for the prudent use of our military in the defense of the homeland. 

"I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long.... Looking back on it, I feel I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three city districts. We Marines operated on three continents" [Maverick Marine, 1998].

This statement is the basis for why I stand against this war. In the closing stages of this campaign one can see the many corporations lining up for contracts aimed at rebuilding Iraq. The New York Times recently published an article outlining the various American corporations about to profit from this war. Some of these corporations clearly have ties to members of the Bush administration.

Are we fighting a just war? I believe that America is engaged in a war that is going to benefit a few people and is going to cost taxpayer billions of dollars. The majority of American workers will not benefit from the war fought by our military men and women because the corporations involved in Iraq are multinational and have no loyalty to America.

Indeed, there will hardly be any jobs as a result of our victory. If there are any jobs, they will be non-union jobs, and the rich will continue to get richer. In the end, it’s the American taxpayer who loses, and it’s our veterans who will be left out in the cold holding a brown paper bag with an Honorable discharge and Purple Heart in it.

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