I keep thinking about the last time the country was threatened by a right-wing coup attempt, and how likely it is to happen again. I also thought about how few Americans alive today even know it happened:

These reasons were proposed to explain why the Business Plot did not become a cause célèbre:

* The story embarrassed politically influential business people, who felt it best to deflect attention from themselves.
* In 1934, newspapers were controlled by an élite — according to then-Interior Secretary Harold L. Ickes, 82 per cent of daily newspapers monopolized their communities; the media down-played Gen. Butler’s testimony to protect the interests of advertisers and their owners.
* Some of President Roosevelt’s advisors were plotters, and downplayed the matter, avoiding exposure.
* In the BBC Radio Document program, The Whitehouse Coup, John Buchanan suggests President Roosevelt stopped the investigation for a political deal: “The investigations mysteriously turned to vapor when it comes time to call them to testify. FDR’s main interest was getting the New Deal passed, and so he struck a deal in which it was agreed that the plotters would walk free if Wall Street would back off of their opposition to the New Deal and let FDR do what he wanted”. [45]

Butler later wrote about it in his book, “War is a Racket”:

This was the last straw for the highly decorated General. He wrote what should be required reading for all high school students, “War Is A Racket,” in which he declared he has been a “gangster for capitalism” for over thirty years, on three continents. After having been corporate America’s man for so long, leading the charge to secure territory, resources, cheap labour and markets for U.S. business interests, he was asked to go one step further in the betrayal of his conscience, and perform the same function at home: destroy democracy and install a business-friendly dictatorship. His stomach turned, his conscience revolted, and the rest, is history - or it would be, if it had not been erased.

In order to correct this dark and dangerous silence, it is important that Smedley Butler’s tale now be told. In his own words:

“The U.S. has routinely destroyed democracy throughout the globe while its leaders spout words about spreading democracy.

“I spent thirty-three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country’s most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle-man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism….

“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.

“During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room would say, a swell racket. Looking back on it, I feel that I could have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.”

– Major-General Smedley Butler, 1933.

I agree with Naomi Wolf: All the pieces are in place for a fascist coup. Let’s see what happens now.

UPDATE: Oh, hadn’t seen this. Apparently Congress was threatened with martial law if they didn’t support the bailout…