--- title: "2 Armed forces Quotes By Michael Parenti" description: "2 Armed forces quotes by Michael Parenti. Plus more from Michael Parenti and more Armed forces sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a73/michael-parenti-7383_armed-forces_the-essence-of-capitalism-is-to-turn-nat_357447.jpg" --- > [The essence of capitalism is to turn nature into commodities and commodities into capital. The live green earth is transformed into dead gold bricks, with luxury items for the few and toxic slag heaps for the many. The glittering mansion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/the-essence-of-capitalism-is-to-turn-nature-into-commodities-and/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a73/michael-parenti-7383_armed-forces_the-essence-of-capitalism-is-to-turn-nat_357447.jpg) > [Between 1831 and 1891, US armed forces - usually the Marines - invaded Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama, Colombia, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Brazil, Haiti, Argentina, and Chile a total of thirty-one times, a fact not many of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/between-1831-and-1891-us-armed-forces-usually-the-marines-invaded/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/780/michael-parenti-7383_argentina_between-1831-and-1891-us-armed-forces-us_944933.jpg) ## Other authors on Armed forces - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b002/author-gavin-williamson-5676.jpg) Gavin Williamson 6 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armed-forces/gavin-williamson/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b006/author-christopher-hitchens-23938.jpg) Christopher Hitchens 6 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armed-forces/christopher-hitchens/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b002/author-penny-mordaunt-5880.jpg) Penny Mordaunt 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armed-forces/penny-mordaunt/) ## More by Michael Parenti > [One mechanism of repression is the grand jury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/one-mechanism-of-repression-is-the-grand-jury/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [A nation as such does not give aid to another nation. More precisely, the common citizens of our country, through their taxes, give to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/a-nation-as-such-does-not-give-aid-to-another-nation-more-precisely/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [Democracy is not about trust; it is about distrust. It is about accountability, exposure, open debate, critical challenge, and popular input and feedback from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/democracy-is-not-about-trust-it-is-about-distrust-it-is-about/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [All economic and political institutions are contrivances that should serve the interests of the people. When they fail to do so, they should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/all-economic-and-political-institutions-are-contrivances-that-should/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [ \[The ruling elites\] know who their enemies are, and their enemies are the people, the people at home and the people abroad. Their enemies… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/the-ruling-elites-know-who-their-enemies-are-and-their-enemies-are/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [Even though the crime rate has dropped in recent years, the United States has more police per capita then any other nation in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/even-though-the-crime-rate-has-dropped-in-recent-years-the-united/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [The crucial role communists played in organizing industrial unions in the 1930s and struggling for social reforms, peace, and civil rights strengthened rather then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/the-crucial-role-communists-played-in-organizing-industrial-unions-in/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [Candidates who win while spending less than their opponents still usually have to spend quite a lot. While not a surefire guarantor of victory,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/candidates-who-win-while-spending-less-than-their-opponents-still/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [People who think they're free in this world just haven't come to the end of their leash yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/people-who-think-they-re-free-in-this-world-just-haven-t-come-to-the/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [The rich have grown richer, but their tax rate has declined. The poor have grown poorer, but their taxes have increased.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/the-rich-have-grown-richer-but-their-tax-rate-has-declined-the-poor/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [The trick is to steal big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/the-trick-is-to-steal-big/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [In almost every enterprise, government has provided business with opportunities for private gain at public expense. Government nurtures private capital accumulation through a process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/in-almost-every-enterprise-government-has-provided-business-with/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [The essence of capitalism is to turn nature into commodities and commodities into capital. The live green earth is transformed into dead gold bricks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/the-essence-of-capitalism-is-to-turn-nature-into-commodities-and/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [Official Washington cannot tell the American people that the real purpose of its gargantuan military expenditures and belligerent interventions is to make the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/official-washington-cannot-tell-the-american-people-that-the-real/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [Ecology's implications for capitalism are too momentous for the capitalist to contemplate. The plutocrats are more wedded to their wealth than to the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/ecology-s-implications-for-capitalism-are-too-momentous-for-the/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armed-forces/michael-parenti/#itemlist", "name": "2 Armed forces Quotes By Michael Parenti", "numberOfItems": 2, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The essence of capitalism is to turn nature into commodities and commodities into capital. The live green earth is transformed into dead gold bricks, with luxury items for the few and toxic slag heaps for the many. 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