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War is a Racket

One person show based on Maj. Gen. Butler’s 1935 expose War is a Racket

Major General Smedley Butler was the most decorated marine at the time of his death in 1940 who fought in the Spanish-American, Philippine-American and Caribbean Wars as well as WWI.

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Watch The Show: Teaser

Namaya debuted “WAR is a RACKET 2015: Major General Smedley Butler USMC (Ret) at Brandeis University on November. 15, 2015

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[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row el_class=”hype pdt-md pdb-md section” css=”.vc_custom_1452777563007{background-color: #0c0c0c !important;}”][vc_column][vc_row_inner el_class=”hype wrapper”][vc_column_inner][vc_text_separator title=”About The Show” el_class=”title-separator hype”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner el_class=”hype wrapper”][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]The performance of War is a Racket 2017 is a one person show based on Butler’s book “War is a Racket,” by the performance poet/ artist Namaya and USN Veteran.

Major General Smedley Butler was the most decorated marine at the time of his death in 1940. A Quaker who fought in the Spanish-American, Philippine-American and Caribbean Wars as well as WWI. Born a Quaker, he volunteered for the Spanish American war at the age of sixteen, and his experience in the military led him to become a vocal critic or militarism and profiteering.

This play is based on Major General Butler’s 1935 expose War is a Racket:

“I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and 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 benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902–1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might 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.”

The multimedia performance of War is a Racket covers socio-cultural and economics issues drawing parallels to the bonus army of post WWI to issues facing returning soldiers today. General Butler warned of the military industrial complex and now with the US Military budget in excess of $1 trillion dollars, it is vital for all Americans to hear the words of the general.

Following the performance there is a discussion and the audience can ask questions of the Major General Smedley Butler.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row el_class=”hype section pdt-md pdb-md” css=”.vc_custom_1452778339371{background-color: #000000 !important;}”][vc_column][vc_row_inner el_class=”hype wrapper”][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text el_class=”hype font-white ff-secondary font-300 namaya-quote-wr”]“I have taken the writings of Butler, the cross of Iron Speech by Eisenhower, George Washington’s warnings of “Foreign Entanglement”, poems of Wilfred Owens of the WWI poets, the writings of the first founders of USA and their reflection on the price of democracy. This performance is for ALL Americans, Democrat, Republican, conservative or otherwise. Fundamentally, in this multimedia performance we asked, “What is the role of the military in a democratic society and who has a say in its conduct?

After serving in the military and working for more than 5 years with Veterans at the Veterans Hospitals, I became profoundly convinced of the sheer waste of war to resolve conflicts. I have spent the previous decades through art, poetry and performance to talk about the vital issues of peace and social change.”

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War is a Racket 2016

The performance of War is a Racket 2016 is a one person show  based on Butler’s book “War is a Racket,”
by the performance poet/ artist Namaya and USN Veteran.

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About Namaya

Namaya is an internationally known performance artist and poet who has performed in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and throughout the USA. He is a storyteller, playwright and actor who appeared in his play “Beatnik Café: A musical Revue of the Jazz Beat Generation.” He is a Vietnam era veteran, a Quaker, and peace activist.. Namaya said, “I am committed to engaging communities in conversations about peace, & social justice, through art, and performance. . .War is not the answer to resolving conflicts. War is a Racket.”

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