From Sojourners@sojo.net
Take Action!Close the School of the Americas
The School of the Americas (SOA) - in 2001 renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation - is a combat training school for Latin American soldiers located at Fort Benning, Georgia. During its 56 years of existence, the SOA has used U.S. tax dollars to train more than 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counterinsurgency techniques, sniper training, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. These graduates have consistently used their skills to wage war against their own country's civilians. Among those targeted by SOA graduates are educators, union organizers, religious workers, student leaders, and others who work for the rights of the poor. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, "disappeared," massacred, and forced into exile by those trained at this "School of Assassins."
Please use the letter below to contact your congressperson and urge them to support HR 1258, a bill to close, investigate, and prevent another cosmetic remake of the SOA.Tell me more
Subject: HR 1258
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
(Edit Letter Below)
I write to urge you to co-sponsor HR 1258, a bill to close the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHISC), formerly the United States Army School of Americas (SOA). The graduates of this institution have a long history of human rights violations. From the atrocities in El Salvador and Guatemala in the 1980's to recent human rights violations in Colombia, SOA/WHISC graduates consistently appear in reports on human rights abuses in Latin America including civilian massacres, assassinations, disappearances, death threats, and countless other crimes against humanity.
Changing the SOA's name did not change a continuing legacy of sacrificing human rights, transparency, and accountability on the altar of political expediency. Closing the SOA/WHISC would show that the United States is serious about supporting human rights and democratic principles in Latin America and about acknowledging its role in the tragic history of the region.
I urge you to support HR 1258 and work for its passage in Congress. There are currently more than 110 co-sponsors of this bill from both parties. Please write to me with your position on this issue so I can share it with the many other constituents who are concerned about human rights. Thank you for your time and commitment to this important matter.
Sincerely,
[Your name][Your address]
The School of the Americas (SOA) - in 2001 renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation - is a combat training school for Latin American soldiers located at Fort Benning, Georgia. During its 56 years of existence, the SOA has used U.S. tax dollars to train more than 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counterinsurgency techniques, sniper training, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. These graduates have consistently used their skills to wage war against their own country's civilians. Among those targeted by SOA graduates are educators, union organizers, religious workers, student leaders, and others who work for the rights of the poor. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, "disappeared," massacred, and forced into exile by those trained at this "School of Assassins."
Please use the letter below to contact your congressperson and urge them to support HR 1258, a bill to close, investigate, and prevent another cosmetic remake of the SOA.Tell me more
Subject: HR 1258
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
(Edit Letter Below)
I write to urge you to co-sponsor HR 1258, a bill to close the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHISC), formerly the United States Army School of Americas (SOA). The graduates of this institution have a long history of human rights violations. From the atrocities in El Salvador and Guatemala in the 1980's to recent human rights violations in Colombia, SOA/WHISC graduates consistently appear in reports on human rights abuses in Latin America including civilian massacres, assassinations, disappearances, death threats, and countless other crimes against humanity.
Changing the SOA's name did not change a continuing legacy of sacrificing human rights, transparency, and accountability on the altar of political expediency. Closing the SOA/WHISC would show that the United States is serious about supporting human rights and democratic principles in Latin America and about acknowledging its role in the tragic history of the region.
I urge you to support HR 1258 and work for its passage in Congress. There are currently more than 110 co-sponsors of this bill from both parties. Please write to me with your position on this issue so I can share it with the many other constituents who are concerned about human rights. Thank you for your time and commitment to this important matter.
Sincerely,
[Your name][Your address]
posted by BLONDIE at 10:33 AM
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