CONGRESS OPENS SOA CLONE:
NEW NAME--SAME SHAME
By a narrow ten vote margin, the House voted to accept the newest "reform" of the School of the Americas. This vote closes the SOA, but at the same time gives the okay for the Pentagon to immediately open a clone. The new school, tentatively called the Defense Institute for Hemispheric Security Cooperation, will--ike its model--be located at Ft. Benning to train Latin America soldiers in Commando tactics, Military Intelligence, Psychological Operations, and advanced Combat Skills.
Rep. Joseph Moakley (D-MA) tried to defeat the Pentagon proposal with an amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill. Republicans Joseph Scarborough (FL) and Tom Campbell (CA) joined Moakley and James McGovern (D-MA) as co-sponsors of a measure that would have closed the School of the Americas but halted opening of the proposed Institute until a Congressional task force reported its recommendations.
Even SOA supporter, Sen. Paul Coverdell, called the "new" school "cosmetic" change that allows the SOA to operate as usual. Nothing in the newly-adopted proposal addresses the public outcry against a taxpayer supported "School of Assassins" linked to human rights atrocities throughout Latin America.
The bipartisan task force called for in the Moakley amendment would have evaluated the effect of US military training on the human rights performance of Latin American soldiers. Commando and combat courses have been core curricula at the SOA and will continue at the SOA clone just approved by Congress. Evidence links this kind of training to human rights atrocities. For example, Salvadoran soldiers cited by a United Nations Truth Commission for the commando-style massacre of six Jesuit priests and their two women co-workers had just completed the SOA Commando Course.
"Some Members of Congress may have been fooled, but the people are not. We will be at Ft. Benning by the thousands again this November and in the halls of the new Congress in January. We will keep coming back until we shut down the 'School of Assassins' forever," promised thousands across the country.
November 17-19, 2000, Fort Benning, GA. As always, a solemn funeral procession will cross the line onto Fort Benning. In addition, affinity groups will engage in other forms of nonviolent action.
Orientation, Friday Nov. 17.
Peacekeeper Orientation and Vigil at the Gate, Saturday November 18th
Vigil and Nonviolent Civil Disobedience, Sunday November 19th.
For more information, contact SOA WATCH,
P.O. Box 4566, Washington, DC 20017 (202) 234-3440