What's New Archive (continued)

What's New Archive (page 3)

Colombia - Aid Bill in the Senate Subject
Date:     Sat, 3 Jun 2000 17:18:20 EDT
Friends,
          Hope you have time to call about this. At the meeting on Thursday SOA Watch West members voiced concern for timely action for the Colombian people.

                    –Judy Liteky

-----------------

TUESDAY, JUNE 6, 2000
NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION TO OPPOSE U.S. MILITARY AID TO COLOMBIA AND SUPPORT EFFECTIVE DRUG POLICY

On or about June 6, grassroots activists from all over the US will call their Senators to oppose military assistance to Colombia and support funds for domestic treatment. Join this day of action by calling Senators Boxer and Feinstein. Call the US Capitol switchboard: 202/ 224-3121.

ASK THEM TO:
          1. OPPOSE THE PORTION THAT PROVIDES MILITARY AID TO COLOMBIA
          2. SUPPORT SENATOR WELLSTONE'S AMENDMENT THAT SHIFTS FUNDS FOR MILITARY AID TO DRUG PREVENTION AND TREATMENT PROGRAMS HERE.
          3. RETAIN STRONG HUMAN RIGHTS CONDITIONS ALREADY IN THE BILL.
          4. SUPPORT AMENDMENTS THAT INCREASE HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR COLOMBIA'S 1.8 MILLION INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS.

The Senate is preparing to vote on an US aid package to Colombia amounting to over $1 billion. The majority of aid will go to the most abusive military in the Western Hemisphere and pull the US into a un-winable counterinsurgency war. Moreover, it will promote an ineffective drug policy that has failed for over a decade.

Note: Colombia is the country with the most graduates from the School of the Americas - over 10,000.

Alison Giffen, Director
US/Colombia Coordinating Office
#200, 1630 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington DC 20009
www.igc.org/colhmet/

Subject: SOAWW Meeting (SF) on Thursday June 1 & Announcement
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 12:11:52 EDT
Please click on: MEETING for details.

- - - - - - - - - - Announcement - - - - - - -

PRAYER VIGIL FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE with special prayers for Charlie and those being sentenced on June 8

St. John of God Catholic Church
1290 Fifth Avenue (at Irving), San Francisco - near Golden Gate Park
Monday, June 5, 6:00 to 7:00 PM

Talk on the "Spirituality of Peace and Justice" by Tom Webb (Pax Christi) follows at 7:00 PM in the Rectory.

Subject: Action Narrative
Date: Sat, 27 May 2000 00:08:54 EDT
From: Beth Lerman

This is what was read at the action in front of the School of the Americas 5/24.
Beth

"Today we have reached a crossroads where the violence of the past continues and has taken on a new, more insidious form.....

Hoy día llegamos en un punto críctico donde la violencia del pasado sigue y ha tomado una forma nueva cubierta....."

For the complete text, please click on the picture below:

.
After the May 24th action at Ft. Benning, with a proud display of ban and bar notices by the Oberlin affinity group.

Subject: Eleven SOA Protesters Arrested at Ft. Benning
Date: Thu, 25 May 2000 17:52:29 EDT

Two accounts are given here:
(1) May 25 newspaper account from Columbus (GA) Ledger-Enquirer
(2) May 24 Press Release from SOA Watch

The accounts differ in the number of people mentioned: 11 in the first account, 13 in the second.

To read the articles, click on: Two Accounts.

Subject: House Votes Name Change for SOA
Date: Mon, 22 May 2000 09:28:43 +0100

===============================================

(1) MOAKLEY AMENDMENT FAILS (204-214) in the House on May 18

(2) CALLS TO SENATORS to cut the increase in Military Aid to COLOMBIA

(3) Thursday, June 1: Next SOAWW MEETING in SAN FRANCISCO

(4) Sat-Sun, Nov. 18-19: Vigil and Civil Disobedience, Ft. Benning, GA

===============================================

(1) MOAKLEY AMENDMENT FAILS (204-214) in the House on May 18. The Senate is expected to join the House in approving the closing of the School of the Americas (Yes, the Department of Defense agrees with us!) and the opening of the DIHSC (Defense Institute for Hemispheric Security Cooperation) at Ft. Benning, GA.

LOCAL ANALYSIS

Please express appreciation to these Bay Area Representatives for supporting the Moakley Amendment: Thompson (Napa), Matsui (Sacramento), Woolsey (Marin), Miller (Pleasant Hill), Pelosi (SF), Lee (Oakland), Tauscher (Walnut Creek), Lantos (San Mateo), Stark (Fremont), Eshoo (Palo Alto), Lofgren (San Jose), Farr (Monterey). Special thanks should go to Nancy Pelosi for her speech in support of the Amendment.

Tom Campbell was a co-sponsor of the Amendment but was not present in DC for the vote.

NATIONAL ANALYSIS

In the face of extreme pressure brought to bear by supporters of the Department of Defense proposal, 19 Representatives changed their position from last year and did not support this year's Moakley Amendment. It is noteworthy that 4 Representatives changed and voted to support the Moakley Amendment this year. Thus, there was a net change of only 15 votes.

A key factor in the defeat of the Moakley Amendment was the loss of votes because 11 cosponsors of HR 732 did not vote. In all, 16 Representatives did not vote.

Therefore, it is reasonable to say that half the House wanted to close the SOA without reopening a new military institute. The members of SOA Watch are to be commended for their work in communicating the cosmetic nature of the SOA name change.

On the Web:
            --- New York Times, May 21, 2000, "Army Training School to Rise Again, Recast but Unmoved," by Steven Lee Myers
             --- A Critique of the Dept. of Defense's Proposal for a "New" School of the Americas

NATIONAL DAY OF RESISTANCE to CLOSE THE SOA on Wed. May 24.

SOA Watch is calling affinity groups to plan nonviolent actions at the White House and Pentagon and in their local communities. At this time SOAWW is not aware of any plans for local activities.

(2) CALLS TO SENATORS to cut the increase in Military Aid to COLOMBIA Debate expected through Tuesday, May 23.

U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202/224-3121
            A) Ask to speak with the aide working on Colombia
            B) Speak against the supplemental aid package that provides increased aid to Colombia in S. 2522 (Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill).
            C) Urge support for Senator Wellstone's amendment to shift $225 million from equipping and training the Colombia Army into drug prevention and treatment programs in the U.S. and any other amendments that cut or shift military assistance to Colombia.
            D) Urge support amendments that increase humanitarian assistance for Colombia's estimated 1.8 million internally displaced persons.
            E) Urge support for strong human rights conditions already included in the bill.

For more information contact:

Latin America Working Group: (202) 546-7010.
U.S. Colombia/Coordinating Office: (202) 232-8090

(3) THURSDAY, JUNE 1: Next SOAWW Meeting in San Francisco, 7:00 to 8:30 PM First Unitarian Universalist Center, Franklin at Geary
            --- Discussion will focus on summer activities of SOA Watch West.
            --- Please come or send ideas to Dolores or Judy.
            --- Members of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade will present a monetary contribution to SOAW.
            --- SOAWW will give a "send off" to Charlie Liteky who will be sentenced with nine other SOAW Activists on June 8. Watch for news of the outcome on the national and local Web sites mentioned at the top.

(4) SAT-SUN, November 18-19, Vigil and Civil Disobedience, Ft. Benning, GA

Subject: ACTION ALERT: NATIONAL DAY OF RESISTANCE TO CLOSE THE SOA!
Date: Sat, 20 May 2000 06:20:04 -0600
From: Richard John Kinane
[By the time I got to this, the day had passed, but beyond notice of actions that occured, individual action is still vital.]

From the SOAW website:

We are calling on affinity-groups from all over the country to organize and act on Wednesday, May 24, the NATIONAL DAY OF RESISTANCE TO CLOSE THE SOA!

"Nothing but organized nonviolence can check the organized violence" of the United States Government! -Gandhi

On Thursday, May 18, the U.S. Congress dismissed the Moakley Amendment, accepted the Pentagon proposal to close the SOA and open an SOA Clone the very next day. The House opted to change the SOA's name rather than close its doors. The name is basically all that is changed. The Pentagon's deceptive proposal is not a move towards responsible policy for Latin America. It is merely an attempt to silence those working for human rights and justice. It is an attempt to silence the bloody truth about the School of Assassins, but THE TRUTH CANNOT BE SILENCED!

For the full posting, please click on: RESISTANCE!

Subject: Alerta: Arresto de Robert Rabin/ Robert Rabin Arrested
Date: Thu, 18 May 2000 22:24:45 -0700
From: Raulmax@aol.com

"We have just received news that the police of Puerto Rico has arrested Vieques Committe chairmen Robert Rabin. Rabin was leaving Committee headquarters in his jeep when he saw a Navy Convoy leaving Camp Garcia. He tryed to back up the jeep so he might see better what was happening. A Puerto Rican police man stoped him and grabbed him by the arm. He was pulled out of the jeep by four Puerto Rican police officers and beaten with night sticks. He is not being held at police headquarters in Isabel Segunda. We think that he is being held inside Camp Garcia at a makeshift jail."

This is just the first report I received regarding my friend, Bob Rabin's brutal arrest. Keep him and his wife, Nilda, in your thoughts and prayers. Please check the "Vieques Libre" for the latest reports.

Subject: SOA -- House Vote Tomorrow -- Call Today (Wednesday, May 17th)
Date: Wed, 17 May 2000 10:18:44 +0100

We just got word from Fr. Roy Bourgeois of the SOA Watch that the House is expected to vote tomorrow, Thursday, May 18, on the Moakley Amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill to cut funding to the School of the Americas. The Moakley Amendment has bipartisan support, including cosponsorship by Tom Campbell (R-San Jose). It calls for the Pentagon to close the School and not reopen any facility until a Congressional task force assesses the current training needs in Latin America.

PLEASE CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TODAY to ask him or her to:
1) CLOSE THE SOA and DO NOT REOPEN IT UNDER ANY NAME.
2) SUPPORT the MOAKLEY AMENDMENT to the Defense Authorization Bill.

Capitol Switchboard: 202/224-3121

Even if your Representative is already on board with the Moakley amendment, a call expressing your support and gratitude is important!

For a brief History, click on: Urgent Action

Subject: Congressional Action Needed on "New SOA"
Date: Fri, 12 May 2000 11:47:52 EDT

Item #1 needs your IMMEDIATE action. Check through the rest of the items as time allows.
==========================================

          (1) CONGRESSIONAL ACTION ALERT for May 15-23 (Monday through following Tuesday)
          (2) Detailed Critique of the Dept. of Defense Proposal
          (3) Columbus (GA) News Article: An Overview of new Proposal Process
          (4) Thursday, JUNE 1: Next SOAWW MEETING in SAN FRANCISCO
          (5) Strategy Discussion from San Francisco Meeting of May 4
          (6) SOA Protesters and Convicts

To read the full message, please click on: Urgent Action

Subject: SOAWW Alert: Updated Timeline and Message
Date: Fri, 12 May 2000 12:59:25 EDT

PLEASE CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE AND BOTH SENATORS NOW THROUGH WEDNESDAY, May 17.

Call early! Call often! Get others to call!

Capitol Switchboard: 202/224-3121

MESSAGE:
---CLOSE THE SOA and DO NOT REOPEN IT UNDER ANY NAME.
---SUPPORT THE MOAKLEY AMENDMENT to the Defense Authorization Bill.

Latest name proposed for "New SOA" is "Defense Institute for Hemispheric Security Cooperation."

Subject: Kidnapped! – the latest news from Vieques
Date:     9 May, 2000
From:     Camp Peace and Justice for Vieques
          In front of the gate to Camp García, Vieques

Roberto writes:
"Warm greetings from this island beseiged, a people of great dignity and a spirit of struggle and sacrifice. Five days after the kidnapping-arrests of hundreds of Viequenses, Puerto Ricans and other members of the civil disobedience camps, our struggle begins a new phase, with new strategies in the context of non violent civil disobedience."

To read the full message, please click on: Kidnapped!

Subject: SOA - another new idea for a name
Date: Tue, 9 May 2000 02:07:34 EDT

Please goto the Articles section.

Subject: ACTION ALERT: Support H. R. 4357 East Timor Repatriation and Security Act of 2000
Date: Sun, 7 May 2000 11:19:51 EDT
From: Carolyn Scarr

Please see the Town Crier for information by clicking on the little guy below:

Subject: Vieques News from GBGM (United Methodist Board of Global Ministries)
Date: Thu, 4 May 2000 15:00:52 PDT
From: Rev. Dr. Nancy A. Carter

I copied the original page (saves time, plus you get their links for additional information.) Just click on the sentence below to go the the article:

May 4, 2000 – Federal agents today arrested dozens of protesters opposed to the continuing presence of the US military on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques.

Click on: 3 arrested at SOA.
Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2000 16:55:35 EDT

For Immediate Release –

To commemorate the 2nd anniversary of Roman Catholic Bishop Juan Gerardi's assassination by a soldier trained at the U.S. Army's School of the Americas (SOA) in Ft. Benning GA. three activists from the St. Francis Catholic Worker Community in Columbia, Missouri, re-created the bishops murder at the entrance to the SOA training building.

Click on the subject line above to read all about it.

Subject: OP-ED on the IMF/World Bank & Bolivia
Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2000 14:33:31 EDT
From: Ed Kinane

Here's another Op-ed piece from Ed Kinane, forwarded by Mary Manuel, on the IMF/SOA, etc.

"In mid-April all eyes were on Washington, DC. Thousands had converged on DC to blockade the April 16/17 semi-annual meetings of the IMF/World Bank. ... Among [the demonstrators] was the CNY/SOA Watch affinity group made up of about 20 folks from Ithaca and Syracuse."

Check this out. Click on: Ed Kinane's Op-ed Piece

Subject: FAST 2000 – Close the SOA, Fast!
Date:      Friday, 28 April 2000 12:01 PDT
This was a tremendous undertaking. Kudos to all, especially Fr. John Savard, the Prime Mover here. To review the FAST 2000 Page, just click on: FAST 2000

Subject: NY Times Article on Columbia
Date:      Fri, 21 Apr 00 12:19:17 -0700
From:      Mary Manuel

Since many of you are not at work today, I hope this email finds you well and that you have a wonderful Easter weekend with family and friends. I just finished reading an in depth article on the "Columbian Drug War". After presenting the many complicated and often conflicting issues involved, I was very upset to see that no connection was made linking human rights abuses to soldiers trained at the SOA. In my opinion, it's a glaring omission!

If you get a chance go online and check it out. Maybe some of us will be compelled to write a letter to the editor or alert our congress people. Anyway, I just wanted to call your attention to the article. You can [access it from] the front page of the Friday April 21st edition of the New York Times by clicking on: Columbian Drug War.

Take care and God Bless,
Mary Manuel

Subject: Three Pieces on D.C.
Date: Thursday, 20 April 2000

These E-mails from Beth Lerman demand their own page. I'm sorry they're a week back, but you'll want to check them out by clicking on: 3 on D.C.

Subject: Good, Bad & Ugly in Guatemala
Date:      Wed, 12 Apr 2000 01:15:40 EDT
"GUATEMALA CITY – A retired UC-Davis football coach is at the quiet center of a milestone human rights case in which two former members of an elite army unit have turned state's witnesses, naming other officers in the massacre that wiped out the village of Dos Erres in 1982."

From the Examiner, inspiring work in response to the tragedy of Dos Erres.

Please click on: Dos Erres.

Subject: Bolivia Under Martial Law
Date:      Mon, 10 Apr 2000 12:07:42 EDT
Jim Shultz of The Democracy Center writes: "Just a few hours ago Bolivia was declared under martial law. People are being arrested, the army is occupying the streets, human rights offices are being invaded by government agents, radio stations are being closed by the military...."

The situation is urgent. Please click on: Bolivia.

Subject: CNN.com reports on SOAW White House Rally
Date:      Wed, 5 Apr 2000 01:08:49 EDT
Page contains links to related stories, including one from November 22, 1998. Excerpt (with photo):

Actor Martin Sheen was among those who addressed the protesters, many of whom carried white crosses they said represented victims of some of the school's almost 60,000 graduates.

"We honor our Army, we respect their mission, but this is not part of that mission. This is an embarrassment to the Army," Sheen said.

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