Call Your Congressman- Tell him to Vote to Close the School of the Americas

The School of the Americas (SOA), which was renamed in 2001 the “Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation,” is a combat training school for Latin American soldiers, located at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Former Panamanian President, Jorge Illueca, stated that the School of the Americas was the “biggest base for destabilization in Latin America.” The SOA, frequently dubbed the “School of Assassins,” has left a trail of blood and suffering in every country where its graduates have returned.

Over its 59 years, the SOA has trained over 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 a war against their own people. 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,” and massacred, by those trained at the School of Assassins.

Among the SOA's nearly 60,000 graduates are notorious dictators Manuel Noriega and Omar Torrijos of Panama, Leopoldo Galtieri and Roberto Viola of Argentina, Juan Velasco Alvarado of Peru, Guillermo Rodriguez of Ecuador, and Hugo Banzer Suarez of Bolivia. Lower-level SOA graduates have participated in human rights abuses that include the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero and the El Mozote Massacre of 900 civilians.

For more information on the School of the Americas and a detailed account of the exploits of its graduates you can go to www.soaw.org .

Next week the Congress is scheduled to vote on closing the infamous School of the Americas.

PLEASE CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN AND URGE HIM TO VOTE YES ON AN AMMENDMENT TO CLOSE THE SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS.

Here is a sample script

"I am resident of (name of town) and (a member of [Pax Christi, Beyond Just Faith, other organization]). I am calling Congressman/woman ________ to urge him/her to vote YES on the McGovern amendment to the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill. This amendment will cut funding for the School of the Americas/ WHINSEC. It will send a powerful message that Americans support human rights throughout the world and we will no longer support the training of the military commanders of foreign dictators.”

To find your Congressman go to www.house.gov and enter your zip code. Don’t worry if you don’t know the plus 4.

If you don’t have time to call during regular business hours, faxes can also be persuasive. Emails are least persuasive but still have value if that is all you have time for

Here is the contact info for Mike Ferguson who is the Congressman for Summit. When contacting Mike Ferguson if you are Catholic be sure to mention it. He runs on the fact that he is a devout Catholic.

Washington DC Address
214 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-5361
Fax: 202-225-9460

District Address - Warren
45 Mountain Boulevard
Building D, Suite 1
Warren, NJ 07059
Phone: 908-757-7835
Fax: 908-757-7841