18,000 human rights advocates from around the country and from all walks life have filled up Fort Benning Drive, the main access to Fort Benning's main gate. The presence began this morning with songs from the musicians collective and a welcome message from Fr. Roy Bourgeois and former prisoner of conscience Martina Le Force.
November 17, 2007 Photos & Updates from the Vigil to Close the SOA
"We are gathered here today in the name of peace and to send a message of love and solidarity to our sisters and brothers of Latin America an all the countries of the world where people have been victimized by our government's foreign policy. We are here to express our outrage and call for the closing of this school, this combat training school for Latin American soldiers which has graduated so many human rights abusers year after year," said Fr. Roy.
* Stay informed! News Updates regarding the Nov. 16-18 Vigil to Close the SOA
* Watch a video on the history of the Vigil to Close the SOA at the Ledger Enquirer site, or right here:
SOA Watch protest and God Bless Fort Benning
* Interview with Hector Aristizabal for WRBL-News
Apparently the authorities at Fort Benning once again tried their damnest to disrupt the non-violent and peaceful gathering by setting off sirens and flying military helicopters above the stage.
As Martina Le Force said during her morning speech, "they fear us because we are branching out, we are a unified international movement and we have more friends than the Bush administration and it's silly wars will ever have".
The question of the SOA/WHINSEC, and what this country should do about it's very own terrorist training camp, though not all graduates turn out to be Despots, Murderers, or potential Dictators of the countries they come from, many seem to take their U.S. Military Training to advance their own Ideological wants, should be near the top of the lists of questions to all running for seats in Congress, especially those that would be new to those halls of representation of the people.
As it is apparently with Representative Jim McGovern.
who earlier this year introduced an amendment to the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill that would have cut funding for the SOA/WHINSEC, confirmed his commitment to continue working until the SOA is shut down for good. 203 members of Congress voted in favor of the McGovern/Lewis amendment which lost by a margin of only six votes. HR 1707, the bill that would suspend operations at WHINSEC is still alive and we encourage you to continue to pressure your members of Congress to become co-sponsors.
* Visit their Legislative Action Index to find out what you can do to to help in the legislative efforts to Close the SOA
While they gathered on Saturday and Today, Sunday,
simultaneous events are taking place in Chile, Canada, Arizona, San Francisco and Monterey in California. We have also received solidarity statements from different countries in Latin America where human rights organizations are fighting to close the SOA and hold human rights violators accountable for their actions.
The evening closed with an amazing Puppet Peagant as a tribute to Rufina Amaya, the sole survivor of the El Mozote massacre in El Salvador, who passed earlier this year due to a heart condition.
You can Click here to see a detailed schedule of todays events!
Visit the SOA Watch website to find out much more about SOA if not familiar. Also, either here or at the site Click to subscribe to the News Letter. It's not intrusive but is very informative.
You can read more about the SOA Action, in the Ledger Enquirer Here {scroll down just a tad, it closes with this "Or you can just crack open a beer and complain about all the God bless’n hippies."}, or here: SOA protest is personal for Kucinich, or Here, and also Here. Some are earlier articles from the 17th, and one from today.
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