| WASHINGTON,
D.C. – I stand in solidarity with the 19 courageous peacemakers who will
enter the Pekin, IL federal prison and nine other federal prisons around
the country for their nonviolent opposition to the School of the Americas
(SOA). It is a travesty of justice when, here in the United States,
we jail nuns, teachers, health care workers and union organizers who peacefully
raise their voices to call for closure of an institution which so clearly
runs counter to the basic democratic principles that Americans cherish
dearly. It is our duty to speak out when we learn that human rights
are being violated—particularly when it is being done in our name, with
our tax dollars.
Thanks
to the work of these 19 activists, Roy Bourgeois, and so many others, the
truth about the violence taught at the School of the Americas has come
to light in the last several years. As Congress learned about
the School of the Americas and the human rights violations committed by
its graduates, Congressional support for closing the School has grown exponentially.
In 1999 the House voted to cut the funding for the SOA. The Pentagon
responded to this vote with a smoke and mirrors campaign to keep the School
open. This campaign culminated six months ago with the SOA name-change.
This effort to disassociate the School from its horrific history has not
fooled Congress. My colleagues and I recently introduced H.R. 1810
to permanently close the School of the Americas, or the Western Hemisphere
Institute for Security Cooperation as it is now called. I am committed
to closing this school of violence, no matter the name.
I,
along with all activists, including Dave Corcoran of Des Plaines, IL, the
four SOA Watch activists already in prison, and those who will soon begin
serving their unjust prison sentences, stand with the people of Latin America
who have suffered so much and for so many years by soldiers who learned
their violent and inhumane skills at the SOA. In particular, we stand
in solidarity with the people of Colombia who suffer and die each day at
the hands of the U.S. funded and trained soldiers.
When
Father Roy began calling for the closure of the SOA in 1990, he had just
returned from El Salvador where he saw great numbers of people dying at
the hands of SOA graduates. I recently returned from Colombia where
I also witnessed the deadly effects of the 10,000 Colombian soldiers trained
at the School of the Americas.
What
message are we sending to the militaries and governments of Latin America
when we jail those who speak out for justice? Those heroes, who will
soon spend months behind bars for speaking out against violence, are symbols
of a movement that is growing daily and will continue to grow until the
School of the Americas is closed. They have our support, the support
of thousands of people throughout the nation and the world, and the growing
support of members of Congress. |
