Re: Record number of protesters - 19,000 gather at Fort Benning, Georgia

In article <memo.20051121180022.916L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
alan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Alan) wrote:

> In article <memo.20051121174530.916J@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
> alan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Alan) wrote:
>
> > Update from Fort Benning, Georgia
> > November 20, 2005
> >
> > As you are receiving this, 19,000 people are standing vigil at the gates of
> > Fort Benning, remembering those who have been silenced by SOA violence.
> >
> > The military erected a triple barbwire fence at the main gate of the base
> > to prevent people from carrying the protest against the School of the
> > Americas (SOA/WHINSEC) onto the military base. As of 2:00pm, 40 human
> > rights activists have crossed the line by climbing over or going under
> > partly dismantled areas of the fence and been arrested by Military Police.
> > Columbus Police arrested bystanders and people who lifted up the fence to
> > open up the space for the activists.
> >
> > U.S. laws allow the School of the Americas to exist - WE DO NOT! Visit
> > www.SOAW.org for updates
> >
> > Please call your local paper to tell them about the vigil and ask them to
> > cover it. In the next hour or two, the Associated Press (AP) is going to
> > publish a story that you local paper can use. We'll post the AP story on
> > the SOA Watch website (www.SOAW.org).
>
> http://www.soaw.org/new/article.php?id=1223
>
> http://www.soaw.org/new/newswire_detail.php?id=935
>
> Concern about Iraq war and torture fuels record attendance
>
> Sunday, November 20th 2005
>
> Elliott Minor, Associated Press
>
> Jerry Zawada, a 68-year-old Catholic priest, was released last November after
> spending seven months in a federal prison for trespassing on government
> property to protest a Fort Benning school he blames for human rights abuses
> in Latin America.
>
> Undaunted by his sentence, Zawada was arrested again Sunday when he ventured
> into Fort Benning to call for the closing of the Western Hemisphere Institute
> for Security Cooperation, formerly known as the Army's School of the Americas.
>
> Zawada, of Cedar Lake, Ind., said another jail sentence would be "nothing
> compared to the suffering of torture survivors and war victims.
>
> "We want to stop this," he said during the annual protest by School of the
> Americas' Watch, which has held demonstrations outside Fort Benning's main
> gate since 1990.
>
> Citing growing concerns about the war in Iraq and reports of torture by U.S.
> soldiers, organizers predicted a record turnout of 19,000 - 2,000 more than
> last year.
>
> The protesters, including young parents, veterans, retirees and college
> students from around the nation, listened to speeches, waved anti-war banners
> and marched in a solemn funeral procession carrying crosses and coffins to
> commemorate thousands of alleged victims of military and police abuses in
> Latin America.
>
> "This feeds me every year," said Medea Benjamin of San Francisco, founder of
> a woman's peace group known as Code Pink. "It's remembering those who died in
> my ... lifetime. It also brings together the torture we're part of today in
> Iraq, in Afghanistan and at Guantanamo Bay. It is painful that that's what my
> government is known for around the world."
>
> The group's founder, Roy Bourgeois, a Catholic priest, said he expected a few
> dozen protesters to risk arrest by entering the west-central Georgia military
> reservation.
>
> The Army added a second fence topped by razor wire last year, and erected a
> third fence this year, but the protesters - even senior citizens like Zawada
> - seem to find a way to skirt around the fences or to scale them.
>
> At least 41 protesters were arrested, said Eric LeCompte, the protest's
> coordinator. "It demonstrates the passion and belief that people have in the
> issue," he said.
>
> SOA Watch and other critics allege the school's graduates have committed
> murders, rapes and tortures in Latin America. Military officials deny the
> charges.
>
> The protests are timed to coincide with the November 1989 murders of six
> Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter in El Salvador. A
> congressional panel concluded that some of the killers were SOA graduates.
>
> "We feel this school is connected to suffering and death for the people of
> Latin America - a school that is paid for with our tax money," Bourgeois
> said. "We are saying, 'Not in our name.'
>
> "The people of Latin America are struggling for survival," he said. "They
> live in shacks without running water, they lack health care, their children
> died before the age of 4 or 5. They do not need guns. They do not need their
> soldiers trained in counterinsurgency. They need food, medicine and schools."
>
> SOA Watch plans to continue lobbying Congress to close the school and are
> pressuring South American leaders to follow Venezuela's example and stop
> sending students to the school.
>
> "I think we have a very good chance of cutting funding for that school," said
> LeCompte. "People have a lot of hope right now. They're inspired because they
> know we're close."
>
> http://www.soaw.org/new/
>
> Our friends are incarcerated in the Muscogee County jail, awaiting their
> arraignment. We all are going to put the SOA itself on trial. We need every
> one of us to bring the Vigil home - we must bring this Vigil to our families,
> to our churches, to our campuses, to our union halls, to our schools, to the
> doors of our Congressional representatives, and to our communities. Click
> here for more information on bringing the Vigil home!
>
> http://www.soaw.org/new/article.php?id=1215
>
> Bring The Vigil Home!
>
> Congratulations! Once again you successfully brought the Vigil to the gates
> of Fort Benning, Georgia. We gather here to let our government know that we
> are watching, that we demand accountability and that we will continue to
> mobilize at the home of the notorious School of Assassins until this school
> of death is closed once and for all.
>
> Now that we have completed the Vigil, every one of us must bring the Vigil
> home. We must bring this Vigil to our families, to our churches, to our
> campuses, to our union halls, to our schools, to the doors of our
> Congressional representatives and to our communities. This 16th Vigil at the
> gates of Fort Benning Georgia kicks off a time of nationwide, unified work so
> that we can win the upcoming vote in Congress to close this school once and
> for all.
>
> On this page you will find the tools you need to "Bring the Vigil Home." This
> information includes what you need to organize a vigil at home in your
> community, to do successful media actions and outreach and to pursue your
> Member of Congress so that they can join our movement in this historic
> campaign to close the SOA/ WHINSEC and build the world we know is possible.
>
> From all of us at SOA Watch, we thank you for joining us at Fort Benning, and
> we look forward to joining you in the upcoming months as we all bring the
> Vigil home!
>
> #1 Bring the Vigil to Your Community
>
> Until our upcoming vote in Congress you are needed to bring the Vigil to your
> community. In Columbus, Georgia we are tens of thousands strong. Now as a
> community dispersed across the United States, we must continue to stand tens
> of thousands strong. You are needed to build rallies and vigils back in your
> home communities once a month up until we have a vote. Many of you
> participate in regular vigils in your communities supporting peace and
> justice, and you may consider adding the SOA as a crucial issue up until our
> 2006 bvote in Congress.
>
> How to Organize a Vigi in Your Community:
>
> # Select a visible location -- The first step to organizing a vigil at home
> is to select a location. Choose a visible location at your campus or in your
> community where a monthly event can be held. These places can include the
> front of your student union, at a local federal building, at a busy
> intersection or in front of a Congress person's office who is refusing to
> co-sponsor HR 1217, our bill to close the SOA.
>
>
> # Choose a monthly date and time to gather -- Pick a specific monthly time
> and duration to meet. It's helpful for your group to have a consistent time
> to gather. Think about times that are high traffic times at your vigil
> location. For example, morning rush hour, lunch time or evening rush hour.
>
>
> # Be visible -- When you gather, be sure that you have banners and signs that
> identify you as working to close the SOA. Bring leaflets, too. Find more
> flyers in our Resources Section.
>
>
> # Get the word out -- Let people in your community know that you are holding
> a vigil and invite them to join you. Contact local student groups, labor
> groups, church groups, immigrat rights organizations and people involved in
> local economic justice campaigns. Ask them to join you as you vigil locally
> to close the SOA.
>
>
> # Post the event on the SOA Watch website -- Be sure that you post your
> monthly event on our Calendar of Events so that we can help you get the word
> out!
>
>
> #2 Media Outreach:
>
> The media - print, radio and television - is an essential tool for spreading
> the word, raising awareness and influencing public opinion. The media is a
> vehicle for communicating with the world and can also be a catalyst for
> change. In some ways, media legitimizes your campaign - if your story gets
> coverage, it's an issue.
>
> Knowing how to use the media effectively can make the difference in the
> success of a campaign for social change. As you and your local SOA Watch
> group strategize about how to bring the vigil home and how to educate and
> engage others in your community, think about how media outreach can shape
> your work.
>
> Here are a few tips to get you stated:
>
> Link local community struggles to the issue of closing the SOA. Create a list
> of local news outlets, complete with names, fax and phone numbers and email
> addresses for newsrooms and editors. Tie in with national media: list the SOA
> Watch national office phone number (202-234 3440) underneath a local phone
> number at the top of your press releases, and cite www.SOAW.org as a source
> for more information.
>
> Vary your submissions. All of your media work doesn't need to be a major
> press release or statement. Submit regular, brief announcements of organizing
> meetings, bus or van trip availability, educational resources (speakers'
> bureau or videos). Send to city desk, community news and religion editors.
> Remember weekly bulletins of houses of worship, union publications and
> community newsletters. Use independent and alternative media. IndyMedia web
> sites at www.indymedia.org give all of us the opportunity to post stories and
> photos in our own words. Are there alternative newspapers and/or radio
> programs in your area? Does your information appear in religious, labor and
> community newsletters?
>
> Visit the Media Outreach section of our website or contact Christy Pardew at
> 202-234-2334 or cpardew(at)soaw.org for more information.
>
> #3 Legislative Action
>
> This year is different than previous years in our movement, because with
> legislation pending in Congress and the growing support for closing the SOA/
> WHINSEC, we have MORE than a fighting chance to win a vote in Congress. It's
> important that everyone who believes that the SOA/ WHINSEC should be closed
> should contact their Member of Congress and urge them to support HR 1217 and
> any other legislative item that would suspend operations at the SOA/ WHINSEC.
>
> Don't be overwhelmed about legislative work or lobbying. Lobbying is nothing
> more than expressing your right as a constituent to have YOUR views expressed
> by the person you've elected to represent you in Washington D.C.
>
> Here are three EASY legislative action items you can do over the next few
> months:
>
> Call your representative! Check out the legislative action page on our
> website to see if your representative is already supporting HR 1217, a bill
> that would suspend operations at the SOA/ WHINSEC. If they are not already
> supporting HR 1217, call the Capitol Hill Switchboard, toll free at
> 1-888-355-3588 and ask to be connected to your representative's office. Here
> is a suggested message for you to convey:
>
> "I am a constituent from (city/zip code) calling Congressman/woman
> ________ to urge him/her to cosponsor HR 1217, The Latin America Military
> Training Review Act of 2005. This bill would suspend operations at, and
> investigate, the School of the Americas, which is now using the acronym
> WHINSEC. I urge the Congressman/woman to contact Rep. McGovern's office to
> become a cosponsor of this bipartisan bill. This would be one very concrete
> step to support human rights and promote peace and justice for the people of
> Latin America. As my elected official in Washington D.C., I hope you will
> represent me and support HR 1217."
>
>
> Organize a petition drive! Another way to let Members of Congress know just
> how many people in their district support HR 1217, is for you to collect
> signatures on a petition. Visit our legislative action section of our
> website, or call the DC office and we can fax, email, or mail you a copy.
> Remember to have signers include their zip code and to mail a copy of the
> signatures to the SOA Watch DC office at P.O. Box 4566, Washington, DC 20017.
>
> Meet with your Representative in your district! Congressional representatives
> travel back to their home districts very frequently and setting up a meeting
> with you and other constituents can be a powerful way for you to convey your
> support for closing the SOA/ WHINSEC. The legislative coordinator in our DC
> office can help you set up a meeting and connect with other SOA Watch
> supporters in your area. We can provide talking points, scheduling advice,
> and background information on your reprsentative's voting history. Contact
> pbowman(at)soaw.org for more information.
>
> For more information about the legislative campaign, visit the Legislative
> Action Index or contact SOA Watch's legislative coordinator, Pam Bowman, at
> pbowman(at)soaw.org or 202-234-3440.
>
> #4 Bring the Vigil to Washington:
>
> Mark your calendars! On April 23-25, 2006, join activists from around the
> country in Washington D.C. for our annual spring event. Hold your
> Representatives and Senators accountable and demand they represent your
> interests in Washington.
>
> The weekend will include legislative trainings, opportunities for you to meet
> other SOA Watch movement activists in your community and beyond, and end the
> weekend with pre-scheduled visits to your representative.

And yes, they have made the New York Times!!!!!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/21/national/21benning.html

Annual Protest Draws Ire of Those Supporting Troops

By MICHELLE O'DONNELL
Published: November 21, 2005

COLUMBUS, Ga., Nov. 20 - They arrived by the busload this weekend in this
Southern river city, protesters from St. Louis, Chicago, San Francisco and other
cities across the country, slightly bedraggled, clutching boxes of cereal,
which, it turns out, is a young protester's M.R.E.

Though tired, they were energized at the prospect of demonstrating outside of
the gates of Fort Benning, calling for the base to close its training school for
Latin American officers.

Some, including four middle schoolers from Chicago, were not yet born when
massacres occurred across Central America in the 1980's, many of them carried
out under the orders of people who had trained at the school.

Even so, the estimated 15,000 protesters were eager to keep alive the annual
demonstration, which began in 1990 when a Roman Catholic priest of the Maryknoll
order, the Rev. Roy Bourgeois, and a few of his friends staged a hunger strike
outside the school to protest the murders in 1989 of six Jesuit priests and two
workers in El Salvador, murders that involved 19 soldiers who had graduated from
the academy.

That small protest touched off demonstrations in this historic city that are now
as much a staple of fall as the Alabama-Auburn game. On Sunday, according to the
Muscogee County Jail, 38 demonstrators were arrested when they passed the
school's fences, a crime that carries a federal penalty.

Residents of Columbus, a conservative city that takes great pride in its
soldiers and the base, which pumps millions of dollars into the local economy,
have endured the annual protest with increasingly clenched teeth, especially as
its focus has broadened to other issues, including calls for an end to the Iraq
war.

While the protest is largely peaceful, the locals say they have come to see it
as a slap of disrespect to the soldiers from the base who are fighting in
Afghanistan and Iraq. To many residents, there is no distinction between being
antimilitary, calling for an end to the war or calling for the closing of the
military school, the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, once
called the School of the Americas.

"I don't support the war, but I support my husband and the other guys over there
who are doing their jobs so we can have the freedoms we do," said Allison Trejo,
29, whose husband, Gilbert, is serving in Iraq.

That the soldiers fighting in Iraq and elsewhere are defending the
demonstrators' right to protest was a refrain repeated over and over again by
Fort Benning supporters.

The base has lost more than 40 soldiers since 2003. Many residents and Army
families say that to pull out of Iraq now would dishonor that sacrifice.

In 2002, after Jack and Eve Tidwell, a prominent local couple, said they had
heard a protester call a uniformed soldier a baby killer, they started a
morale-boosting day of diversions for soldiers, called God Bless Fort Benning
Day, held the same weekend as the protest. The event is a kind of "anti-rally
rally," said Peter Bowden, the president of the Columbus Convention and Visitors
Bureau.

Mrs. Tidwell said this year's fair, held Saturday, had a special emphasis on
families. Families with children and packs of recruits just days from graduating
from basic training roamed the exhibits, boarded Huey helicopters for rides,
listened to a country music concert, enjoyed carnival rides and perused booths
displaying hunting knives, machine guns and assault weapons.

Mrs. Tidwell said she thought about 15,000 attended.

A few blocks up and around a bend in the Chattahoochee River, more than 1,000 of
the protesters, many from Jesuit schools, attended workshops on peace and ending
poverty by not only serving but empowering the poor and oppressed.

They spoke not only of Central and South America, where they said they continued
to collect evidence of human rights violations that they could link to the
school, but also of New Orleans and Iraq, where they pointed to the abuses at
the Abu Ghraib prison.

"If we're going to put ourselves out there and spend billions of dollars on this
war against terrorism, training people in terrorism tactics is the most
ridiculous hypocrisy," said Elizabeth Tucci, a 19-year-old pre-med student from
LaCrosse, Wis.

Lee Rials, a spokesman for the academy, said that it did not teach torture and
that no evidence had ever proven that its graduates had learned torture or other
illegal tactics at the school.

The Jesuits commemorated their own dead at a nighttime ceremony, by reading the
names of 46 members of the order working for human rights who were killed around
the world over the last three decades.

There was some mischief reported over the weekend, including loud music blasted
at the demonstrators' tent Friday night. As involved as each side was in its own
efforts, there seemed to be little face-to-face dialogue between the two groups.

Still, at midnight Saturday a group of soldiers recently graduated from basic
training staying at the downtown Marriott ran into a group of college women by
the lobby elevators.

A debate started (accompanied by a few flirtatious remarks by the soldiers), but
it ended suddenly when both sides said the same thing: they just wanted to help
the Iraqi people.

The soldiers said they expected to be shipped off to Iraq soon.

"We'll do everything we can to get you back safe," said a youth minister with
the women, alluding to his hope that the protests would help bring the troops
home. "That's what we do."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/21/national/21benning.html

Yes! The word is out now! :-)



Alan

"A society whose citizens refuse to see and investigate the
facts, who refuse to believe that their government and their
media will routinely lie to them and fabricate a reality
contrary to verifiable facts, is a society that chooses and
deserves the Police State Dictatorship it's going to get."
- Ian Williams Goddard

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