------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Date: Mon, 22 May 1995 20:10:07 GMT
Reply-to: Ronald Moore <rmoore@igc.apc.org>
From: Ronald Moore <rmoore@igc.apc.org>
Organization: ?
Subject: SOA: Personal Responsibility for Assassins
To: Multiple recipients of list ACTIV-L <ACTIV-L@MIZZOU1.missouri.edu>
Personal Responsibility for Assassins
Next month, June 1995, Representative Joseph Kennedy
(D-Mass) is planning to sponsor an amendment to terminate
funding for the School of the Americas in Ft. Benning
Georgia. Because the U. S. Army has had such tremendous
success with this school, the battle to preserve funding
will be fierce. On one side of the battle with be Father
Roy Bourgeois and his gang of moral human beings at the
School of the Americas Watch; on the other side will be
the American Army Generals preserving their positions, the
U. S. Corporations who benefit immensely from the slave
labor provided by Central American military rulers, the
American politicians who feed at the PAC trough of the U.
S. Corporations, and those well paid CIA officials who
would be jobless if peace and democracy broke out in
Central America. As in the past, there will be no news
coverage of this battle nor of the crimes committed by our
surrogate police forces in this hemisphere.
Those, like Roy Bourgeois, who are offended by taxpayer
money being used to train torturers, oppressors,
assassins, murderers, massacrers, and slave masters should
contact as many congressmen as postage permits and
recommend that they support the Kennedy amendment.
Because there is such a vested interest in keeping the
military thugs in command in Central America, defeating
the School of the Americas will be impossible without
public attention. Letters to editors and calls to talk
shows may not help your congressman find courage, but the
public attention may help him find fear of personal
ridicule. To assist in letters and discussions, the
following facts are offered relating the success stories
of the School of the Americas graduates:
Argentina: Dictator/Generals Roberto Viola and Leopoldo Galtieri
ruled consecutively in the early 1980's during Argentina's "Dirty
Little War" (1976-83), when 30,000 civilians died at the hands of
government forces.
Bolivia: Dictator/General Hugo Banzer achieved power by a violent
coup, brutally repressed dissent during his tenure (1971-78) and
sheltered Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie through a failed
extradition trial. Inducted into the SOA Hall of Fame in 1988,
Banzer returned to Fort Benning in 1989 for another speaking
engagement.
Columbia: Over 100 of the 246 officers cited for war crimes by an
international human rights tribunal in 1993 were graduates of
SOA.
El Salvador: the country where SOA graduates really performed
well as exampled by: 1980: Archbishop Oscar Romero assassinated
while praying. 2 of the 3 officers cited for the murder were SOA
graduates. 1980: Four United States Nuns were raped and murdered
by 5 officers, 3 of which were SOA graduates 1981: Three Union
leaders murdered by 3 SOA graduates. 1981: Entire village of El
Mazote massacred (900 mutilated and murdered) by 12 officers, 10
of which were SOA graduates. 1982: Three Dutch journalists were
ambushed and murdered by an SOA graduate. 1983: The massacre at
Las Hojas of 16 civilians by 6 officers, 3 of which were SOA
graduates. 1988: The massacre at San Sebastian of 10 civilians
by 7 officers, 6 of which were SOA graduates. 1989: The murder of
6 Jesuit priests and 2 women by 26 officers, 19 of which were SOA
graduates
Guatamala: Roberto Alpirez who ordered the killing of Michael
Devine and Efraim Bamaca (Jennifer Harbury's husband).
Honduras: 19 of the ranking officers of the infamous death squad
Battalion 3-16 are graduates of the SOA.
Nicaragua: More than 4000 of Dictator Anastacio Somoza's brutal
National Guard were graduates of SOA and many later became the
backbone of the terrorist "Contra" army which waged a campaign of
torture and murder against Nicaraguan civilians.
Panama: Manuel Noriega is a graduate.
Peru: The 3 top officers convicted of the "La Cantuta" massacre
of 9 university students and a professor were SOA graduates. Two
graduates were cited for the 1985 Accomarca massacre of 69
peasants.
For more information:
School of the Americas Watch P. O. Box 3330 Columbus, GA 31903
(706) 682-5369
For a documentary video narrated by Susan Sarandon: Send $16.95
to: Maryknoll World Productions P. O. Box 308 Maryknoll, NY
10545 800 227-8523