Ft. Benning: Over 10,000 converge at SOA protest

[G_j]

SOAW
http://www.soaw.org/new/pressrelease.php?id=60

Over 10,000 Converge at Fort Benning
Nuns, Priests, Veterans & Students Arrested on the Military Base after Committing Civil Disobedience to Close School of Americas

Columbus, GA – Over ten thousand people gathered this weekend outside the gates of Ft. Benning, Georgia in the most diverse demonstration yet of opposition to the School of the Americas, renamed Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (SOA/WHISC), a combat-training school for Latin American soldiers. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, "disappeared", massacred, and forced into refuge by SOA graduates.

The gathering culminated today with a solemn "funeral" procession. As of 5PM at least 30 people had been arrested after entering the base in an act of nonviolent civil disobedience. They took this action despite knowing they likely face 3-6 months in federal prison. They are being held at the Muscogee County Jail in Columbus. Since protests against SOA/WHISC began over ten years ago, 170 people have served or are now serving prison sentences for civil disobedience.

"Prison will not deter us," said Kathy Kelly, who was among those arrested today. "We intend to close this school and to change the foreign policy that this school represents." Kelly works with and helped initiate Voices in the Wilderness, a grassroots organization that campaigns to end economic and military warfare against the Iraqi people.

Yesterday the U.S. Military blasted music at high decibels from inside Ft. Benning, directed at the peaceful, permitted demonstration outside of the gates of the base. The music stopped late yesterday afternoon. Throughout the weekend Columbus Police used metal detectors to search every person attending the demonstration.
...more...

lots of coverage and photos here,
www.atlanta.indymedia.org
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[ElsewheresDaughter]

1. thanks G_j i have been waiting for this news on these protests at SOA

[realFedUp]

2. wow

great ongoing protests of Terror Inc.

[Bozola]

3. Not that it matters....

"Yesterday the U.S. Military blasted music at high decibels from inside Ft. Benning"

This is in violation of the Noise Control Act of 1972.


Ft. Benning is aware that they must comply:
http://www.benning.army.mil/nature/2008/071d2008_5.htm

[veganwitch]

6. i believe they did this in previous years

so they are aware they must comply. but dont care.

imagine that.

[Terwilliger]

4. Props to those people for being there and making their voices heard

I wish it meant anything...maybe someone could ask Wesley Clark about SOA on the campaign trail.

[Stone_Spirits]

5. yes

I wish they would ask him.

[redqueen]

7. I think all of them should be asked to give an opinion on it.

I'd expect a lot of hemming and hawwing, though.

[Terwilliger]

8. yes, but Clark attended the place

so he should be asked directly about it

[dkamin]

9. Fort Benning

1) They blasted music all Saturday. Sunday they played no music. I didn't know it was a violation of the Noise Control Act, thanks. Towards the end of the day, the organizers announced the phone numbers we could call at Fort Benning to complain; people immediately called on their cell phones, and apparently jammed all the lines up. I like to think this was at least part of the reason they stopped on Sunday.

2) This was my first time there, but others who I went with said that this crowd appeared much larger than in previous years. There were a large number of people who had apparently come from the FTAA protests.

3) Fort Benning processes nearly every soldier in the US Army, so the fact that Clark "attended the place" is completely irrelevant. As a soldier, of course he "attended" Fort Benning. The SOA, now known as WHISC, is something different than Fort Benning generally. The protests were against the SOA/WHISC, NOT Fort Benning generally, because of SOA/WHISC's legacy of evil in Latin America. So make sure you get your facts straight here. If you want to be anti-military or anti-Clark, that's fine. But that was not the purpose of the SOA Watch.

unless, of course, you're alleging that Clark "attended" the School of the Americas, which would be shocking news to me.

[Stone_Spirits]

10. thanks for going!

good for you!
also, thank you for the clarification about Fort Benning and the "SOA"

[BrotherBuzz]

11. I guess he didn't "attend" but...

He did address the 1996 Command & General Staff Officer Course graduation ceremony, United States Army School of the Americas, Fort Benning, Georgia -- 16 December 1996.

General Clark served as Commanding General of the United States Southern Command, in Quarry Heights, Panama from 1996 to 1997, where he commanded all U.S. forces and was responsible for the direction of most U.S. military activities and interests in Latin America and the Caribbean. I can only suspect he had a keen interest in the School of the Americas (SOA/WHISC) and condones its activites.

http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usamhi/usarsa/SPEECH/cgscspch.htm

[Terwilliger]

17. my apologies

he addressed the SOA...he didn't actually attend it

Somehow, the disctinction made by others seems a little too contrived for someone claiming liberal ideology.

[BrotherBuzz]

22. Agree

Heck, student, teacher, principal, board...Who is accountable?
I wouldn't mind some answers, either.

[Pastiche423]

23. It would be very interesting

to hear him address the issue and to see if he still praises the school and the graduates.

Does he feel the school did a good job in educating Manual Noreigo and others like him?

But the question I would ask him, is why he gave the graduation speech in the 1st place.

[Terwilliger]

16. Well, he was at Fort Benning and knows what the SOA is

I think that makes him unusually qualified to comment about the issue and I think someone should ask him.

I'm not anti-military or anti-Clark...that's Repuke rationale.

[Pastiche423]

12. He not only attended

He gave a graduation speech for the 1996 graduates!

clark SUPPORTS the SOA!

[IrateCitizen]

13. Clark did not "attend" the SOA

SOA is "attended" only by soldiers from Latin American countries. Any US personnel directly involved are instructors. And while Clark may have spoken at the SOA, does that mean that he was directly involved in its administration? As pointed about above, he would only have been involved in it as commander of SOUTHCOM. And while he most definitely attended training at Ft. Benning (both Airborne and Ranger schools are there), that in itself is not a link to SOA.

Out of the current crop of Dem candidates, the only ones who probably opposed the SOA are Kucinich and Sharpton. Not to say that the SOA is a good thing (I believe it to be completely vile), but it isn't exactly "up there" on most people's radar as a big issue.

[Terwilliger]

15. nothing ever is

all these small, petty, side issues are never a problem until they come up

Clark was there and should be asked what he thinks about the US training thugs to enforce US doctrine all over "the Americas" Ask him where Manuel Noriega is and whether or not he's ever been questioned since the fall of Panama, or is he still in the prison basement all doped up?

Clark, like anyone else associated with our government, should be held accountable.

[IrateCitizen]

20. I'm in agreement with you, but it's still not likely

I find the SOA to be absolutely reprehensible. As someone who is still contractually obligated to serve in the US military, my discovery of the SOA and what it is all about is just another factor in the loss of any sense of pride every time I put on my uniform or receive any kind of commendation from my fellow soldiers or superiors.

But it's still not an issue PERIOD to the vast majority of people out there. Nor will it be at any time in the near future. At least not until we are able to foster a society in which caring and compassion are valued traits rather than empty slogans.

[redqueen]

14. Oh, bad...

Kucinich was actually endorsed by Rev. Roy Bourgeois, the founder of SOA WATCH.

:)

[Pastiche423]

18. Kudos and congrats

to Dennis!

Dennis well deserves the endorsement. :-)

[maggrwaggr]

19. I didn't see it in the news so it mustn't have happened

not to harsh anyone's mellow, just a cynical reminder that no matter what we do, without the media we're fucked.

[redqueen]

21. I was about to make that same point in response to post #20

That without media coverage, how could they care?

Too bad Clinton didn't make good on that campaign talking point. :(