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Closing the School of the Americas is a Moral Imperative by Marilyn Langlois and Gwen Watson Thanks to Theresa Keegan for her excellent commentary: "Local grandmother mobilizes to fight for her beliefs." We were among the many locals who joined Natalie Russell two weeks ago, traveling 3,000 miles to speak out on behalf of the victims of atrocities committed by U.S.-trained soldiers south of the border. Some of us were first-timers and others had participated before in the peaceful demonstration -- held annually since 1989 -- calling for the closure of the School of the Americas (or whatever its new name is) at Fort Benning, Ga. We fervently object to the use of our tax dollars to train Latin American soldiers in counterinsurgency tactics that have resulted in the death of countless innocent civilians in places like El Salvador, Guatemala, Chiapas and Colombia. It was a moving and memorable event. Here are some of the things we learned as a result of this experience: The U.S. Army fears the darnedest things. Fort Benning is touted as the world's largest and most modern military training center. It also welcomes visitors from around the globe every day to the National Infantry Museum on the base. However, on Nov. 19 the 3,600 of us who crossed the line, including great-grandmothers, veterans, nuns, students, moms, dads, pastors, and grandparents, were not so welcome there.Our goal was to march solemnly onto the base and hold a vigil at the steps of the school itself, deep in the interior of this military reservation.We expected to be stopped within a mile of the main entrance.In past years demonstrators who willingly got on buses were simply transported off the base, since they didn't have a facility large enough to deal with all of the protesters. This year, those of us who were most cooperative and readily got on buses (more than 2,000 people) found out later on that we were being arrested instead. Only those at the rear of the procession were given the option of walking back out the main entrance. The Army clearly went to great expense and bureaucratic extravagance to create a large enough facility this time around.Busload after busload was delivered to the base airfield, where an empty hangar had been ringed with regiments of temporary holding tents and port-a-potties, and lined indoors with metal detectors, computer workstations and photocopiers. Underneath the polite and respectful veneer of the MP's who "processed" us from noon until midnight, there lurked an amazing revelation. We apparently intimidated the Army so much that its commanding officers felt compelled to have us apprehended for trespassing, taken into custody, searched, questioned, fingerprinted and threatened with six months in prison if we set foot on Fort Benning for the next five years. Why are they afraid of us? Another thing we learned was that the Army thinks it can fool us. As we awaited our turn for questioning inside the hangar, Army chaplains dressed in fatigues had been assigned the task of chatting with us to put a positive spin on the SOA. "We're teaching democracy and human rights," they said. But if our country really wanted to teach leaders about democratic ideals, wouldn't we invite them to the political science departments of our best universities instead of combat-training zones in military installations? When a physician who had worked in Nicaragua mentioned the number of people he knew who were executed by U.S.-trained soldiers, the chaplain admitted not knowing about that history. We were told we could visit the School of the Americas any time and sit in on classes, yet on that day, when we wanted to do just that, we were being detained, kicked out and barred from returning. It sure was odd to see chaplains acting more like Army PR specialists than spiritual advisers. Finally, we learned a lot from each other. In addition to those of us who crossed the line, several thousand more gathered just outside the entrance to Fort Benning. We came from all over the Americas, and the cold, wet weather could not dampen our mood. If you think demonstrations are the exclusive domain of youth, you should have seen all the gray hair and wrinkles peeking out from rainjacket hoods. True, it was primarily young folks who had the energy and guts to engage in more provocative displays -- brandishing huge cardboard puppets or sprawling on the road to re-enact massacres -- yet a dedication to non-violence and mutual respect pervaded the entire crowd. Although mostly strangers, we were supportive of each other and unified in our purpose: upholding the rights of disenfranchised people everywhere through peaceful means. We don't necessarily become more conservative as we grow older. Idealism, compassion and community spirit are ageless. Langlois is an activist and community volunteer who lives in Moraga. Watson is an activist and retired school teacher who lives in Lafayette. To unsubscribe, write to CLC_LO-unsubscribe@listbot.com Special offer from Palo Alto Software, The Planning People Kick start your business with Business Plan Pro. For a limited time bCentral.com users can receive a free copy of Cash Plan Pro with every order of Business Plan Pro. http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/paloalto The Revolution will not be televised: News at 11... Jim W. Jaszewski Labour Left Opposition (I.D. Only) Canada ++ stop the execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal ++ ++ if you agree copy these 3 sentences in your own sig ++ ++ see: http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/spg-l/sigaction.htm ++ "Marxists have previously attempted to change the world; the point, however, is to interpret it." -- PostModern wag. |