The founders of this great country wanted to be free from foreign oppression. To this end, the founders became pioneers in civil disobedience the night they threw pound upon pound of tea into Boston Harbor. They engaged in this action in hopes of throwing off the oppressive yoke of economic imperialism.
Today, a new pioneer graces this great nation, a pioneer who stands in solidarity with brothers and sisters in Central and South America as they try to throw off the yoke this country has placed on them. They are those men and women who, because of a commitment to peace and justice, cross the line at Ft. Benning, Ga. every year onto the campus of the former School of the Americas. Their desire is to close a school whose primary mission is securing an American economic interest in Central and South America through the barrel of a gun.
Though the name has been changed to the Western Hemispheric Institute for Security Cooperation, the mission of the institute is essentially that of the SOA. The school educates Latin American military personnel in combat and counterinsurgency techniques. This education has included torture, massacre, rape and a general disregard for human life. Targeted assassination continues to be used against those who try to organize against brutally repressive government measures.
Colombia is the most well represented country at WHISC. Human rights abuses against Colombian farmers and labor organizers have been well documented in recent years by Amnesty International. It is difficult at this time, however, to know what quantum of correlation exists between recent graduates and these more recent abuses. If history provides a lesson, we should not be surprised when a correlation is found. Indeed, the school has on its wall of fame such individuals as Gen. Pinochet of Argentina, whose own country has finally brought him before a court to answer for crimes he committed during his cruel dictatorship.
More recently, while Seymour Hersh has exposed US Special Forces in Iran engaging in forward maneuvers and the Iraqi torture scandal continues to unfold, something called “The Salvador Option” is being pursued in Iraq. This option includes assassination and kidnapping squads, the tactic which precipitated myriad human rights abuses in Central America. We have apparently not learned from our mistakes of the past.
Were these actions by the United States legitimately aimed at bringing about a democratic government in these countries, I may temper my critique. But so long as this school continues to train people in torture, and so long as our government continues to engage in actions which invoke global criticism and violate international law, I will not be silent.
These brave persons believe that through their acts of nonviolent direct action they can bring about change. As Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Thirteen people will spend from three to six months in federal prison for crossing a line and trying to prevent needless suffering. I am privileged to know these individuals and saddened to know there are so many brothers and sisters in Central and South America I will never meet. Stand with the SOA 14 at Ft. Benning next year. We’ll see you there.
Joseph Walsh is a second year law student from Toledo, Ohio.
