Contacting our Elected Officials

Today Nico Udu-gama from the SOAW office in D.C. along with Judith Kelly and myself met with Representative Jim Moran’s office in D.C where we asked if  he would consider signing  on to the Congressional letter by Representative James Mc Govern of Massachusetts asking the President to close the SOA.
Please contact your representatives and ask them to sign on to the Congressional letter to the President.
And let us not forget to sign the online petition listed in the links to the right asking the President to close the SOA.

On May 10th, fifteen of the 27 SOA Watch activists arrested at the White House on April 10th were arraigned in the D.C. Superior Court, in front of Judge Ringell, for their protest against the SOA/WHINSEC and the continued US militarization of the Americas. The activsts were arrested while recreating a die-in, representative of the innumerable massacres of poor people in Latin America at the hands of SOA graduates, at the service of big business. Represented by attorneys Ann Wilcox and Jack Baringer, the fifteen defendants were given a trial date of September 12, 2011.  An additional charge of "Blocking/Incomoding" was added to the original charge of "Failure to Obey".
Judith and Nico are 2 of the 15 that will be on trial that day; if anyone would like to attend that day to show support for these courageous people who are willing to risk jail time as advocates for those that have no voice please contact me for details.
List of those that will be on trial that day.
Alice Gerard, NY  Ann Tiffany, NY  Chris Gaunt, IA  David Barrows, DC
Ed Kinane, NY  Eve Tetaz, DC  Jack Gilroy, NY  Judith Kelly, VA
Maia Rodriguez, VA  Megan Felt, IA  Nico Udu-gama, DC
Paki Wieland, MA  Priscilla Treska, OH  Sarah Sommers, OH Scott Wright, DC

Violence against the poor still continues today

I recently had a conversation with a very nice lady who was of the opinion that the U.S. backed violence against the poor in Latin America was a thing of the past that it disappeared at the turn of the century; but has it?

If you click on" Violence Continues in Hondurus" on the right side of the you will see that it hasn't.
Also see "300 people have died suspiciously"

In Colombia after dropping for years, killings of trade unionists went up last year.  And the rate of internal displacement is now close to its 2002 peak, with 380,000 persons becoming newly displaced in 2008; click on "Obama and Colombia"

Help is needed to get the message out

Help is needed to get the message out about the truth of the School of Americas/SOA or as it is now called Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation/WHINSEC.
I have recently volunteered to be one of the points of contact for SOA Watch for Virginia
Please email your contact info: name,  phone number and email address to ted08721@gmail.com
We need help in everything from composing a letter to attending events and everything in between.

Thanks Ted Majdosz