Embracing Democracy
Every day in Latin America, innocent people stand up against their oppressive governments and die for their cause.
“Ignorance is our greatest enemy,” said Father Roy Bourgeois in his Militarism vs. Democracy lecture on Wednesday.
Bourgeois spent four years in Vietnam as a naval officer. In 1971, he became a Catholic priest after entering Maryknoll Missionary Order. Bourgeois was banned from Bolivia for helping the poor and speaking against Bolivian government.
Bourgeois became, and still is, an active protester of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, formerly known as School of the Americas (SOA). The program trains Latin American soldiers in counterinsurgency techniques, commando and psychological warfare, sniper training and military tactics.
The institution is funded through the United States government and located in Fort Benning, Ga.
SOA Watch can include in its list of accomplishments the severed ties of Argentina, Araguaia, Venezuela and Bolivia with the SOA.
SOA Watch has also traveled to many Latin American countries in protest of the training of assassins by the SOA.
“When you study about Latin America, you are bound to find out about SOA. And when you realize what SOA does: to train Latin American past dictators, army officers, techniques of torture and violence, you have to ask yourself as a taxpayer, ‘Is this where we want our money to go?’” said Spanish professor Sara Colburn-Alsop.
Alsop said she feels strongly that supporting the SOA isn’t what a democracy should do.
“If we are truly a democracy, we cannot be doing this. We cannot be oppressing people,” Alsop said. “The ‘para’ army is killing civilians. Blood is on our hands as it is our government.”
According to a 1994 story by Colman McCarthy of The Washington Post, four churchwomen who were friends of Bourgeois’ were raped and slain by Salvadorian troops. Of the five officers involved, three were graduates from SOA.
“We have a bad track record of meddling with Latin America,” said Dr. David Carlson, religion professor. “School of the Americas is our problem, our challenge. We should talk about it.”
Bourgeois has been active in talking about SOA and his documentary, “School of Assassins,” which in 1995 received an Academy Award nomination. He also has been an outspoken critic of the U.S. foreign policy in Latin America. He spent four years in a federal prison for his non-violent protests at the SOA headquarters.
Despite Bourgeois’ work, most Americans don’t know about the School of the Americas and what they’re doing.
“Father Roy’s position is not often heard,” Carlson said.
Students who attended the event agreed with Bourgeois’ non-violent position.
“Militarism is a way to control other countries into thinking that it’s superior,” said junior Ricardo Ayala.
But Bourgeois said that all isn’t lost.
“The way out of this is wisdom,” he said.
In the entire article, I see no effort whatsoever to do the research that would tell you Father Roy's premise is entirely false. Reading the first sentence, would anyone know that every nation in this hemisphere that works with the US has an elected civilian government? Would you know from this article that not one single example of any person using what he learned at the School of the Americas to commit a crime has EVER been shown? I am the Public Affairs Officer of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, which President Clinton and Congress created in law more than eight years ago. That law also closed the School of the Americas, so this protest has the added distinction of asking you to close something that doesn't exist! Most reporters at least call me for a quote, even if they choose to believe only one side. Not in this case, but anyone can come here any workday and see what we do, sit in classes, talk with students and faculty, and review our instructional materials. Do the research, then make up your mind. Sincerely, Lee A. Rials Public Affairs Officer Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation