Please call-- Important Surprise Vote on the SOA/WHINSEC! Call Congress Today!

Greetings friends,

I want to thank all of you who have supported me throughout my civil disobedience this past year at SOA, as well as my time in jail and the larger work of human rights in Central and South America. I don't wish to clog your inbox, but I have a favor to ask of you, that if you are able to please call your Representatives today (202-224-3121 for the switchboard, and give them your Rep's name, or even your city/town, and they will connect you, it's very easy), and ask that they vote to support the McGovern-Sestak-Bishop (GA) amendment to the National Defense Authorization Bill of 2009. This demands that the SOA/WHINSEC comply with Freedom of Information Acts on their faculty and students, so that those who have been implicated in human rights abuses can be held accountable. Full details are below. You can also go to http://www.soaw.org/ and http://www.witnessforpeace.org/ websites to get more info if things below don't come through on your e-mail. Many thanks again for your help and support!

peace,

Le Anne

Call Congress Today! Important Vote on the SOA/WHINSEC The following alert is from our friends at SOAW. Also scroll down for an important update and action on Plan Mexico. Our friends at SOA Watch have received confirmation that Congress will vote on an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2009 that would require that the School of the Americas/WHINSEC release the names, ranks, country of origin, courses and dates attended of students and instructors at the institute. The amendment will be offered by Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA), Representative Joe Sestak (D-PA) and Representative Sanford Bishop (D-GA) and we expect the vote to happen on Thursday, May 22. For the past few years, despite the WHINSEC PR machine proclaiming an open and transparent school, the WHINSEC has been unwilling to provide information about the students and instructors. Freedom of Information Act requests for FY 2005, 2006 and 2007 have all been denied, proof of WHINSEC's unwillingness to submit to oversight from the public whose tax-payer dollars help fund the school. Access to information regarding SOA/WHINSEC graduates of previous years has been a valuable asset to human rights organizations who have been able to identify Latin American military officers and police that have committed human rights abuses or engaged in criminal activity in their home countries after attending the school as instructors or students. SOA Watch supports the release of this important information at all U.S. military training facilities in the spirit of openness, transparency, and the public's "right to know". It is crucial for the success of this amendment that you contact your Representative TODAY and TOMORROW! SEND AN EMAIL AND FAX TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVE NOW!(Be sure to click the "Send a Fax" box to have the fax sent) CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE! WEDNESDAY, May 21 - THURSDAY, May 22: 202-224-3121 (Congressional Switchboard Number) Once your call is forwarded to the office of your Representative, ask to speak with the foreign affairs legislative assistant. Here is a suggested message for you to convey: "Hello, My name is __________, and as your constituent, I urge you to vote YES on the McGovern-Sestak-Bishop (GA) amendment to the National Defense Authorization Bill for Fiscal Year 2009. The amendment would release the names, country of origin, rank and dates of attendance at WHINSEC for graduates and instructors. This amendment is supported by Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Congressman Ike Skelton. As you may know the School of the Americas, renamed WHINSEC, has a notorious history linked to serious crimes and human rights abuses throughout Latin America. In the past few years under WHINSEC, known human rights abusers have attended the school and WHINSEC instructors have been arrested in Colombia for returning home and aiding the drug cartels. None of this information would be known if the basic information about enrollment at WHINSEC were not disclosed. This information is vital to the work of Congress and human rights organizations who seek protection of human rights and promoting transparency, however all FOIA requests for this information are now being denied. What is WHINSEC hiding?! Voting YES on the McGovern-Sestak-Bishop (GA) amendment is a vote FOR human rights and FOR transparency. I urge your boss to vote YES!!!" SEND AN EMAIL AND FAX TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVE NOW! For more information, visit the SOA Watch website Plan Mexico Moves to the Senate! Call Your Senators Today! As we take another step towards closing the institution notorious for training Latin American militaries, a spending bill that would arm the Mexican military is moving forward in Congress! Last week a version of Plan Mexico, officially called the Merida Initiative, passed in the House by 256 to 166 (click here to see how your reps voted). The bill that passed included less military hardware than the Bush administration's original proposal, but still promoted a failed "war on drugs" model that threatens Mexicans' human rights. (Click here for more background info.) Now a similar version is under debate in the Senate, with a vote likely to happen this week! Act Now: Call your Senators and ask that they speak against and vote against the Merida Initiative funding in the supplemental appropriations bill. Use the talking points here. To reach your Senators' offices, call the US Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Senators (give your state if you do not know who they are).