Anonymous Comrade writes:

School of the Americas House Vote Coming Soon

The BEST OPPORTUNITY for a vote this session to
close the SOA/WHINSEC may be
coming soon; sooner than expected!

The Foreign
Operations Appropriations
bill is scheduled to be voted on by the full House
of Representatives AS
EARLY AS JULY 12th. [Previously we had reported the
vote would take place
the week of the 19th, but the schedule has changed,
and so must we!]

Historically, we have had success in our legislative
efforts when a Member
of Congress has introduced an amendment to that
bill to cut the funds for "scholarships" for the
foreign security forces
attending the SOA/WHINSEC, rendering the school
inoperable. THIS IS OUR
CHANCE TO CLOSE THE SOA. We can do it!BACKGROUND:

The School of the Americas, renamed the Western
Hemisphere Institute for
Security Cooperation in 2001, is a US-taxpayer
funded military training
school for Latin American soldiers located in
Georgia. Cosmetic changes and
slick public relations tactics have not addressed
the fundamental issues in
its deeply disturbing history, including its use of
"torture training
manuals" and the records of human rights abuses by
many of its graduates. It
remains a combat training school that provides
dangerous skills to countries
with serious on-going human rights problems. Despite
attempts by the
congressionally-mandated Board of Visitors to
address some of the concerns
that have been made over the years, It is symbolic
of some of the worst in
the history of US foreign policy, and the recent
Iraqi prisoner abuse
scandal further highlights the on-going need for a
full-investigation and
Defense Department accountability. For more
information on the SOA/WHINSEC,
visit www.soaw.org.

THE CHALLENGE:

We have until the week of July 12th to reach out and
influence our
Representatives to take a stand for human rights and
government
accountability in foreign policy. You should be
asking for co-sponsorship
of HR 1258, the bill to close and investigate the
SOA/WHINSEC. You can also
alert them to a possible amendment to the Foreign
Operations Appropriations
bill that would limit funds for foreign
scholarships.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Below is a list of suggested actions, but don't be
afraid to be creative!

— Find out who your Representative is and how to
contact them at
www.congress.org. You'll also be able to
researching your Member's voting
record and priority issues. To see if they are a
current HR 1258
co-sponsor, visit
here.

— Call the Member's DC office and ask to speak with
the foreign policy
staffer. Whether you speak with someone personally,
or get directed to
voicemail, be specific with your message, "I am a
constituent and I am
calling to urge Rep. ______ to sign on to HR 1258,
the bill to close and
investigate the SOA/WHINSEC, because______. I also
want to tell you that
there may be an amendment to the Foreign Operations
bill next week to limit
scholarship funding." Tell them that action is
needed as soon as possible.
Visit
here for
talking points and
background info.

CAPITOL SWITCH BOARD: 800-839-5276; 202-225-3121

— Write a letter. Fax and/or email the DC and
district office. Then ask
other people to write letters. If you can,
handwritten, personal letters
are very influential. See link above for a sample.

— Hold an impromptu call-in party. At the next
meeting of your SOAW group,
religious congregation, school club, PTA, union,
etc, or even dinner-party,
take 15 minutes to pass around a cell phone and have
people leave messages
for the DC office. Not only will it be more fun for
everyone; it will
impress the offices the next morning to have a flood
of voicemail.

— Keep a look out for urgent emails from SOA Watch
announcing the day of
the vote so we can flood the office with calls.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

For tips, sample letters, phone scripts, talking
points, analysis, other
action ideas — visit SOAW's Legislative Action
Center: here or contact the SOA Watch
Office at 202-234-3440 or
info@soaw.org.

KEEP UP THE CONGRESSIONAL PRESSURE AND ALL YOUR
GREAT WORK!