Obama has little to say about the School of the Americas
From the WW4 Report:
For a candidate who talks the talk on human rights, Barack Obama has little to say about the infamous School of the Americas (SOA). Originally established in the Panama Canal Zone in 1946, the school later moved to Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1984. Since its inception, the institution has instructed more than 60,000 Latin American soldiers in military and law-enforcement tactics.
The Pentagon itself has acknowledged that in the past the School of the Americas utilized training manuals advocating coercive interrogation techniques and extrajudicial executions. After receiving their training at the institution, officers went on to commit countless human rights atrocities in countries like El Salvador, Guatemala, and Colombia.
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Obama likes to employ soaring rhetoric when discussing human rights. But late last year, he failed to take a strong position opposing WHINSEC. When pressed, the candidate praised Congress’ revision of the school’s curriculum but said that he wanted to continue to evaluate the institution.
What more information could Obama possibly need to reach a final decision on the matter? An Obama spokesman said the senator “has not committed to closing down the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, but he will take a hard look at the program and the progress it has made once he is elected.” The spokesman reiterated Obama was pleased with the institution’s inclusion of human rights courses.
To put this in all in perspective then, on this issue Obama has staked out a position to the right of Ron Paul, many members of Congress, and mainstream labor and Church organizations.
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Sounds to me like you can’t vote for Obama because he advocates the intrinsic evil of torture…
Glad to hear you support the closure of the SOA, Tim.
Thanks for this post, Michael.
Tim,
That is in fact what Michael is saying.
Congratulations on having used logic to comprehend a segment of language!
If you try to go a bit further with your newly acquired skill, you may understand that neither candidate’s positions are consistent with the positions of the Catholic Church.
On a side note: I have become a bit disenchanted with the annual SOA protest. Honestly, it has become one giant flea market for whatever “cause” or “issue” could even come close to being construed as liberal. When I am getting pamphlets about an environmentally friendly futuristic sky-tram system shoved in my face, or the local maoist societies, or of course the endless stands of Che t-shirts, it takes away from where the focus should really be. I don’t think its helping to close the place.
Just my 2 cents…
Pax Christi,
X-Cathedra,
Have you been to the protest before? I hear what you are saying. There is a fine line between solidarity among different social justice movements and inclusion of just about everything that comes down the line… I have not been put off by anything there so far, though.