SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS
The school of the Americas (SOA) reveals the true face ofAmerican
democracy. At
this institution, where an undeclared amount of taxpayer's
dollars is spent,
security forces from around the world train. In this training
process, priests,
healthcare workers, teachers, students and all who fight for
social change
against traditional oligarchy are declared"subversive". The
methodologies taught
come from counterinsurgency manuals, where kidnapping,
assassination and other
terrorist techniques are standard ways of removing
"subversion"from the political
and social process. Over 58,000 people have trained at the SOA,
primarily from
Latin and Central America. Even though the US Army considers the
SOA to be
responsible for the installation of more "democratic" regimes,
leaders from all
over the Americas have called the SOA "The largest base for
destablization in
Latin America" and "the school of assassins".
The school was founded in 1946 as a means of maintaining the US
strategic,
military and economic hegemony in the region. It was originally
founded in
Panama, and it was under Kennedy and his Alliance for Progress
that in 1963 the
school was re-designated as the School of The Americas. The
primary purpose of
the school was to "contain Communism". However, typical foreign
policy has
viewed poor and non-represented indigenous people fighting for a
place in the
decision making process as "communist", largely because they are
anti-imperialist
and use nationalist rhetoric.
What the relationship between the US government and its economic
dependents in
Central and Latin America really reflects is the bias held by
foreign policy
managers, who are never elected and often come directly from
corporate managerial
positions. Unfortunately, these managers still often serve the
corporate interest
even after they are in the public sector. What is good for
corporations and what
is good for the people is often dialectically opposed. These
people hold a great
responsibility in their hands as they shape the world's view of
who and what
Americans are.
All too often in the low intensity conflicts of the present, the
struggles
between poor people in resource-rich countries and dictatorial
regimes installed
by the US government end in death and destruction of Native
People and Native
land. This shows that for all the voicing of Democratic ideals,
very little real
democracy has reached the bottom of the socioeconomic and
political ladders.
Indigenous people of Central and Latin American countries are
clearly
underrepresented in land ownership and political power. Due in
part to the
Spanish colonial system, Indians of the Americas find themselves
members of the
large, disenfranchised and powerless masses so prevalent in the
sociopolitical
landscape of the developing World. When such people fight the
injustice
perpetrated against them, using whatever particular means they
find appropriate,
they find the power of both government and corporations amassed
against them.
They are demonized in the Media, the educational system and the
work place.
We as members of the Caravan/March For Social Justice stand in
solidarity with
the indigenous people Worldwide. We ask for an end to the tacit
governmental
support of corporations with atrocious human rights and
environmental records.
WE URGE A JUST AND ACCURATE ACCOUNTING OF EXACTLY HOW MUCH OF OUR
TAX DOLLARS GO
TO THE SOA.
WE URGE AN OPEN DEBATE ON THE PROS & CONS OF OPERATING SUCH AN
INSTITUTION, IN
WHICH THE WILL AND OPINIONS OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE CAN BE HEARD,
INCLUDING NATIVE
PEOPLES.
WE URGE AN OPPORTUNITY TO INFLUENCE WHO OUR POLICY MANAGERS ARE
AND THE POLICIES
THEY PROMOTE.
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