WE WON!!!!!

We Won the Vote in Congress!
Pentagon Forced to Release Information to SOA Watch

Thanks to your efforts and hard work in defense of human rights, the culture of secrecy and lack of accountability surrounding Defense Department policies suffered a severe blow today when the U.S. House of Representatives approved the McGovern-Sestak-Bishop (GA) amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2009. The amendment forces the public release of names, rank, country of origin, courses and dates of attendance of WHINSEC's graduates and instructors to the public.

The amendment was approved with a 220 to 189 vote!

This is a major victory for the international human rights community!You spoke up and now we are one step closer to transparency and closing the SOA/WHINSEC!

In recent years, WHINSEC has denied information that in the past has been vital in identifying the perpetrators of massacres, targeted assassinations, and human rights abuses committed in Latin America. In response to WHINSEC's lack of transparency and its willingness to undermine public attempts of exercising oversight of the institution, human rights advocates and constituents have taken a stand for justice and demanded Congress to hold WHINSEC accountable.

The access to information regarding students and instructors attending WHINSEC will allow human rights organizations to continue to monitor the school and identify those graduates and instructors who have violated human rights or taken part in criminal activities in their home countries.

Information is power, and the more information we have, the closer we are to closing the SOA/WHINSEC once and for all!

We Won the House, Now Comes the Senate

The approval of this amendment will now lead us to face a new challenge to insure that WHINSEC also be held accountable by the U.S. Senate, in the coming weeks we will continue to keep you updated so we can work together towards another victory.

As our Legislative campaign will now move on to the Senate, please consider making a contribution to SOA Watch. Thank you!

www.soaw.org

:woohoo:

I was raised Catholic - his work in exposing them gives me fond memories of the Catholic Church.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1209-04.htm

This win honors him.

:applause: O8) :cry:

peaceful, wonderful Catholics at the School of the Americas Watch Vigil at Fort Benning, Ga., in November.

Some of the most decent, progressive human beings I've ever met have been Maryknoll nuns, and the odd Jesuit or two (although by some standards all Jesuits are odd). It's not all pedophilia and misogyny, despite what many in the MSM and even here on DU would have you believe.

I even named my only child after a Catholic priest (Daniel Berrigan), and I'm a Jewish/Agnostic/Pagan/Buddhist!

Doesn't mean I have to like the Pope, though.

Even though I am registered Green.

Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHISC or WHINSEC), formerly the School of the Americas (SOA; Spanish: Escuela de las Américas) is a United States Department of Defense facility at Fort Benning near Columbus, Georgia. Acronyms defined. :evilgrin:

:mad: :eyes: :puke:

I was trying to figure out what the hell was going on!

largely along party lines:

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2008/roll363.xml

It's a small win. Close down the SOA.