Challenging U.S. intervention in Latin America, la lucha continua

[Krista Hanson, CISPES]

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Pentagon Pulls Out All The Stops-SOA Funding Approved by Narrowest Vote Yet
Movement to counter U.S. funding of repression through the SOA/WHINSEC & the
ILEA continues

July 2, 2007

On June 22 the U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve foreign
operations appropriations for 2008, including funds for the International
Law Enforcement Academies (ILEAs) and the School of the Americas/WHINSEC.
Although this year's budget appropriations will result in another year of
operation for these two training institutions, this vote was just one
mile-marker in a growing campaign to stop the U.S.'s work of undermining
democracy and sovereignty in El Salvador and the Americas.  And we are
clearly making important headway. You can help ensure that CISPES's campaign
to close the ILEA continues by <https://chavez.mayfirst.org/cispes/>
supporting our ongoing work! 

The vote to cut funding from the School of the Americas came closer than
ever to winning. Only after the Pentagon convinced a pro-military Democrat
to argue strongly in support of the SOA was the Bush Administration able to
stop the amendment from going through-the final vote was 203 in favor of
cutting SOA/WHINSEC funding and 214 against. Click here to see how your
<http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll536.xml>  Rep voted and check out the
webpage of SOA Watch for more analysis about the <http://soaw.org/>  vote.

The final version of the appropriations bill includes $15 million for the
functioning of the ILEAs, including the "ILEA-South" in El Salvador.
Congress approved spending taxpayers' money on a second year of operation
for the ILEA-South despite opposition in the U.S. and El Salvador, and
despite the fact that most Representatives know nothing about what the U.S.
actually teaches at the ILEA. The State Department has refused to release
important information about what takes places behind the closed doors of the
ILEA, going so far as to claim that they do not have syllabi for their
classes to share with CISPES or other human rights organizations. Yet by
continuing to fund and run the academy, the U.S. government shows its de
facto support for the repression carried out by the Salvadoran national
police. For more info check out a
<http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=198&Itemid=
29>  full report on the CISPES visit to the ILEA, a fact sheet on recent
<http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=190&Itemid=
29>  human right abuses in El Salvador, and an article by CISPES about the
ILEA <http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/774/1/>  published on
Upsidedownworld.org.

Despite the disappointing vote, the grassroots work to slow the machine of
U.S. intervention by shutting down the ILEA has had some great successes
this year. CISPES is building coalitions at the national and local level
that will increase our impact both around the ILEA and around other elements
of U.S. militarism and intervention in the Americas. The work to focus on
funding in Congress has also led to an effective grassroots congressional
pressure campaign. Our committees have built a number of positive
relationships with Representatives who have expressed a commitment to
continued strategizing around the ILEA. Finally, and most importantly,
hundreds of people have taken the issue of the ILEA and repression to the
streets.  Activists have gone out with petitions, postcards, letters to
Salvadoran officials, canvasses, and posters to get the word out about
repression and militarization.  Last week CISPES sent 6 organizers to the
U.S. Social Forum <https://www.ussf2007.org/>  to participate in this
historic gathering and to raise awareness about U.S. support for increasing
repression in El Salvador, making the links between international solidarity
and community organizing in the U.S.

Continued funding of both the ILEA and the SOA by a Democratic-led
Congress-elected by a population demanding an end to war-is worrisome and
disappointing. However, the grassroots movement to re-orient U.S. foreign
policy continues to grow, and with increased education and mobilization we
WILL eventually stop training programs aimed at teaching repression in the
Americas. 

The next steps in our campaign will be key discussions at the CISPES 12th
National Convention in Boston, MA from July 27-29. (For details about the
pre-Convention public event on July 27 please call Boston CISPES at
617-576-1709). Convention delegates will debate and adopt strategy and
program to counter Bush's interventionism, protest the continuing repression
in El Salvador, and support the FMLN and the social movement in campaigns of
resistance, especially leading up to the 2009 Salvadoran elections.

So stay tuned-La Lucha Sigue! 

And please take a moment right now to renew
<https://chavez.mayfirst.org/cispes/>  your support for this vital work by
making a secure online donation. Your contribution will help build continued
resistance in El Salvador and the United States.  

Krista Hanson, CISPES program director

 




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C 2007 CISPES - The Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador
CISPES National Office | ph. 212-465-8115 | P.O. Box 8560, NY, NY 10116 |
cispes at cispes.org

 

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