A River Between

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Michael and I decided at the last minute to join the Veterans for Peace bus trip to once again attend the School of the Americas Protest and mass funeral march at Fort Benning, GA this weekend.

For those joining late, or who need a refresher, the Army School of the Americas (SOA) is a military training camp for latin american soldiers, paid for by US tax dollars, located at Fort Benning, GA. In the mid-1990s through the freedom of information act, the SOA was ordered to release training manuals to the public. Outlined in those manuals were tactics of torture, kidnapping, sniper tactics, and a slew of others. Graduates of the SOA have been linked to the murders of countless civilians in their own countries, many of whom organize for rights of people and workers.

Every year, between 15-20 thousand people gather at the gates of Fort Benning for the largest ongoing non-violent protest. Every year, dozens of protesters “cross the line” into Fort Benning, and commit federal trespass onto the grounds as an act of civil disobedience.

This place needs to close. Our tax money can no longer go to this kind of a place.