{"id":235,"date":"2006-11-18T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2006-11-18T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/godspolitics\/2006\/11\/sojourners-interns-we-train-ir.html"},"modified":"2006-11-18T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2006-11-18T12:00:00","slug":"sojourners-interns-we-train-ir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godspolitics\/2006\/11\/sojourners-interns-we-train-ir.html","title":{"rendered":"Sojourners Interns: ‘We Train Iraqis to Attack Us’: American Human Rights on Trial in Georgia"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

This weekend, the <\/span>Sojourners\/Call to Renewal<\/a> <\/span>intern program<\/a> traveled to Columbus, Georgia to participate in the annual vigil and nonviolent direct action events to close SOA\/WHINSEC. Be sure to check back often this weekend for on-the-ground updates, and let us know through your comments what you think!<\/span><\/p>\n

First, a brief background. SOA Watch<\/a>, an independent organization that seeks to close the School of the Americas<\/a> (SOA) through vigils and fasts, demonstrations and nonviolent protest, as well as media and legislative work, was founded in 1990. The SOA, which was renamed the \u201cWestern Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation\u201d (WHINSEC) in 2001, is a combat training school for Latin American soldiers, situated within Fort Benning, Georgia. Many of its more than 60,000 alumni have been implicated and convicted in some of Latin America\u2019s most horrific human rights violations, including the El Mozote massacre<\/a>, the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero<\/a>, and the 1989 University of Central America massacre<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Event organizers estimate that more than half of recent attendees are college aged and younger. They join a diverse group of faith communities and the nonreligious, local food vendors, and war veterans, all who offer a variety of perspectives on this event. We share their views with you below.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re training them to attack us,\u201d said Jesus Bocanegra, a veteran of the Iraq war, relating that many of the Iraqi insurgents learn new military tactics in similar training schools to WHINSEC that the U.S. military has established for the Iraqi army, and then use them against US forces. The 24-year old from Brownsville, TX, is now traveling around the country with Iraq Veterans Against the War. He explains why he came to Georgia this weekend: \u201cPersonally, we\u2019re here because\u2026we got used.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s got to be something better to do on a Saturday than this,\u201d said a retired army veteran of the Iraq war who declined to give his name. \u201cAmerica is worth preserving.\u201d Acknowledging that he would be a great army recruiter, the Jamaica-born resident of Columbus, GA continued, \u201cI\u2019ve seen some of the worst people become some of the best people in the military.\u201d His U.S. citizenship application is awaiting review by the Immigration and Nationalization Service.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis weekend, I want to see someone jump over the fence,\u201d said Katie, a senior from Ursuline Academy in Springfield, IL, referring to the acts of civil disobedience conducted by some event participants.<\/p>\n

\u201cHalf of the people of Columbus don\u2019t understand what the protesters are doing; they think they\u2019re protesting the military, but they isn\u2019t protesting the military, they\u2019re protesting training people to kill,\u201d said Linda Simmons, a 37-year resident of Columbus, GA, whose husband is in the military. She\u2019s selling \u201cProud to be an American\u201d bumper stickers and water bottles this weekend and is happy for the annual vigil. \u201cPeople are very respectful; they\u2019re peaceful.\u201d Besides, she says, \u201cThis event buys Christmas for my granddaughter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t expect so many people bashing the President, saying \u2018no war\u2019 and stuff,\u201d said a 17-year old senior from St. Joseph\u2019s Academy in St. Louis. \u201cI don\u2019t think our government is intentionally sending these people out to kill and torture,\u201d added one of her classmates. \u201cI think [the problem] is bad communication from both sides, from both the military and the protesters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s as much about connecting with people who care about things as it is about SOA,\u201d said Jessica Kierson and Christine Novotny, high school students from St. Vider in Chicago.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this globalizing society, the U.S. has a responsibility to the rest of the world, and I think that SOA is a direct violation of that responsibility. The U.S. has a responsibility to advocate for justice, to advocate for peace, to fight a real war on poverty \u2013 not the fake war on poverty that was fought in the 60s \u2013 and to promote good will. There\u2019s no way anyone could convince me the SOA has anything to do with that mission,\u201d said Taria, a college student from Loyola University Chicago.<\/p>\n

This annual gathering of concerned citizens from around the country presents our nation with a recurring opportunity to consider the very real human effects of America\u2019s foreign policy decisions. As Americans\u2019 support for the Iraq war reaches its all-time low<\/a>, we keep in our thoughts and prayers both our servicemen and women and all those around the world whose lives have been affected by war and violence.<\/p>\n

Laurel and Colin Mathewson are 2006-2007 Sojourners Interns.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This weekend, the Sojourners\/Call to Renewal intern program traveled to Columbus, Georgia to participate in the annual vigil and nonviolent direct action events to close SOA\/WHINSEC. Be sure to check back often this weekend for on-the-ground updates, and let us know through your comments what you think! First, a brief background. SOA Watch, an independent…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nSojourners Interns: 'We Train Iraqis to Attack Us': American Human Rights on Trial in Georgia - God's Politics<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godspolitics\/2006\/11\/sojourners-interns-we-train-ir.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sojourners Interns: 'We Train Iraqis to Attack Us': American Human Rights on Trial in Georgia - God's Politics\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This weekend, the Sojourners\/Call to Renewal intern program traveled to Columbus, Georgia to participate in the annual vigil and nonviolent direct action events to close SOA\/WHINSEC. 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