Reply #76: And not just Cleland

[Tom Rinaldo]

What about Jack Murtha? Anti-Iraq War Democratic Activists rightfully honor and appreciate Congressman Jack Murtha as a truth to power Democrat with moral courage who stands up for his convictions, and last June Murtha was among the Democrats in the House of Representatives who voted in favor of continuing funding for the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (Son of SOA). No one is going around calling Jack Murtha an Imperialist Tool Rethug. Lots of Democrats may disagree with Murtha on this one, including grassroots activists, but that doesn't mean they doubt his personal integrity. They don't say he condones or advocates torture, and no one is trying to disown him over his support of the WHINSEC.

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll243.xml


I have no doubt that a number of Democrats would now close the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation if they become President. They said so and I believe them, but no Democratic President we've had to date chose to, and SOA was around for over 50 years. It was the Clinton/Gore Administration that rescued the SOA from actually being shut down, by first reforming it and then transforming it into WHINSEC. Wes Clark is not the only good Democrat who has had some type of association with this program, and I get tired when only he gets tarred by that association, despite Clark's positive contributions and clear stands against torture and in favor of international law. Al Gore toured the SOA in 1998 and promised a protester there then; "I'll take your message to Washington", still the Democratic Administration he was a large part of continued to support the program until they left office:

Solidaridad
Bimonthly Newsletter of the Latin American Information Centre (LAIC)
Year XI. Number 1. March/April 1998

"...Meanwhile in the U.S., Ms Harbury was arrested on March 2nd during a
protest at the School of the Americas (SOA) in Fort Benning, Georgia.
Human rights activists have been working to shut down the school
which is known for training Latin American military officers in
counter-insurgency tactics, including psychological and physical
torture. U.S. Vice President Gore was touring the SOA facilities at
the time of the protest. Ms Harbury told him that her husband had
been tortured and killed by five officers trained at the school.
'I'll take your message to Washington,' Gore responded.
Ms Harbury was released later the same day."
http://www.latrobe.edu.au/latinamerican/laics/soli1_98.html


I really do fear that everything ugly that the current Administration hopes to accomplish with this program will simply go on elsewhere without Congressional oversight when funding gets cut off. Laws mean nothing if the people in charge of enforcing those laws make "signing statements" saying they can ignore them, or write legal memos explaining how to get around them, like Bush and Gonzales do. Just something else to worry about.