Bolivia ends ties to notorious School of the Americas

[Nijinsky]

http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/1010-04.htm


WASHINGTON, DC - October 10 – President Evo Morales announced Tuesday that Bolivia will gradually withdraw its military from training programs at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), formerly known as the School for the Americas (SOA). Bolivia is the fifth country after Costa Rica, Argentina, Uruguay and Venezuela to announce a withdrawal from the Fort Benning school, citing its history of collaborating with repressive regimes and human rights abuses.


Morales, a former coca farmer and advocate of indigenous rights, criticized the institution for training Latin American militaries to identify social movement leaders as “enemies of the state.” "We will gradually withdraw until there are no Bolivian officers attending the School of the Americas” said Morales. Questioning the U.S. government foreign policy he noted that “they are teaching high ranking officers to confront their own people, to identify social movements as their enemies.”

The SOA/WHINSEC is a U.S. tax-payer funded military training facility for Latin American security personnel located at Ft. Benning, Georgia. The institution was catapulted into the headlines in 1996 when the Pentagon released training manuals used at the school that advocated torture, extortion and execution.

The SOA/WHINSEC has played a significant role in Bolivia’s recent political history, Hugo Banzer Suarez, who ruled Bolivia from 1971-1978 under a brutal military dictatorship attended the school in 1956 and was later inducted into the school’s “hall of fame” in 1988. In October of 2006, two former graduates of the SOA/WHINSEC, Generals Juan Veliz Herrera and Gonzalo Rocabado Mercado were arrested on charges of torture, murder, and violation of the constitution for their responsibility in the death of 67 civilians in El Alto Bolivia during the “Gas Wars” of September-October 2003.

In March 2006 a School of the Americas Watch (SOAW) delegation led by Lisa Sullivan-Rodriguez, Salvadoran torture survivor Carlos Mauricio, and SOA Watch founder Father Roy Bourgeois met with President Evo Morales to request that Bolivia cease to send troops for training at the SOA/WHINSEC.

On June 21, 2007 the McGovern/Lewis amendment to the FY 2008 Foreign Appropriations bill that would have prohibited funding for the SOA/WHINSEC lost by a margin of only six votes. 203 members of Congress voted in favor of the amendment to cut the funding for the school in part due to its connection to human rights abuses throughout Latin America.

[FTA69]

Great news lads, as Republicans we often find ourselves boxed in within Irish capitalism and sometimes its hard to see if things will ever change, however globalisation works both ways and whats happening in South America today could well have an effect all over the world.

[Daithí]

whats happening in South America today could well have an effect all over the world

It's hard to know but Iam hopeful.

[Nijinsky]

Great news lads, as Republicans we often find ourselves boxed in within Irish capitalism and sometimes its hard to see if things will ever change, however globalisation works both ways and whats happening in South America today could well have an effect all over the world.

The swing to the left in South America in recent years is very heartening. But it is essential that the left throughout the world engage in practical solidarity with these countries to ensure that the gains that are made are not lost as the US and the West in general step up its efforts to undermine the progressive movment being made throughout South America.

[Daithí]

Would you say the process in Venezuela is successful?

[Nijinsky]

Would you say the process in Venezuela is successful?

No. There is still a lot to do. Whats happenng now is only a start in places like Venezuela and Bolivia etc. Perfect ideal states wont develop overnight and thats why its imoportant that the Left around the world engage in practical solidarity to assist this movement in South America.

The US and the West in general do not want these movements to succeed because it puts paid to the lie that there is no alternative to Capitalism.

Whats your own views on it Daithi?

[Daithí]

I like Chavez's idea's and I'd like to see an experiment in motion in my lifetime, however I do have to realise that things like this do not happen over night.
I'd ideally like to see more examples of socialism in practice and to make conclusions. Someday republicans will come to that junction.

[Nijinsky]

I like Chavez's idea's and I'd like to see an experiment in motion in my lifetime, however I do have to realise that things like this do not happen over night.
I'd ideally like to see more examples of socialism in practice and to make conclusions. Someday republicans will come to that junction.


Whats happening in South America now offers the best opportunity for the spread of socialism worldwide which is why the US and the West in general have been so negative about it and have been doing their best to undermine it

[Daithí]

Well hopefully we will see some good results despite US dirty tactics.

[Nijinsky]

I like Chavez's idea's and I'd like to see an experiment in motion in my lifetime, however I do have to realise that things like this do not happen over night.
I'd ideally like to see more examples of socialism in practice and to make conclusions. Someday republicans will come to that junction.


You can watch a fairly decent DVD on the situation in recent times in Venezuela by going to this link. Worth teh watch I think

http://www.handsoffvenezuela.org/venezuela_dvd_no_volveran.htm

[Daithí]

Hands off Venezuela, I actually have a few leaflets on that somewhere.

Thanks for link.

[Nijinsky]

The Revolution will not be televised

For anyone interested in the Venezuela situation heres links to watch the documentary made by two Irish Film makers who just happened to be in the Presidential Palace when the coup attempt to overthrow to Chavez occurred. Essential viewing.

The looks on the faces of the coup plotters as they scurry and run when they realise that the people have risen against them is prcieless. Favourite moment of the film.

Sorry its in eight parts. Havent found it one full clip yet. When I do i'll post it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxT6erdLmYY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_jPj8Fcef8&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beiMlD3ny24&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHzkCISNYcM&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wiM9ccvvnY&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67HekrA9Jxs&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KjptzJmY1A&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvl_6lamXQc&mode=related&search=

[Daithí]

I've watched part 1, this is really interesting.

[Nijinsky]

I've watched part 1, this is really interesting.

Yeah, its an excellent documentary. The guys that made it were pure lucky to happen to be actually ther and filming as teh coup took place. Talk about being in teh right place at the right time. Fair play to them. Because it really helped to show the world what really happened

[Daithí]

Who was shooting at the demonstrations?


Bastards emptied the safe on the way out.

[Nijinsky]

Who was shooting at the demonstrations?


Bastards emptied the safe on the way out.


Watch part 4 of it to see about the shooting at the demonstrations In particular it shows how th eopposition media manipulated and distorted footage to try to show Chavez supporters shooting at opposition demonstators when in fact that didnt happen at all. The Chavez supporters were attacked by snipers and some returned fire. But as camera footage, not shown by the opposition media, showed the fire being returned was not anywhere near the opposition marchers.

Re the safe - Just shows the sort of scum they were

[Daithí]

I wonder who was shooting though, maybe it's not really relevant but Iam reading it was CIA.

[MarkyMark]

i still couldnt believe "the revolution will not be televized" was an RTE documentary. They just were in the right place at the right time, they were meant to be covering something else

[Daithí]

I've never heard of this before has it ever been on TV?

[Nijinsky]

I've never heard of this before has it ever been on TV?

Its been on a couple of times at least. I've seen it twice on tv so far.

[Nijinsky]

i still couldnt believe "the revolution will not be televized" was an RTE documentary. They just were in the right place at the right time, they were meant to be covering something else

Well they were doing a documentary on Chavez and his rise to power etc, thats why they were there but they never banked on being there right in the middle of a coup as it took place and then a peoples uprising to re instate Chavez.

[Nijinsky]

I wonder who was shooting though, maybe it's not really relevant but Iam reading it was CIA.

Nah I dont think so. More probably elements in the Army or more likely the Police opposed to Chavez. But what I find most interesting is teh way the opposition media deliberatley falsified and distorted media images to try to portray Chavez supporters gunning down innocent protestors. I remember seeing these pictures at the time it happened and while I have a healthy scepticim of the media, I wa sgenuinely concerned about the future for Chavez if what appeared to be happening was really happening. It just shows the role of the media and what it can do in certain cirumstances

[Daithí]

You have to able to expect anything from US backed media. Dirty tactics.
The fact that we was reinstated by the people is amazing, and cannot be refuted by the US.

[Nijinsky]

You have to able to expect anything from US backed media. Dirty tactics.
The fact that we was reinstated by the people is amazing, and cannot be refuted by the US.

Thats largely down to these Irish film makers. The whole truth of this would never have emerged properly if it wasnt for them and having actual footage of events as it happened. Claims by Chavez after being reinstated would more than likely have been dismissed in the west as typical propaganda etc. Because of this film that wasnt able to happen

[Poncho]

I dont think we can say who shot the protesters.

The video the oppestion was showning claiming to be supporters shooting unarmed protesters was filmed on a different bridge then the bridge that is the shot that the filmm makers say show the street empty.

Look at the guard rail, it apprears solid and dark in color, but is rod iron and looks to be green in the other angle. I know a rod iron rail could in fact look solid from just the right angle, however, there are two over hangs from the pink building that those men are shooting from, but at 6:05 in the video(when the other angle is being shown) they are no where to be seen, its a different bridge fella's.

[Daithí]

Yeh, looked different. I think it's irrelevant anyway. Especially when 1 in 4 carry guns. And they were officially Chavez men, just a few lads with handguns.

The key is, he and the government was dropped straight back into government by the people. Both important and fascinating.

[Poncho]

Yeh, looked different. I think it's irrelevant anyway. Especially when 1 in 4 carry guns. And they were officially Chavez men, just a few lads with handguns.

The key is, he and the government was dropped straight back into government by the people. Both important and fascinating.


I agree completely.

[Daithí]

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-9109414-6851957?initialSearch=1&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=chavez&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

Recommend any books lads?