In November of 2000, thousands of peace activists gathered at the gates of Ft. Benning, Georgia, to demand the closing of the U.S. Army's School of Americas which had trained over 60,000 Latin American soldiers. Many of these nonviolent Christians, inspired by the example of Father Roy Bourgeois, are convinced that the SOA is nothing more than "a school of assassins" that for years has given paramilitary forces lessons in kidnapping, assassination, terrorism, and forced disappearance. In 1966 the Pentagon released training manuals used at the school that advocated the use of torture and execution. Among the SOA's graduates are notorious dictators Manuel Noriega and Roberto D'Aubuisson of El Salvador, and those responsible for the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero and the El Mozote Massacre of 900 civilians.

Of course, Army officers such as Maj. General John LeMoyne and politicians such as Rep. Sanford Bishop and Rep. Mac Collins from Georgia claim that the SOA, with its annual budget of $20-$30 million, has no other aim than bringing democracy and stability to Latin America. Critics of the program such as Michael Parenti, Christopher Hitchens, Noam Chomsky, and Eduardo Galeano point out that this organization looks after American corporate interests, supports dictators, and fosters campaigns against the poor who protest the status quo.

Perhaps the most effective critic of the SOA is Sister Dianna Ortiz (The Blindfold's Eyes: My Journey from Torture to Truth) who was seized by Guatemalan military security forces in 1989, tortured, and gang raped. Although she has identified those responsible for this abominable crime, they are still free men. To this day, Guatemalan officials categorize her abduction as a "hoax."

Thanks to all the demonstrations against the SOA, it was closed down on December 5, 2000, but then it reopened as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHISC) on January 17, 2001. People of conscience are still protesting this operation which is now heavily involved in Columbia where the crusade against drugs continues as a cover for U.S. interests in the country's large reserves of oil. Hats off to John H. Smihula for this hard-hitting documentary that exposes the crimes against humanity done in the name of extending U.S. power and influence in Latin America.

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