November 12, 2024 The School of the Americas

On today's show, I summarized our Make no More Veterans of War show and encourage listeners to learn more about the original Veterans Day holiday--Armistice Day--a day to commemorate the truce that ended fighting in WWI.  With Vietnam War veteran, Frank Bessinger we explained the subtle but significant difference between using this day to glorify war to commemorating peace for our soldiers who sacrifice so much in defense of our country; for our combat veterans who face physical, mental and emotional trauma for the rest of their lives; and for the 22+/day veterans who choose suicide over a life of trauma.  Veterans For Peace has actively been campaigning to reclaim Armistice Day, and I urge to learn more about this campaign at Armistice Day | Veterans For Peace and join us to reclaim Armistice Day.

Next on the Voices of Reason agenda was the School of the Americas (SOA), not called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC).   Located at Ft Moore (former Ft Benning) in Columbus, GA, this school trains soldiers from Latin American countries to overthrow governments considered a threat to the USA using a variety of repressive and undemocratic behaviors, such as riot and mob violence, jungle warfare, torture, psychological warfare, assassinations and other forms of violence to overthrow democratically elected communist and socialist leaning governments and to those deemed narcoguerillas and "terrorists."  By destabilizing Latin American countries, they drive migrants to the USA's southern border.  Since 1989, the SOA Watch comes together annually at Ft Moore or the USA border with Mexico to protest the school.  The 2024 SOA Watch will be in Arizona and Sonoma, MX.  More information about SOA Watch can be found at SOA Watch – SOA Watch.