The School of the Americas, SOA, is known for training Latin American soldiers so they can go to their home country's government and overthrow them. This school is no secret that the government has supported for many years. While I do see the United States side in keeping this. It ensures that we will not have many problems in Latin America, so less worries on our plate. But then I see the other side of the argument. My negative feelings toward this school heavily outweigh those feelings of nationality that believes that this country cannot do wrong. I mean this is technically terrorism in a sense. What is the difference between the Taliban attacking us for our views and us training people to overthrow governments because we don't like their views? Not much really. As a country we like to stick our nose into other people's buisness too much, and create unessecary chaos.
The SOA has caused many problems in Latin America for a very long time. For example in this website it is said that "On the night of November 16, 1989, a Salvadoran Army patrol entered the University of Central America in San Salvador and massacred six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter" and that nineteen of the soldiers to do so were trained at SOA. Since when have priests been of a violent nature? Never. And it's not like it was two or three people involved in this atrocity but there were nineteen people. It is excusable when there are a few because that shows no evidence of anything but when it reaches such a high number that's when you know this was planned. The only excuse they had for this was ""Many of the critics [of the SOA] supported Marxism — Liberation Theology — ;which was defeated with the assistance of the U.S. Army." So these people had done nothing wrong except they had views that scare the United States government. Many massacres have happened like this, so the reoccuring theme is not one of a peaceful manner.
So, again what seperatess us from the terrorists? I mean is our cause really justifiable? As a country that prides themself on freedom of speech and political/religious views don't you think what they are doing is a little hypocritical? So I agree with the makers of this website to shut down this school. It has brought little good to the people of Latin America, who should be the ones who decide their own fate. It shouldn't be in our power to change them to our liking.
http://www.soaw.org/about-the-soawhinsec
