Posted November 18, 2005 by Tom Contrestan

Published Letters, Sheboygan Press: U.S. teaches torture at Army base in Georgia

Last week we honored America's veterans past and present who served this country in war and peace.

They came from various backgrounds, but all united under one flag, and one vow … to preserve and defend the Constitution of the U.S. That document not only established a democratic government designed to reflect the will of its people, but also guaranteed a number of precious freedoms such as the right to speak your mind, join a labor union, or obtain news via a free press.

God bless America and her democratic institutions.

I must tell you about another American institution located on a U.S. Army base. Every November, thousands of us protest the School of the Americas at Ft. Benning, Ga.

Ostensibly set up for "counter insurgency" training of Latin American police and military, the grim truth is that the school teaches torture techniques and sanctions murder to achieve its ends.

The graduates of this school have become the leaders of those infamous right-wing death squads we hear about.

On Sunday, Nov. 20, about 12,000 people from all over the country will protest this most undemocratic of institutions and mourn the deaths of thousands of its victims. Once again the press will not cover this event.

At a time when Rev. Pat Robertson calls for the murder of an elected leader of a country, and Vice President Dick Cheney apologizes for torture policy in certain governmental operations — as we brutally suppress the freedom of others – I wonder how God can continue to shed his blessings on us.

TOM CONTRESTAN