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■P cl “I 1 A(.S 01 OIJH 1 ATHI KS” KI VU W, P(.. ft First copy free \ ohmic 55 lssue 12 SOA Watch founder speaks to UWG students By Kristal Dixon News Editor kristaldixon @ gmail.com The Rev. Roy Bourgeois, an outspoken critic of the School of Americas at Ft. Benning, Ga., spoke to UWG students and faculty last Tuesday. Bourgeois spoke about many topics ranging from his activism against the SOA to the current war in Iraq. His lecture was designed to get students involved in questioning the policies of the government. He related his experience with the rhetoric in the Vietnam War with current sayings of the Iraq War. “War kills hope and that is exactly what happened to me when I was in Vietnam,” Bourgeois stated. Bourgeois also said that many of the war’s proponents will not have the experience of losing a son or daughter in the war against Iraq or fighting in the war. “Those who talk this macho talk won’t go to this war. They will sit in the comforts of their radio stations and homes,” he said. Bourgeois also criticized the members of Congress who voted for the war, saying that he would “like to go see Banners display pride v :4ml I L .'flt gS Bff jm g i0 1 mjp, ife. 9I|B 9p mILa &§#*. . HBk I aßteagS S „. Photo by Josh Grubb Student organizations and residence halls show off their banners to celebrate UWG’s Homecoming this weekend. The West Georgia Wolves will be taking on the North Alabama Lions Saturday at 3 p.m. at Grisham Stadium. “7 he Student \ dice at the l 'niversity of West (leorgia since 1934" Photo courtesy of SOA Watch The SOA Watch and its volunteers hold an annual protest In Ft. Benning, Ga. to commemorate the victims of the 1980 killings in El Salvador those who declared it [war] go and fight it.” Bourgeois criticized the Catholic Church on being mum on the situation in Iraq by saying, "It's like Iraq doesn't even exist. It is never mentioned in our church. This is a disgrace.” Bourgeois’ experience with the Vietnam War proved to be a turning point in his life. He said he signed up for enlistment because it was the patriotic thing to do and that “when our leaders said we had to stop the spread of communism. <sbz Wmt3L <§£orsK*t I believed that.” Coming from a small town of Lutcher, La., he stated that he was raised in a culture that didn’t question the policy makers of this country. While in Vietnam, Bourgeois said that it was around this time when he started to question the use of violence to establish peace. “I began to see in me that the violence I carried around would get me killed,” Bourgeois said. After serving in Vietnam, he was ordained a Catholic priest in 1972, www.thewestgeorgian.com and went to work for the poor in Bolivia. What he saw while in the Latin American country would change the rest of his life. In 1980, he went on to El Salvador and became heavily involved in fighting for the rights of the poor in that country . Also, four American churchwomen, two of whom were really close friends of his, were brutally raped and killed by Salvadorian soilders. This was the event that got him interested in U.S. involvement in Latin Impact of issues main reason to vote Tuesday By Tim Sowers Staff Writer tsowersl @my.westga.edu This is the last publication of the paper before the elections, the next time this paper is read the country will be set on a different path, no matter what party wins. The editorial section of the paper this semester has been the center of a number of political debates. No matter what one’s views are on the issues discussed, it is clear that there are a number of questions facing America with a number of answers. America’s involvement in Iraq does not have just one possible course and the more people who are involved in the discussion the more ideas and options are developed. The national deficit continues to grow after the budget was balanced from f I’IISINI J:<l M) Wednesday, \ovcnthcr I, 200(> American politics. Believing that these, and other Latin American soilders and future dictators, were graduates of the School of Americas, Bourgeois became an outspoken critic of U.S. foreign policy in Latin America. He founded the School of Americas Watch in 1990, which has now' been renamed to the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. This group researches the activities of this school. Also, every year in November, the group and 1998 through 2001. Last years fiscal budget cost the federal government $248 billion more than it collected. America’s energy policy and dependence on foreign oil are not a “natural” course of political action. They are the result of a long trend of political decisions and policy objectives. These are obviously not the only issues that are facing the country, but they are all likely to be effected by the decisions made by our state and federal governments. Since the problems confronting America are the result of choices made by past politicians they can be remedied by the politicians of the future, if chosen carefully. Most people wouldn’t leave a major decision of their life up to someone else. So why should anyone leave the answer to thousands of others gather at Ft. Benning to protest the school’s presence and to remember the victims of the 1980 slaying. Bourgeois believes that the school trains Latin American soldiers to torture, among other things. He also states that the school's training is all funded by U.S. taxpayers’ dollars. Last November, Bourgeois said, more than half of the 19,000 people who descended onto Ft. Benning were college students. The annual descend onto Ft. Benning is a peaceful one, lasting from Friday when they arrive until Sunday afternoon. The wave of support of young people his movement has received has continued to grow every year. He stated that it is important that “we either live our lives and make decisions rooted in our experiences or make decisions that never upset our loved ones.” While shutting the SOA will be a major accomplishment. Bourgeois did state that their mission will not stop there. He said that more work needs to be done in the area of changing U.S. foreign See SOA. page 3 the questions confronting America up to others? In the time remaining in this week, everyone should take the time to become informed on the issues that are of interest to him or her. Political cynicism is a popular temptation for many college students. People perceive politicians as corrupt individuals who do not do service to the constituency they are elected to represent. This is only possible because of a lack of accountability for politicians. The only guaranteed check on corrupt politicians is elections. Theses issues will eventually have very real impacts on all lives of Americans. On next Tuesday, please remember voting is a great reason for students to play hooky.