SOA / WHINSEC VOTE UPDATE

SOA Watch has received NEW information, that WHINSEC has a secret weapon
and that the Pentagon's public relations campaign has won some influence
with the Representatives who have already told you they will vote YES.

Yesterday (June 19) was a busy day in Congress and they were not able to finish
the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, so we have bought more time
to counteract the Pentagon campaign and persuade Congress to vote YES to
cut funding for the SOA / WHINSEC.

Beginning at 10:00am on Thursday, June 21, the amendments to the Foreign
Operations Appropriations for fiscal year 2008 will be debated,
including the McGovern - Lewis (GA) amendment to prohibit funding for
the SOA / WHINSEC.

Due to this new information, you MUST make your calls again. WE NEED YOU
TO KEEP UP THE PRESSURE IN CONGRESS by making calls and sending faxes
now, even if you have already made calls. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT that you
continue to contact Congress today to let Members know they have
constituents who support human rights and the closing of the
SOA/WHINSEC.

As this unfolds, you should be able to view or listen to that House
floor debate on C-SPAN: http://www.c-span.org (At the bottom of the
page, click on "Live Stream").

ACTION

1.  Call the DC office of your Representative through the Capitol Hill
Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Ask to speak with the foreign affairs
legislative assistant.
2. SEND an EMAIL and FAX to your Representative: 
http://www.soaw.org/legislative (Be sure to click the "Send a Fax" box
to have the fax sent).

SUGGESTED MESSAGE
Here is a NEW suggested message for you to convey when calling your
Representative:

"I am calling Representative________ to urge him/her to vote YES on the
McGovern amendment to the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill. This
amendment prohibits funding for the School of the Americas/ WHINSEC.

New information indicates that WHINSEC has allowed known human rights
abusers to instruct and receive training at the school. The governments
of Costa Rica, Argentina and Uruguay have made public announcements they
will no longer send students to the school, citing the negative image
and history of this institution.

Voting YES on this amendment sends a positive human rights message to
Latin America and will help to improve the U.S. image abroad. As an
elected official in Washington D.C., I hope you will represent me and
vote YES on any amendment in the House that would cut funding for the
school."

The volume of calls you are making may be overloading the House
Switchboard number so if you cannot get through, please call their
office directly. You can look up their phone number by accessing the
Clerk of the House phone directory and note that all phone numbers have
a "202" area code. Keep the calls coming and make a call every few hours
before the vote happens on Wednesday afternoon!!!

Clerk of the House phone directory -
http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/mcapdir.html

FOR MORE INFORMATION, visit the SOA Watch website at
http://www.soaw.org and the Legislative Action Index at
http://www.soaw.org/legislative