35 lines
1.7 KiB
Plaintext
35 lines
1.7 KiB
Plaintext
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Dear Mr. Frucht:
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Thank you for letting me know of your support for efforts to close
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the School of the Americas (SOA) in Fort Benning, Georgia. I appreciate
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hearing from you on this important issue.
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As you may know, I have been a strong opponent of funding for the
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School of the Americas and have voted repeatedly to close it. This year, I
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am an original co-sponsor of H.R. 732, sponsored by Representative Joseph
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Moakley, which would close the School. In addition, I supported an
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amendment to the Fiscal Year 2000 Foreign Operations Appropriations Act that
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cut off funding for the School. I am pleased to report that this amendment
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was approved by a vote of 230 to 197. Although this provision was not
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included in the final version of the bill, it represents an important step
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forward in opposition to the SOA.
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Passage of this amendment sends a strong signal to the Defense
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Department that the School's days are numbered. It reflects the strong
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grassroots efforts by church groups, human rights organizations and other
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advocates who have been speaking out against the egregious activities
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associated with the School. Cutting off funds to the School of the Americas
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is an important step forward in forging a new relationship with Latin
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America militaries based first and foremost on adherence to civilian
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authority and respect for human rights.
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Thank you for sharing your views with me. Whenever you seek
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additional information on this or any other issue, please do not hesitate to
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contact me. I also encourage you to visit my homepage on the Internet at
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http://www.house.gov/gejdenson or contact me via e-mail at
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bozrah@mail.house.gov.
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Sincerely,
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Sam Gejdenson
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