No Mas.[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: No Mas * Venezuelan Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel (left), in a meeting with religious representatives from the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , took up the delegation's proposal that Venezuela stop sending soldiers to the School of the Americas (renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHISC or WHINSEC), formerly the School of the Americas (SOA; Spanish: Escuela de las Américas), is a United States Army facility at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia. ) at Ft. Benning, Georgia. During the meeting Rangel called the Venezuelan minister of defense to discuss the feasibility of the request. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez met in Caracas with Roy Bourgeois Reverend Father Roy Bourgeois, M.M. is an American priest in the Maryknoll order of the Roman Catholic Church and founder of the human rights group SOA Watch. Early life Bourgeois was born in Lutcher, Louisiana in 1938. (right), a Maryknoll priest, to confirm Venezuela's decision. Bourgeois began protesting the school in 1983 when he played a tape of assassinated as·sas·si·nate tr.v. as·sas·si·nat·ed, as·sas·si·nat·ing, as·sas·si·nates 1. To murder (a prominent person) by surprise attack, as for political reasons. 2. Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero's final sermon next to the military base. During the visit of religious leaders, Chavez spoke out against the U.S. military institution, saying, "This school deformed de·formed adj. Distorted in form. the minds of many Latin American soldiers, who from there went on to become dictators." Venezuela is the first nation to refuse to send soldiers to the School of the Americas. |
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