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Dear Friends,

I wish I didn't have to bring you this bit of bad news. It shouldn't have ever come to this.

School of the Americas Watch was recently informed that Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, which has previous contributed $17,000 annually to SOA Watch, will not support our efforts for peace and justice in the Americas this year. Their decision is due to SOA Watch founder Father Roy Bourgeois' personal belief that women, as well as men, should be able to be ordained into the priesthood.

We are grateful for Maryknoll's support throughout the years and sad that they won't support us this year. Our immediate need, however, is to cover a $17,000 budget gap caused by this unfortunate situation. With seven new US military bases opening in Colombia, members of the media and opposition continuing to be targeted in Honduras, and military solutions to crime threatening to send the situation in Mexico spiraling out of control, there's little room for SOA Watch to back off its demands for humane foreign policy. That's why we need your financial assistance today. I know that $17,000 is a lot of money, but if just 84 of our grassroots supporters sign up to give $17 a month through our monthly sustainer program, we will - over the course of one year - make back what we lost. If you cannot give monthly, please consider a one-time contribution. Every donation adds up!

We need to make up for the shortfall before this November, when human rights activists, religious communities, torture survivors, and movement organizers from around the Americas will gather at the gates of Fort Benning for the 20th Anniversary of our annual vigil. We will be hosting over 100 workshops and trainings that teach skills that people can put to use back in their communities. Without our annual grant from the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, however, we need your direct support to make it all happen. Please click here to become a monthly sustainer of SOA Watch and be a part of a base of supporters we can depend on as we more forward with our demands for justice.

Thank you for all you have done for our movement. Together, we will prevail.

Sincerely,

Michael Baney
Development Coordinator
School of the Americas Watch

P.S. We'll be recognizing our monthly sustainers by publishing their names in the next issue of ¡Presente!, our newspaper. If you'd rather not have your name published but would still like to sign up to be a sustainer, just This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to let me know.