A record breaking 16,000 demonstrators gathered on November 20 and 21 at Fort Benning, Georgia's Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, formerly named the School of the Americas (SOA). The school is a training facility where Latin American paramilitary members study courses like commando operations, counter-insurgency, and military intelligence. Since 1946 more than 60,000 soldiers have trained at SOA, all at US taxpayer expense. Graduates of the school include the Panamanian dictators Manuel Noriega and Omar Torrijos, and Bolivia's Hugo Banzer Suarez. The assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero in El Salvador, the murder of six Jesuit priests in El Salvador, and the La Cantuta massacre in Peru are among the atrocities attributed to SOA graduates. Father Roy Bourgeois started the on-going demonstrations at the gates of Fort Benning, located in Columbus, Georgia, 14 years ago.

This October the oftentimes conservative, three member 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that SOA protestors could no longer be forced to pass through metal detectors, as they had for the last two years. In writing for the court Judge Gerald Tjoflat said, "September 11, 2001, already a day of immeasurable tragedy, cannot be the day liberty perished in this country."

Following the procession, crowds of people shouted words of encouragement as some nimble activists scaled the barbed-wire-topped gates of Ft. Benning, an act of civil disobedience which carries penalties ranging from one night in jail to two years in prison. Fifteen people were arrested this year for trespassing on the grounds at Ft. Benning to demand the closing of the SOA. See http://www.soa.org for more information on this movement. --Peggy Hotes

Evidence of US presidential vote-counting "irregularities" continues to mount, not just in the crucial swing state of Ohio, but elsewhere as well. The Green and Libertarian parties have been leading the Ohio recount effort. Recently, Jesse Jackson, Dennis Kucinich, the House Judiciary Committee, and even the Kerry legal team (finally!) have joined in calling for an investigation in Ohio.

Will these investigations result in proving another stolen election? We can't know that until the results are in (and we may never know for sure) but protecting whatever shreds of democracy we have in American demands that investigations be done. Some places to follow the progress of these efforts include: http://www.votecobb.org, http://www.nov3.us, and http://www.blackboxvoting.org.--Lansing Scott

A brief Kitchen Note (along with another reminder that we really, really need your generous donations during our current year-end fundraising drive): after two years of yeoman's work, Chris Grantham has stepped aside as ETS! proofreader extraordinaire. If you have good proofing skills and can work on a quick turnaround Sunday night and Mondays, give ETS! coordinator Lance Scott a call at 206-632-2162. --Geov Parrish