Hidden In Plain Sight / RE: Latin America

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Hidden In Plain Sight (DVD)

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BuzzFlash Recommendation (excerpt)

 

This documentary runs more than two hours, but holds your attention

throughout. You are either angry at the atrocities committed by people

who received their training at the School of the Americas, or uplifted

by the committed activism of advocates who protest the mission and

tragic legacy of this military training academy for repression in

Central and South America.

 

The School of the Americas is the Bush Latin American foreign policy

in a nutshell: unrestrained military might that takes no prisoners and

justifies torture, even of innocents, in the name of keeping the poor

in their place south of our border.

 

Until we saw " Hidden in Plain Sight, " we did not fully understand what

a significant role the School of the Americas has played in the U.S.

control of non-English speaking nations in our hemisphere. Now we do

-- and it is a chilling story indeed.

 

Order Your Copy Today and Support BuzzFlash.com:

http://www.buzzflash.com/premiums/05/08/pre05107.html

 

" An incredible documentary….Required viewing! "

-- Amy Goodman, Democracy NOW!

 

" A sober, focused piece that asks Americans to take another look at

what is going on in their own backyard. "

-- New York Times

 

" Anyone who's seen Hidden in Plain Sight could have predicted

everything lately revealed about the new prison system in Iraq, and

indeed the entire invasion-occupation farce. "

-- The Guardian

 

Order Your Copy Today and Support BuzzFlash.com:

http://www.buzzflash.com/premiums/05/08/pre05107.html

 

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BuzzFlash.com's Review

 

This is the just-released 2005 updated edition of a thorough and

eye-opening documentary on the " School of the Americas, " the infamous

American army training center for Latin American military personnel

who go on to torture and suppress dissent in their own nations.

Graduates of the " School of the Americas " played key roles in the

dirty wars and Central American torture and killing under the Reagan

regime.

 

Some of the top current Bush Administration officials condoned the

torture and murders of anyone suspected of being pro-democracy,

liberal or guilty of being poor during the Reagan and Bush the First

regimes.

 

In " quieter ways, " many of the same barbaric methods continue in Latin

America, but in a less intense fashion.

 

In many ways, the School of the Americas, located in Ft. Benning

Georgia, was the birthplace of the " interrogation " techniques used in

Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo and elsewhere, as well as the civilian

massacres that occurred in Fallujah and other cities.

 

This is a very credible documentary because it is not filled with

ideological invective. Indeed, military representatives of the School

of Americas have their say, along with a host of credible critics.

 

One of the most moving passages in the film is the account of torture

provided by a former nun who was subjected to the most savage of

interrogations merely for having served the poor. An American was

present as she was subjected to the most unspeakable series of tortures.

 

It is easy for Americans worried about Islamic terrorists to dismiss

the protesters who yearly are arrested for challenging the bloody

legacy of the School of Americas that continues to haunt our foreign

policy today.

 

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Recommendation, Cont'd | back to top

 

In true Bush style, the School of the Americas has dealt with this

growing criticism of its role in training the most violent leaders in

Central and South America by changing its name into something more

euphemistic. In 2001, it was renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute

for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC). Military officials will claim that

the School of the Americas doesn't exist anymore, but it's still

there, just with new signage.

 

This documentary runs more than two hours, but holds your attention

throughout. You are either angry at the atrocities committed by people

who received their training at the School of the Americas, or uplifted

by the committed activism of advocates who protest the mission and

tragic legacy of this military training academy for repression in

Central and South America.

 

The School of the Americas is the Bush Latin American foreign policy

in a nutshell: unrestrained military might that takes no prisoners and

justifies torture, even of innocents, in the name of keeping the poor

in their place south of our border.

 

Until we saw " Hidden in Plain Sight, " we did not fully understand what

a significant role the School of the Americas has played in the U.S.

control of non-English speaking nations in our hemisphere. Now we do

-- and it is a chilling story indeed.

 

 

Every November, thousands of people from across North America gather

outside Fort Benning, Georgia to form one of the largest anti-war

demonstrations in the U.S. since the Vietnam War. The issue is the

controversial U.S. Army School of the Americas, where over 60,000

Latin soldiers have been trained, among them dictators like Manuel

Noriega of Panama and death squad leaders like Roberto D'Aubuisson of

El Salvador.

 

Demonstrators denounce the SOA as a " School of Assassins, " but Army

officials argue that the school has played a crucial role in bringing

democracy and stability to Latin America. On this issue, the U.S.

Congress is sharply divided. Enter noted scholars Noam Chomsky,

Eduardo Galeano, Christopher Hitchens, and Michael Parenti, who

broaden the debate to include such subjects as militarism,

globalization, national security, and international terrorism.

Personal accounts from victims of the violence and repression in Latin

America raise questions and concerns about the true aims of U.S.

foreign policy.

 

Informative and provocative, this documentary presents different

points of view which illuminate the turbulent reality of Latin

America, demystify the policy-making process, and shed light on some

of the most complex and urgent problems facing U.S. citizens today.

 

A short history, a spirited debate, a personal story, and a call for

accountability, " Hidden in Plain Sight " is a bold, unflinching look at

the nature and consequences of U.S. policy in Latin America.

 

Featured Speakers: Sandra Alvarez, Hector Aristizabal, Rep. Sanford

Bishop Jr. (D-Ga.), Maj. Joseph Blair, Father Roy Bourgeois, Noam

Chomsky, Rep. Mac Collins (R-Ga.), Ana Chavez Fisher, Eduardo Galeano,

Christopher Hitchens, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Ca.), Maj. Gen. John

LeMoyne, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Ma.), Sister Dianna Ortiz, Michael

Parenti, Col. Glenn Weidner.

 

Other Reviews | back to top

 

" An incredible documentary….Required viewing! "

-- Amy Goodman, Democracy NOW!

 

" A sober, focused piece that asks Americans to take another look at

what is going on in their own backyard. "

-- New York Times

 

" Anyone who's seen Hidden in Plain Sight could have predicted

everything lately revealed about the new prison system in Iraq, and

indeed the entire invasion-occupation farce. "

-- The Guardian

 

" Critics call it the 'School of Assassins' because they believe such

handy techniques as torture and methods of terrorism are taught

there.... Certainly worth thinking about in this day and age. "

-- San Francisco Chronicle

 

Details | back to top

 

Total Running Time: 122 Minutes

Spanish subtitles

Extra sequences

More from Sr. Dianna Ortiz & Noam Chomsky

Interviews with John H. Smihula & Vivi Letsou

 

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