Dear Editor: Friends want to know what to do about violence in Central America. I have lived in Honduras long enough to make some recommendations. Friends can ask the President and Congress to close the School of the Americas, to support House bill HR2989, to stop foreign “aid” that contributes to violence, and to support foreign aid that is positive. Here are some parts of a letter that I just sent to President Obama:
“My dear president: I am a Protestant nun (US Citizen) in Honduras. I have lived here since February 2006. Since the coup of June 2009, violence has increased steadily. The government is well known to be corrupt. Police violations of human rights are common, even murder.
“As to the mounting illegal migration: The situation here is grim. The public clinics and hospitals do not even have gauze. The Honduran government cannot pay its bills. There is massive unemployment.
“You could help to improve this situation. You could make constructive investments in Honduras so that illegal migration looks less appealing. You could close the once-named ‘School of the Americas,’ and you could stop funding the failed ‘war on drugs’ in Honduras.”
– Sister Alegría del Señor, Amigas del Señor Methodist Monastery & Multnomah Monthly Meeting (NPYM)