Grannies march once again

Cathy Webster will be at Fort Benning, Ga., again this weekend, protesting the existence of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security. Joining her will be six fellow Chicoans and many other members of her group 1000 Grandmothers.

Last year, Webster was one of six protesters at the facility, formerly known as the School of the Americas, who during a similar protest physically trespassed on the base and were arrested. She served two months in jail as a result.

Another member of the Chico contingent will be Dorothy Parker, the septuagenarian peace activist who trespassed in 2005 and served two months in federal prison.

The demonstration will take place Sunday (Nov. 18), and thousands of protesters from around the country are expected. The taxpayer-supported institute, they charge, trains foreign soldiers and police in methods that too often lead to human-rights abuses.