At press time, the last of the School of the America's protesters was to be released from prison. Pat Liteky was granted an early release by sentencing Judge Robert Elliot during the summer for family hardship. Kathleen Rumpf was released a day late in July. Friends came forward and paid a fine after her refusal to promise it would be paid was cited as reason enough to keep her in prison.

In late August, a federal appeals court ruled that the consecutive sentences handed down to Sr. Marge Eilerman, Ed Kinane, and Mary Trotochaud for conviction on separate trespass and destruction of property charges should have been imposed concurrently. This meant three of the four still subject to the consecutive sentence had completed their time. Trotochaud was released from the half-way house in Boston where she'd recently arrived, and Eilerman and Kinane were released from their prison cells. Finally, Fr. Bill Bichsel, serving the longest sentence, was to be released September 27.

While the House of Representatives voted to cut funding for the SOA, the bill died by one vote in a House-Senate conference committee. Preparations are afoot for an anticipated 10,000 people to protest this November at Fort Benning, Georgia, home of the infamous School. See Future Actions for more information and the address and phone number of SOA Watch.