Wherefore Art Thou, Guantanamo?
So what's the alternative? Obama has yet to give us a real answer.
Far from decisively acting to close Guantanamo down, the Obama administration has dithered over the closing of the prison. Not hearing too much from the left about that. I guess they’re busy collecting signatures supporting the biggest deficit hike in history.
During President Obama’s 60 Minutes interview, the maligned prison came up once again. John Hawkins noted:
This is what we’re abandoning — but, for what? When Kroft asked Obama what comes next for the terrorists imprisoned at Gitmo, he didn’t seem to know.
Well, I think we’re going to have to figure out a mechanism to make sure that they are not released on U.S. (inaudible), but do so in a way that is consistent both with our traditions, a sense of due process, and international law.
So Obama has announced we’re closing Gitmo, but he still hasn’t figured out what comes next? Isn’t that a bit of an issue, since we have these terrorists in hand, will presumably be capturing more, and even the New York Times is admitting that European nations are “hedging” on helping us with Gitmo inmates? Shouldn’t Obama have thought this all the way through before he decided to close down Guantanamo Bay?
The challenges inherent in closing Guantanamo Bay are many. Probably least important to legal experts but most important to citizens is the safety of Americans should Guantanamo detainees be put into American prisons. It is bad enough to have military officers trained to deal with this sort of inmate at risk; it’s worse to have federal prison guards put at risk. If harm comes to a prison guard or even an inmate, how will Americans perceive the choice to put terrorists in American prisons?
Prison guards and fellow inmates wouldn’t be the only American lives put at risk. Consider the transfer of the inmates to prisons and to court. All points in between would be huge security problems. Imagine the propaganda coup should an al-Qaeda operative find a way to disrupt, bomb, or interfere with the proceedings.
As it stands, Guantanamo Bay has been a boon for al-Qaeda propaganda. One of the misguided notions has been that al-Qaeda wouldn’t exploit any chosen method of detention. Lies. It’s the enemy’s stock in trade. They’d find a way to exploit the American justice system and portray themselves as victims.
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Dr. Melissa Clouthier is a chiropractor who blogs at MelissaClouthier.com and Right Wing News.
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16 Comments
1. Margaret Evans:Good article, but I have a slight quibble: the title makes no sense. It’s always nice to quote Shakespeare when it you can, but your title begs the question, “Why are you Guantanamo?” (I have a feeling your intention was to ask something like, “Where to, now, Guantanamo?”) It’s a small thing, but it IS the headline story, so I thought it was worth a mention.
Mar 31, 2009 - 4:03 am 2. HonestJon:I really don’t see a problem in putting convicted terrorists in American prisons. Especially if they are put in the general population. The other inmates and the Correctional Officers would be just fine. Both groups have a way of deterring bad behavior. Among inmates, there is a strong honor system that is alive and well. The CO’s have their own methods of dealing with the bad guys. It would probably bee pretty easy to deal with the terrorists in the American prison system. They wouldn’t last very long in general population (when it got out what they were in prison for (and it would get out)) and therefore wouldn’t cost very much money to keep up. Graves are cheap to dig!
The only real question is how to try and convict them in a manner that looks like justice without endangering national security.
regards
Mar 31, 2009 - 5:00 am 3. Richard:Where Art Thou…. Osama Bin Laden is the question…I mean, he’s been in office for what almost 100 days now? I’d have thought THE reason we went to Afghanistan in the FIRST place would’ve surrendered by now. Maybe Mr. President Obama should threaten him with being replaced, after all, he did take the cash back in the 80’s if you believe those who voted the holy one into office.
Mar 31, 2009 - 5:09 am 4. MiamaMan:O’Bama is in a conumdrum with Guantanamo.
This reservation built by Bush, Cheney & Co. serves his detention purposes, but has become a PR nightmare.
As the Fuhrer said about the General Gouvernement, that other reservation carved in Poland a while back: Juden, Polacken, und Gesindel!
The “Gesindel” part is the important clue. Release the Guantanamo detainees in downtown San Francisco, and let them tribes of “homeless” on crack take care of them.
Mar 31, 2009 - 5:13 am 5. RV:Holy crap. I had to stop reading after this little nugget:
“Probably least important to legal experts but most important to citizens is the safety of Americans should Guantanamo detainees be put into American prisons.”
There are already Americans, far, far worse than these detainees, within the American Prison system. These detainess are not super-villians in any way, and in fact have no super-powers like some people want us to believe. My goodness, people need to realize that there are few other countries on the planet that know how to imprison people like we do.
Mar 31, 2009 - 7:11 am 6. Pat J:The only real question is how to try and convict them in a manner that looks like justice without endangering national security.
Mar 31, 2009 - 7:55 am 7. donttreadonme:——————
Bingo. Add to that if we are going to accuse someone of being a terrorist, we put them on trial without denying them their rights under US and International Law. Timothy McVeigh was put on trial. So should bin Laden if no one kills him first.
Adopt-a-Jihadi :
Mar 31, 2009 - 9:24 am 8. Sarah:Yes, for a limited time only, you too can take a trip back to the seventh century! Our economy is headed there, so why not make it a cultural double!
For only 29.95 a month, you can help a homeless Gitmo Jihadi:
Your 29.95 pays for ALL of the following:
A nice 5 by 7 foot cave carefully excavated in one of the following multi-cultural locales: Chicagoland, San Francisco, Queens, or Lower Michigan.
Three meals a day of rice pilaf.
A small herd of mountain goats and enough feed to sustain them.
A Koran.
A prayer mat.
A Fun-With-Chemistry Explorer kit.
A machete blade with a sharpening stone.
Please, won’t you call today. Soon, dozens upon dozens of Jihadis will no longer have a home. For just one dollar a day, you can get a Jihadi off the streets and into a nice cave. Please, please call today 1-800-911DENIAL; that’s 1-800-911DENIAL.. Thank you.
DUH! These people are NOT AMERICAN CITIZENS!!!! Therefore, they HAVE NO RIGHTS UNDER US LAW AND SHOULD NOT BE GIVEN ANY!!!!!
Mar 31, 2009 - 9:33 am 9. Sarah:They already have their own specific designation and that is “UNLAWFUL ENEMY COMBATANT.” According to US and International law we can hold them until the duration of the armed conflict.
Just face the facts here, Obama promised more than he could deliver because he had NO CLUE what he was getting into with these guys – it’s pretty easy to promise the world on the campaign trail, that is of course until he was b*tch slapped with reality. He’ll still be giving vague answers and stall tactics for the rest of his “rule.”
RE: donttreadonme,
Mar 31, 2009 - 9:36 am 10. djh5234:I see a YOUTUBE viral video in your future with the contents of your above post – pretty funny!
Gitmo is a prison full of failed terrorist (successful terrorist usually die when the commit their crime) where as American prisons are full of successful criminals, murderers, pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and serial killers. Which are more dangerous? Hmmm? We need to start thinking beyond politics!
Mar 31, 2009 - 9:47 am 11. Bobby (Raleigh, NC):While releasing the Gitmo detainees inside the mainland USA seems of great concern to the general public, it’s clear that the White House doesn’t share those concerns. Based on that position, I would suggest they be permanently assigned to serve on the White House staff. Not only would they be in a “welcoming” environment there, but they would also be kept under the close eye of the Secret Service, which could prevent them from endangering the general public. Everyone would be happy!
Mar 31, 2009 - 9:55 am 12. AThinkingPerson:I could not make this up if I tried…
Here’s Miss Universe telling an interviewer about her “relaxing” trip to GitMo…
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/30/miss-universe-visits-guantanamo/
Mar 31, 2009 - 10:09 am 13. deguello:Send all of the poor,tortured,unfortunate victims of US Imperialism to live in half way houses,located in New York City’s Upper West side, Marin County California,and Cambridge Mass. I’m sure the liberal,famously tolerant,gentry there would help rehabilitate these victims of Bush’s terror.
Apr 1, 2009 - 9:55 am 14. Jailguard:Honestjon:
Apr 2, 2009 - 9:28 am 15. HonestJon:As someone who has worked in the American correctional system for most of his adult life I can tell you that your perspective on this is totally misguided.
First off is convicts have no “honor system”. What you see on TV and the movies is fantasy. They will rat out each other and use whatever situation presented for their benefit whether it violates the “inmate code” or not. Many convicts have a deep hatred towards America and would treat these terrorist as heroes. There is already a serious problem with radical islam being spread in this countries prison population. Placing these terrorist among general population would only make things worse.
14. Jailguard: “Many convicts have a deep hatred towards America and would treat these terrorist as heroes.”
True to a certain degree. Many inmates (many, many) would be actively hostile to terrorists in their midst-think grandma rapers in general pop. There is an inmate code that works in prison. I’ve been there and seen it for myself. Your experience may differ from mine-here in Kentucky, the code is well-established and adhered to.
Sure they rat on each other. You would too if you were in that situation. Because you get benefits from being a rat. I’ve seen it in action. The ratters get better protection from the CO’s. Write-ups get thrown out in court call, etc.
I’ve seen very few Muslims in prison here-just a couple that I can remember. Those inmates kept very much to themselves. I believe that they were afraid of being found out as Muslims. There is a stigma attached to it much as there is to being gay. Again, your mileage may vary according to your location, but here there is no problem with radical Islam.
I really don’t see the Islamists converting many or even any convicts to Islam. Most of the inmates that I’ve been exposed to were either Baptist or not religious at all. Sure, some “found God” in the hoosegow, but most never gave it a second thought.
And besides that, a lot of the inmates I knew were criminals who couldn’t get much worse than they already were. Most just made a few mistakes, but the lifers and those with three strikes, etc were just criminals, plain and simple. Criminals in…criminals out.
I sort of question your claim to be an officer. Meaning no disrespect, of course. While I was a CO, we deeply frowned on being called a guard. We were officers! NOT GUARDS…
regards
Apr 2, 2009 - 11:45 am 16. Rafael del Barco Carreras:EL JUEZ GARZÓN Y GUANTÁNAMO.
Rafael del Barco Carreras
Abril 2009. Para quien ha pasado TRES AÑOS en La Modelo de Barcelona, 1980-3, que un juez español investigue GUANTÁNAMO, ya no es que sea una ininteligible falacia, que merece profundos estudios psiquiátricos o sicológicos, a la par que sociales e históricos… por el olvido colectivo de una perversión propia de las peores cárceles del TERCER o ningún Mundo.
Garzón podría citar a todos los vecinos de unos 50 años de edad de alrededor del tétrico edificio que muchas noches, en masa, salieron al balcón gritando “asesinos, asesinos…” por los alaridos de los encadenados en LOS SÓTANOS DE LA QUINTA GALERÍA, perfectamente audibles. O consultar varios sumarios con “muertos”, verdaderos “asesinatos”, y como aun vivirán familiares y denunciantes… interrogar. !Qué ni han prescrito y sin alcanzarles la injusta Ley de “borrón y cuenta nueva”!
Él disfrutaría, porque en este sumario, no debería dictar un auto pidiendo la partida de defunción de FRANCO (habían pasado cinco años de su muerte), y aunque hayan muerto varios, el director CAMACHO (una verdadera bestia), viven de los que borrachos en sus guardias nocturnas se divertían torturando. Inmensas palizas…con muertos. En Barcelona eso lo saben todos los JUECES Y FISCALES de entonces, pero no buscan Guantánamos para montar numeritos… con olvidarse de lo sobreseído y archivado, basta. Preguntar al Presidente actual de la Audiencia, José Luis Barrera Cogollos, digno sucesor del de entonces Alfonso Hernández Pardo, con quien compartió Tribunal ESPECIAL (montado solo para ese caso “jueces contaminados”) en el Juicio por el Consorcio de la Zona Franca, donde se me condeno a esos tres años pasados en prisión.
Las imágenes que tanto se han difundido de las especiales prisiones americanas son “infantiles” comparadas con lo que he vivido y visto… en una prisión rodeada de una CIUDAD que ya había votado PROGRESISMO SOCIALISTA, y que poco le importaba si allí había inocentes (que por las habituales torturas y sistema judicial los había muchos) o terroristas con decenas de muertos. 2.600 hacinados, y ríanse del “Expreso del medianoche”.
En http://www.lagrancorrupcion.blogspot.com reproduzco las páginas de “Barcelona, 30 años de corrupción” para refrescar la memoria con el propio relato del primer juez de Vigilancia Penitenciaria en Barcelona, el otrora gran amigo de Garzón, Gómez de Liaño, preguntándose que fue de aquellas denuncias.
Podríamos también preguntarle por los restos de LASA Y ZABALA que sacó del armario cuando le convino para sus elucubraciones y ambiciones políticas.
Apr 22, 2009 - 8:44 am