President-Elect Obama is quietly planning to close the US gulag at Guantanamo Bay:
During his campaign, Obama described Guantanamo as a "sad chapter in American history" and has said generally that the U.S. legal system is equipped to handle the detainees. But he has offered few details on what he planned to do once the facility is closed.
Under plans being put together in Obama's camp, some detainees would be released and many others would be prosecuted in U.S. criminal courts.
A third group of detainees — the ones whose cases are most entangled in highly classified information — might have to go before a new court designed especially to handle sensitive national security cases, according to advisers and Democrats involved in the talks. Advisers participating directly in the planning spoke on condition of anonymity because the plans are not final.
I'm not too crazy about any alternate system of "justice" but this is a refreshing start. Guantanamo is but one of the blemishes on the face of US democracy we've developed over the past 8 years. For sure, this is a baby step. I'd like to see the entire base closed, as it's arguably not a strategic asset and it raises the ire of Cubans. We're clearly not welcome there, and it behooves the US to be a good neighbor. But I'll welcome the closure of the prison any day. Now, who wants to start taking wagers on whether Obama will close the School of the Americas?
Mel Washington's Beautiful Voice
3 years ago
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2 comments:
School of the Americas is to cranking out violent paramilitary groups what Petsmart is to cranking out puppies. Obama may order it shuttered, but you know the Pentagon will keep it mothballed, ready for the next wave of "patriots" they'll want to train.
Not if we let gays run the military. Those macho latino boys will stay away then :)
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