Gone-tanamo Bay: the Right Decision

President Obama took the first key step in restoring America's image and credibility in the world by issuing an Executive Order to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay and to prohibit the use of torture by U.S. personnel.

I applaud his judgment and I wholeheartedly support this decision.

The Bush administration never understood what the Guantanamo detention facility symbolized to the rest of the world. They saw it as simply a prison, and just weeks ago, Dick Cheney commented that he thought "Guantanamo has been very well run." The problem with Guantanamo was never about its bricks and mortar. The problem with Guantanamo is that its very existence stains and defies the moral fiber of our great nation.

The Bush administration created the prison following the attacks of September 11th as a way to circumvent the rule-of-law, to legitimize the use of torture, and to justify the permanent detention of those denied the right to petition their imprisonment.

Guantanamo has cast a dark shadow over two centuries of America's moral leadership in the world.

I said over two years ago that in order to restore our international credibility, we must shut down the Guantanamo detention facility. Even President Bush and Secretary Gates agreed. But Guantanamo remained open because the Bush administration refused to provide a legitimate plan and a legal means to charge and try its detainees, and to relocate them to their respective home countries or to maximum security prisons in the United States.

Similarly, there is no circumstance, whatsoever, that justifies the use of torture. Congress passed legislation in December 2005 that banned the use of torture and limited the interrogation tactics of U.S. military personnel. The Subcommittee that I chair has also included provisions in military spending bills forcing the Defense Department to adhere to the strict interrogation guidelines set forth in the Army Field Manual. While these are the requirements for U.S. military personnel, the Bush Administration refused to hold our intelligence community to the same standards.

No longer must we wait for a U.S. President to act.

President Obama has taken the first step in correcting the mistakes of our past. He has made the right choice, and today's decision renews hope in American values and leadership around the world.

Comments

[blico]

Close it! No problem, its just a name, just a symbol, it wont change a thing. There will be others, there has to be. Short of executing detainees on the battlefield, future captives will have to be put somewhere. If Obama is as clever as you all think he is, you'll never know where they are, it'll be a secret. The NYT wont even report on it. Probably from now on there wont be any stories of future captives.

I've never had any use for the likes of Murtha, especially after what he said about the Haditha marines, most of them cleared of any wrong doing. However, I think that his suggestion of bringing the Gitmo guys to his district is a superior idea. I think that putting them into the general prison population would be just the ticket. After all, aren't they entitled to all the rights that the rest of us citizens are entitled to? They are not any different! I would think that after a short while they would all be somebodys girlfriend and would be begging to go back to Gitmo.

[strangerinthenight]

I, on the other hand applaud Murtha. Americans could use the likes of Murtha, and absolutely none of you and your kind. Haditha is one of the worst military transgression against innocent civilians, and no one can convince me that the past administration, from Bush, to Cheney to Rumsfeld down the line did not maneuver a drum head legal proceeding to declare them innocent. They are guilty.

And to use your own narrative "these soldiers including officers from the lowest to the top should be put in the general prison population", and rightfully so, to my sense of justice and punishment , "sould be somebody's girlfriend", and would be begging to be court martialled and put on a firing line. Haditha will remain the only image of American military in the Iraq. Count on that.

Guantanamo is a name and symbol of great significance and it's closing will have an impact to our image around the globe. It's a step toward healing and unwinding the Gordon Knot of deceit by Bush-Chene­y-Rumsfeld­-Haditha monstrosity.

President Obama has armed the Office of Legal Counsel who will review all that pertains to torture, army combatants and those detainees in located black sites. I join President Obama, Representative Murtha, and millions in the hope of restoring American image around the globe.

[blico]

Sounds like your mind is made up, I won't inconvienience you with the facts. However, I will add that the MSMs view that we are hated around the world doesn't make it so!

[2sunny]

Upon the closing of Guantanamo Bay, would it make sense to tract each released detainee?
(I watch too much CNN...what do I know...CNN is tiring me....they think they ARE THE peoples spokesperson-not!)
If the prisoners were suspect enough to hold in GB, apply (with or without their knowledge) a personal tracking device. Either they re-enter a civil peaceful life or progess into lawlessness.
Maybe I'm watching too many science fiction movies. On the other hand, my reality says, "track them".

[onthewall]

obriend, you said, "...Way to weaken our war on terror". You really don't get it. There were never an external terrorist. This was a war of an interior struggle Mr. Bush and his extraordinary rendition facists invented. Mr. Bush's divided head and internal demon (beelzebub) forced him to manifest an enemy. Thus, his version of an enemy was "war on terror".

This was the condition of A Hitler, F Castro (has begun to deal with his beelzebub), DeKlurk, Lenin, Nepolian and Ramsees. Today in addition to Mr. Bush, several leaders lend themselves to this divisive demonic beelzebub spirit; Putin, Kim y Ill and Olmert.

Their behavior is very serious. The demon, beelzebub, causes one to invent an internal struggle and an enemy that must be casted out, as we saw in Mr. Bush's "war on terror". His enemy is internal, he can not cast out himself, therefore his head becomes divided, his kingdom is divided and a divided kingdom, the Bible says, "Can not stand"!!

[onthewall]

Yes! The concentrationio campio is being closed because it's the right thing to do, not because "U S doesn't torture", Pres Barack H Obama. Had his foreparents been enslaved in this country, he never would have made that false statement.

[DeeDelacroix]

Moving to close Guantanomo is laudable.
But will Obama now start proceedings to close the School of the Americas - now called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. Stop teaching how to torture if we're going to stop torturing!

[Berettasskeeter]

What information do you have about the teaching of torture? You know nothing of Ft. Benning at all!
Semper fi

[sticksnstones]

Here are some of the subjects whichTraining Manuals covered at The School of the Americas : Motivation by Fear, Bounties for Enemy Dead, False Imprisonment, Torture, Execution, and Kidnapping of Target Family Members.

These terrorist techniques have been used by authoritarian regimes, and are still being used by the same regimes in Central and South America to control, dominate, and terrorize their citizens.

[larry278]

A number of us pencil neckers, an epithet for residents of Pa, agree with Rep Murtha. We also find the comments from right, wingnut trolls very funny, but far from lucid. The trolls are recycling the comments they used when W was in office. The trolls were wrong then; they still are wrong. An illogical comment isn't like whisky; it doesn't improve with age. Foul spirits don't improve with age either. The troll comments are mean & foul spirited too, kind of like bad moonshine.

[davidwayneosedach]

It may be the right decision. But does it take priority over everything else we've got on our plate? Like 2 million unemployed Americans?

[dj202]

In long term, definitely Obama's policy of closing Guantanamo is great. But in current scenario, the prisoners with no proven guilty will be returned back to their countries of origin. Proving guilty is a tough task when it involves different nations. Especially Middle East and South Asian countries are highly dense populated and lack proper record keeping system. These countries have inflow of legal and illegal seasonal workers from neighboring countries. Some governments bear the international pressure but save home grown terrorists. The evicted prisoners will tell the stories of torture in local languages and media. This will further enhance the feeling of anti-west among fanatic and illiterate people.

Apparently, it is hard to convince religious fanatics through talks. Islamic terrorists are convinced that what they are doing is pious and according to the teachings of Quran. I am not clear how to handle such people. Last year, in Texas hundreds of women and kids were taken out of FLDS church. Recently on CNN news, it was shown that all of them rejoin the family in same compound.

[SenGovLuvr]

Dear Mr. Murtha, as it should be easy to close the bricks and mortar part of the prison, perhaps we can send the detainees, you know, "those denied the right to petition their imprisonment",
back to the countries that are demanding their release.

Sir, this issue is not that black and white, or to someone of your status, not that red vs non-redneck.

"Symbolism will never be any more than symbolic." Carver

[whatdoesitake]

It's about freakin' time someone stood up and did something here!.

Way to go Obama.

Gee, did he actually do something within the 1st 100 days?
All skeptics and nay sayers, would like a spoon or fork ?

[obriend]

Yeah, Obama... way to weaken our nation's war on terror.

[yankeeairpirate]

The "war on terror" was used to circumvent existing laws and treaties on the books concerning civil liberties of everyone, whether they were a detainee or not. W's "signing statements" declared the executive branch unitary and omnipotent when it comes to deciding national security policy and what to do with "terrists and miscreants" that his intel people had picked up, regardless of origin.

Gimme a break. The "war on terror" is just an excuse for the previous administration to do what ever they wanted in order to achieve their own political goals.

I'm not saying to stop pursuing the bad guys wherever they hide. Just don't declare a phony "war" that circumvents the Constitution that I've sworn to uphold and protect.

[disintaGreatNation]

The new bullshit narrative on Guantánamo is that it's going to be hard, hard, hard to relocate and/or resettle the former prisoners.
First, most of them need to be unconditionally released. Second, if they need work, they can handle security for Cheney, Rumsfeld, Tenet, Feith, Haynes, Yoo, Bybee, Gonzales, Addington, etc.

[Berettasskeeter]

But what if none of those folks want to hire them? How will you force them to hire those individuals? By violating the very laws you claim to love? Oh, now it becomes clear. You don't care about the law, not really. You just hate, and love to hate.
Semper fi

[yankeeairpirate]

I can see that recognition of satire is not on your talking points list.

[MagisterLudi]

"If crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight?"
G. Carlin

[MagisterLudi]

"The Bush administration never understood what the Guantanamo detention facility symbolized to the rest of the world. "
Exactly!!!
In the post-modern world the struggle of symbols and perception is of vital importance.
Jihadists have zero chance defeating Western powers. Therefore, an important aspect of Jihadism has become the struggle in the Western media for Western public opinion and sympathy and hopefully policy adjustments that go their way.

Bush administration was not sophisticated enough to understand this.

The current admin.seems to be more sophisticated in the symbolism department.
We're Closing Gitmo!! ( in a year or so).
We're leaving Iraq!!( in 2 years or so).
Smart.

[gojo]

The right decision? It was a campaign promise based on nothing but idealism. The USA would best be served by fact-based decision making. Closing Guantanamo on his first days in office is irresponsible. Is this how he will end the war in Iraq?

[samiam4285]

Guantanamo Bay is not going to automatically shut down overnight. President Obama has given a one-year deadline so that things can be done in an orderly fashion, without carelessness, and so that the best decisions can be made about what to do with the prisoners and pending cases. How is that irresponsible?

[truffspreder]

Remember the end game is to obtain reliable information to exploit on the battlefield. The benefit of limited information from a tortured enemy combatant, does not outwiegh the eventual cost to our POWs. There is no doubt opposing forces will (and have) use more extreme forms of torture on our troops as retaliation. We must always keep to the moral high ground in these instances. Bush/Cheney have always had a blatant disregard for us (I speak as a 22 yr Army Vet). We were never consider in their agenda. Gitmo is a blight to our Honor and a curse to our Nation!

[Berettasskeeter]

Please stop calling them POW's. According the GC, which many here claim to love, they are Unlawful Combatants, not deserving of POW treatment.
Now, tell me why we must "always" keep to the moral high ground! Does that extend to the theoretical destruction of the country? At what point do we fight an unlimited war?
I disagree that the Bush Administration had any disregard (I speak as a 26 yr Marine Vet).
Semper fi

[Rogan]

Our nation IS our ideals. As long as we retain this "moral high ground" (which is kinda hard to define, but that's a different subject), the country cannot be destroyed... at least (using your own word again) "theoretically."

But I hope you and I could actually agree on that. How can you believe in (as it seems you must - having served as a Marine, like a lot of my friends and family) the kind of nationalism that insists on perceiving "us" as the "good guys" unequivocally, without also insisting that we really BE the "good guys"? Makes sense, right?