In support of the argument that we should close the detention center in Guantanamo Bay despite a Pentagon report "that about one in seven of the 534 prisoners already transferred abroad from the detention center...are engaged in terrorism or militant activity," the New York times reported today:
Terrorism experts said a 14 percent recidivism rate was far lower than the rate for prisoners in the United States, which, they said, can run as high as 68 percent three years after release.
What ever happened to common sense? ... Of course, this is piled on top of yesterday's New York Times' ode to hypocrisy:
"Guantánamo makes us less safe," the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, said at a news conference where he laid out the party’s rationale for its decision [to bar transfer of detainees to the United States], which is expected to be voted on this week. "However, this is neither the time nor the bill to deal with this. Democrats under no circumstances will move forward without a comprehensive, responsible plan from the president. We will never allow terrorists to be released into the United States."
So now the Democrats are admitting that Guantanamo Bay houses terrorists, rather than some poor saps who happened to be walking by a war zone and accidentally got rounded up by the U.S. army?
Why are we closing Guantanamo Bay again? Anyone?
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10 comments:
Well, basically Guantanamo should be closed because it is an illegal settlement of the US in Cuban territory.
Julio, are you referring to Guantanamo, the naval base or to Guantanamo, the prison?
I meant the entire Guantanamo Bay area, give it back to the Cubans. If the US wants to have prisoners and torture them they can do it in US territory. Of course with the torture part I'm being sarcastic.
U.S. has a permanent lease for the Guantanamo property, which Cuba agreed to many years ago. Both Cuba and the US must agree to void the lease and the US should not agree to do so. This is an important strategic base.
The current Cuban government considers the U.S. presence in Guantánamo to be illegal and the Cuban-American Treaty to have been procured by the threat of force in violation of international law.
You mean like the country of Argentina was procured by the threat of force?
...All these things were taken fair and square under international law as it existed at the time.
What do you meant about Argentina? Spanish conquest? Killing and enslaving the original inhabitants? Of course this was wrong and I agree to return lands to original owners. Similar killing of aborigines happened all over the American continent sadly.
As for Cuba, the treaty was signed in 1903 by a completely different government. What kind of idiot leases away part of his country without a proper end-date? Obviously a kind of person that either was bribed or forced into it.
Regardless of the treaty, it is still Cuban territory. Leased to the US or not. So if the current government considers the occupation illegal, the US should give it back.
Anyway, that is an idealistic view. Of course the US will not give it back. Why would they? They are bigger and stronger than Cuba. Cuba cannot take it by force. It is simply like when you went to school and some bully took your lunch and you had no means to get it back.
Ahh fairness ... Cuba thinks that the lease is unfair. US feels that Cuba's treatment of its citizens is unfair. I personally couldn't care less about what Cuba thinks. We have to do what's right for us. You can't please everybody.
US feels that Cuba's treatment of its citizens is unfair...
free Healthcare for everyone, how crazy is that...
The World thinks that US treatment of Cuba is unfair.
Some countries think that US treatment of its non-citizens in Guantanamo is unfair.
But well, you have to do what's right for you, of course. Why care about the rest?, only you is what matters. Nice philosophy to follow.
If Cuban citizens are treated so well, why are so many Cubans risking their lives to come to the USA illegally. Just a thought.
Why should we care about everyone else? What have they done for us, other than criticize. I am not saying brush the rest of the world off ... there is a benefit to us for cooperating ... but generally we need to be concerned with our security first and foremost, because if we are dead, nothing else matters.
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