Gitmo, gitclosed

[Bunz]

Well it appears at lease one campaign promise is turning into reality.

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/Terrorism/story?id=6693079&page=1

President Barack Obama will sign three executive orders Thursday, to close the detainee camp at the Guantanamo Bay military facility within a year and to establish new rules and guidelines on interrogation methods and the treatment of detainees, sources who have seen a draft of the orders tell ABC News.

In this photo, reviewed by the US Military, an American flag flies, with an old air-traffic control...
In this photo, reviewed by the US Military, an American flag flies, with an old air-traffic control tower from a closed-down airport pictured in the background, at Camp Justice, the location of the US Military Commissions court for war crimes, at the US Naval Base, in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on January 19, 2009. Advisers to President-elect Barack Obama, shown in this file photo, Jan. 12, 2009, say that one of his first duties in office will be to order the closing of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay.
(Getty Images/AP Photo )The detention center holds approximately 250 inmates, defined by the government as enemy combatants. White House counsel Greg Craig briefed members of Congress about the executive orders today on Capitol Hill.

Last night, just hours after he took the oath of office, Obama ordered Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to direct the chief prosecutor of the Office of Military Commissions to seek a continuance of 120 days for any case that has been referred to the office of military commissions and to cease referring any new cases for prosecution.

This morning, military judges hearing the cases of Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-confessed mastermind of 9/11, and his co-conspirators, as well as a different judge hearing the case of Canadian detainee Omar Khadr, granted the prosecution's motion.

According to the motion filed by the prosecutors, the continuance was requested "in order to provide the administration sufficient time to conduct a review of detainees currently held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to evaluate the cases of detainees not approved for release or transfer to determine whether prosecution may be warranted for any offenses those detainees may have committed, and to determine which forum best suits any future prosecution."

 

[Andy]

It's sort of an empty promise though. Another superficial feel good gesture that will result in the opposite of it's intended purpose.

Captured military combatants will simply be held and interrogated in non-US facilities, resulting it like more torture, such as has been documented as happening with German interrogators, and likely we'll get less valuable information then if we interrogated them ourselves.

This is what happened before Gitmo. They will simply revert back to this, and "The beatings will continue".

But on a surfacy feel good level, yes Obama did keep his promise.

 

[Dawkinsrocks]

You do not get worthwhile information from torture.

People will say anything under torture just to get it to stop.

Gtmo is a massive stain on the US and getting rid of it is long overdue.

Maybe what will happen is that the detainees will be either tried or released.

Now there's a concept.

 

[Popeye]

It's a done deal..

President Barack Obama began overhauling U.S. treatment of terror suspects Thursday, signing orders to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center, shut down secret overseas CIA prisons, review military war crimes trials and ban the harshest interrogation methods.

With his action, Obama started changing how the United States prosecutes and questions al-Qaida, Taliban or other foreign fighters who pose a threat to Americans — and overhauling America's image abroad, battered by accusations of the use of torture and the indefinite detention of suspects at the Guantanamo prison in Cuba.

"The message that we are sending the world is that the United States intends to prosecute the ongoing struggle against violence and terrorism and we are going to do so vigilantly and we are going to do so effectively and we are going to do so in a manner that is consistent with our values and our ideals," the president said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090122/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_suspected_terrorists_25

 

[BigRob]

Will someone explain where these people are going to go now?

 

[chestnut]

Their own countries don't want them because they are terrorist.
No worries, though.....because Senator Myrtha wants them. Of course he does not have a maximum security prison in his district, but that's o.k. Now he can get one.
(Can anyone say oink oink)

It seems like to me that the dems care more about supporting the constitution when it comes terrorists.. those planning to kill Americans.., then supporting the constitution for Americans.

I know... Lets let the lib lawyers defend them and let them off, all paid for by tax payers.

They can then form cells and plan to blow us to kingdom come!!!
Wouldn't that be swell ?

 

[Pandora]

Obama should have taken a bit more time before signing that bill. He should have figured out where they will go and give a better description of how he expects them to be treated. I am not taking issue with closing the place but you cant just say we are closing on this date without a plan. If he ends up putting them in a prison then he needs to start getting that prison ready for the special needs of these prisoners exc.

I think this act proves what has been said about him all along.

 

[BigRob]

Obama should have taken a bit more time before signing that bill. He should have figured out where they will go and give a better description of how he expects them to be treated. I am not taking issue with closing the place but you cant just say we are closing on this date without a plan. If he ends up putting them in a prison then he needs to start getting that prison ready for the special needs of these prisoners exc.

I think this act proves what has been said about him all along.

Well many in the Bush admin have been pushing to close it down, however, it never was for that sole reason. Obama seems to have not answered the question and closed it anyway.

 

[pocketfullofshells]

You do not get worthwhile information from torture.

People will say anything under torture just to get it to stop.

Gtmo is a massive stain on the US and getting rid of it is long overdue.

Maybe what will happen is that the detainees will be either tried or released.

Now there's a concept.

thats what smart people know,, but to many think watching 24 = real life.

 

[pocketfullofshells]

Will someone explain where these people are going to go now?

Jails after trials would be a nice idea....real trials , not fake ones.

 

[pocketfullofshells]

Obama should have taken a bit more time before signing that bill. He should have figured out where they will go and give a better description of how he expects them to be treated. I am not taking issue with closing the place but you cant just say we are closing on this date without a plan. If he ends up putting them in a prison then he needs to start getting that prison ready for the special needs of these prisoners exc.

I think this act proves what has been said about him all along.

umm actuly thats what the bill is, a bill that sets in motion finding out what do do with them that actuly holds up to our laws, constitution, and values. It does not just say close them, and let let them out in the streets like some of you act like it does.

 

[pocketfullofshells]

Their own countries don't want them because they are terrorist.
No worries, though.....because Senator Myrtha wants them. Of course he does not have a maximum security prison in his district, but that's o.k. Now he can get one.
(Can anyone say oink oink)

It seems like to me that the dems care more about supporting the constitution when it comes terrorists.. those planning to kill Americans.., then supporting the constitution for Americans.

I know... Lets let the lib lawyers defend them and let them off, all paid for by tax payers.

They can then form cells and plan to blow us to kingdom come!!!
Wouldn't that be swell ?

Just for saying that, we should jail you with no trail...you know since you support that. Hell we dont even need to charge you.

Lawyers are for all people not just the innocent. Sad how many slow people dont get that simple concept. What is a system of law if you just say, well only innocent people get fair trials....

 

[amberv1202]

umm actuly thats what the bill is, a bill that sets in motion finding out what do do with them that actuly holds up to our laws, constitution, and values. It does not just say close them, and let let them out in the streets like some of you act like it does.

actually its not a bill its an executive order. so if obama wanted to he could let them walk the streets. lincoln suspended the right to habeus corpus which is an important part of the bill of rights through an exec order. there is nothing wrong with wanting to know the ramifications of shutting down the complex because its not as set in stone as you make it out to be.

 

[Bunz]

actually its not a bill its an executive order. so if obama wanted to he could let them walk the streets. lincoln suspended the right to habeus corpus which is an important part of the bill of rights through an exec order. there is nothing wrong with wanting to know the ramifications of shutting down the complex because its not as set in stone as you make it out to be.

Of course they wont be allowed to "walk the streets" what is going to happen, is that over the next year, all of the approx. 250 detainees there will have thier case reviewed and then decided on through a case by case process.
If they can be tried in American courts, they could be released to the judicial system in the country where they came from, or another appropriate third country.

 

[Andy]

thats what smart people know,, but to many think watching 24 = real life.

Have you seen some of the Obama supporters here on this forum? I guess not many "smart" people are voting for Obama.