Good morning....Close Gitmo

penn

Good morning, everyone:  We are just returning from a family reunion trip to Washington, DC.  First, @avengethis and @skydiverD your packages will be in the mail tomorrow morning first thing - I could not squeeze in PO run before we left.

Next, while in DC we walked to the White House and found ourselves in the middle of a Close Gitmo Protest.  The protest consisted of Americans (race, age, gender, and nationality are not important to my first question) in orange prison style jump suits carrying a large banner saying "CLOSE QUANTANIMO BAY" and another American speaking through some type of mobile amplification system.

Before they started speaking, I respectfully and politely introduced myself and stated I was former military with tours in several places including Iraq and Bosnia and wanted to know exactly what they were protesting.  I was told that many people were being held in this jail some for many years without ever being charged with a crime and the entire thing was unconstitutional.  I listened to them but made a simple statement, "Cuba is not American soil and those in the jail are not American citizens so CONSTITUTIONAL rights do not apply to anyone there."  Now as their protest was growing, several people had lined up behind me and were listening to the debate.

It was at this point, the debate was abruptly ended as they walked away.  The protestors were fine talking and explaining their point of view as long as they thought I was interested in their side of the debate - but as soon as I played my first card against their protest it was no longer worth discussing.  One of the things I like most about this forum is people respectfully layout their opinions.  That is how debates are suppose to go.  I state my opinion you state yours; we counter back and forth without personal attacks, we either change a mind or we agree to disagree! 

I never got to say whether or not I agreed Gitmo needs to close just that their first point about Constitutionality did not apply.  Anyway - without taking a stance I want to hear from others:

Should we close the jail for suspected terrorist in Gitmo?  Why or why not?

Usaf06

no, but i think this thread should be under the non cigar related page

jd50ae

Only if they were sent back on a plane flown by them with a suicide murderer on board.

Amos_Umwhat

I think we either charge and try them, or release them. We should be consistent in our beliefs regarding justice, wherever and whenever. I'm also satisfied to see them get a military tribunal, as they are enemy combatants, or turn them over for trial at The Hague, as they are international criminals. But, held without charge is not our way. Or, we could just shoot them, wrong, but I'd get over it.

mnmonkster

Well by golly gee of course we should close Gitmo and let all of those nice, misunderstood boys go home to their mommies who they surely miss -- if she hasn't already blown herself up in a suicide bombing that is. Hillary has a wonderfully brilliant plan to end terrorism against the U.S.A.. She said something like, 'We have to give the terrorists a hug and find them good jobs.' Yep, that will do it! A hug and a job will obviously make the terrorist forget their deep seeded conviction that the entire world must be Islamic and anyone who is not is an infidel who needs to be dead.

Unfortunately, the current administration is just as lost as her. Sometimes it's hard to tell whose side President Obama is on. Trading five high ranking terrorist leaders for one American deserter, certainly doesn't seem to be a way to win a war against terrorism. I do hope that those five terrorists were given hugs and resume writing help upon release... I mean that man, Bergdahl cost good American soldiers their lives when they were looking for him trying to rescue his traitorous behind and we released five terrorist to get him back? That was just so wrong.

There are so many other things that are wrong with the current executive administration, I could spend days writing about them. But since the OP was about Gitmo, I'll just leave it at that.

skydiverD

Look forward to it @penn

hope you had a great vacation!

have a great 4th!

The3Stogies

I say keep it open and keep them there, but I would put them somewhere a little colder eventually.  Antarctica must have some space for rent.  Gitmo's a paradise the way it is now, then they go back tanned, rested and ready at our expense.