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Close Guantanamo
newt at 2/12/2008 10:34PM
Close Guantanamo
Executive order announcing the transfer of all Guantanamo Bay prisoners into civilian jails within 7 days, and either release or arrainment in civilian courts on charges pertaining to laws in force at the time of their arrest within 30 days. Seriously, they've been there for 7 years now, if the Government doesn't have enough evidence to give them a fair trial it never will.
1) Good luck finding a governor and congressman who wants the detainees in their home state. It would be instant political suicide, and most of Congress knows it, hence the lack of support behind your wish.
2) Good luck in keeping them alive once they arrive in your "civilian jails". Prison systems have their own brand of justice, and a person who can't speak English, but walks into the block with the tag of "Terrorist" hanging around their neck isn't going to last long.
3) Good luck finding another country that will take them and either A) Won't shoot them in the head on thetarmac after getting off the US plane (it's happened) or B) Won't release them to their families within a week and have them planting IED's all over again. (All of them are probably not willing to start that life all over again, but how do you know?)
4) Lack of evidence was never the issue. The issue has been how do bring them to trial when they aren't US citizens? A trial by peers is useless without peers. Do you use a military tribunal? But they would have to be prisoners of war for that to happen, and we haven't declared war on anyone. (War on terror doesn't count, it was never declared by Congress which is mandatory).
No bones about it; it's a tough situation to be in. I'm not sure how we're going to fix it, but it's hardly as simple as you'd like to think it is. Good iniative though, and I know your heart's in the right place.
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