Cartoon by Kal

This past week, the U.S. government observed an anniversary that some would rather forget. On Wednesday, Guantanamo Bay is turning the big 1-0!

The controversial detention camp opened 10 years ago to hold captives of the Bush administration’s War on Terror. And it’s been the center of debates on human rights and military imprisonment ever since.

The use of torture is the main reason for the appalling and shocking fact that 10 years after 9/11 the alleged perpetrators of those attacks have not been brought to justice, despite the fact they’ve been held for many years.”

Recently the dispute has focused on President Obama’s failed promise to close Guantanamo over two years ago. A goal his administration is still touting.

The commitment that the president has to closing Guantanamo Bay is as firm today as it was during the campaign … I think this is a process that faces obstacles that we’re all aware of and we will continue to work through them.”

Maybe they are waiting for the right moment to win back all the dissatisfied liberals before the election…

]]> http://www.usdemocrazy.net/2012/01/16/a-debated-decennial/feed/ 0 http://www.usdemocrazy.net/2010/01/22/freedom-at-bay/ http://www.usdemocrazy.net/2010/01/22/freedom-at-bay/#comments Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:55:58 +0000 Sunny http://www.usdemocrazy.net/?p=5107

We here at USDemoCrazy love controversy!  It can spice up a sports game, show interesting sides of celebrities and politicians, and liven up any social gathering. (”No, Mom, I have no idea how the spaghetti sauce got up there!”)

But there’s the famous and the infamous, and although some controversies entertain us, others are just really unfortunate.

Like the controversies surrounding Guantanamo Bay that have left a dark stain on the U.S.’s human rights record (remember the torturing going on in 2006?).

We thought all of this was going to change on January 21, 2010, exactly one year after President Obama said he would shut down Guantanamo Bay, located in Cuba, still the home of 196 detainees from around the globe.

Today, despite trying to shut down Guantanamo for a year, officials stated that almost 50 detainees are “too dangerous” to send back to home nations.
The BBC reports that

The other nearly 50 detainees are considered too dangerous to release, but cannot be tried because the evidence against them is too flimsy or was extracted from them by coercion, so would not hold up in court.

However, many are hoping that Guantanamo will shut down anyway, and if evidence is flimsy, than the detainees should be free to go.

The Huffington Post, itself always quite controversial, states

Detainees against whom there is no credible evidence should be repatriated back to their home countries or resettled elsewhere where they won’t be tortured. Detainees against whom there is evidence of terrorist activity should be tried in federal courts. The American criminal justice system is more than capable of trying terrorism suspects while protecting both sensitive security evidence and fundamental rights.

Which is precisely what the international community wants from us, too.  The United States is struggling with what to do with the prisoners, many of whom would be unsafe in their own nations but should not be tried criminally in the United States.

Thanks to ibiblio.org! Profile of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

Christopher Boucek shows some of the U.S.’s problems,

There’s a great deal of displeasure about putting people like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed—the accused mastermind of the 9/11 attacks—on trial in New York City.

However, in the midst of bleak news about Guantanamo, it’s possible for it to still do some good.  Sound impossible?

Not at all!  Guantanamo is lending a helping hand to Haiti, which has  a death toll of approximately 200,000 so far from the earthquake ten days ago, and about 2 million people left homeless.

Some experts predict a “mass movement” from Haiti, to areas with more infrastructure to support refugees.  Guantanamo is offering beds to anyone who needs it, although I doubt it will be a, *ahem,* comfortable stay.

Guantanamo Bay proves its value as a strategic hub for the movement of supplies and personnel to the affected areas in Haiti,

stated a U.S. military official.

Something is better than nothing, and we’re glad to have some good finally come from Guantanamo!

Thanks to BBC News!

We here at USDemocrazy hate getting into trouble (we are particularly sorry about that tomato soup incident with the office microwave).  Still, we think that punishment  for misbehavior is sometimes required as long as it fits the crime…

We are hoping that President Obama agrees.

Which brings us to the controversial prison camp at Guantanamo Bay.  The United States is currently holding over 220 political prisoners in Guantanamo. Obama made a campaign promise to close the facility within one year of office.

You can imagine the big mess (think tomato soup and microwave) he has on his hands as he tries to deal with the camp’s 220 inmates.

On November 17, 2008 (last year, folks), then President-elect Obama, speaking about closing Guantanamo, said,

I’m going to make sure that we don’t torture… Those are part and parcel of an effort to regain America’s moral stature in the world.

A weighty goal, that Obama hopes to meet by January 22nd, 2010.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is hinting that, because of complications, it may take much longer to close down Guantanamo.  He supported Obama, however, explaining the administrations decision-making process,

I actually was one of those who said we should [set a deadline] because I know enough from being around this town that if you don’t put a deadline on something, you’ll never move the bureaucracy… But I also said and then if we find we can’t get it done by that time but we have a good plan, then you’re in a position to say it’s going to take us a little longer but we are moving in the direction of implementing the policy that the president set.

Thank you Robert, for that mouthful of information!

To close Guantanamo, all of the 220+ political prisoners have to be placed somewhere else – tried in a U.S. court, sent home if they are found innocent, or put into prisons in their home countries if they are found guilty.

Now, those who planned the September 11, 2001 attacks are going to be tried in a court close to Ground Zero in New York City.

The five suspects all face the death penalty.  This trial has been pushed forward to help meet the Guantanamo Bay closing date in January 2010.

So, where do we really stand on this issue?  Honestly, who knows.

We need more time to see where prisoners are sent, where they will be received, and how the trials proceed here at home.

But boy are we glad that maybe, possibly, eventually, in some point in the future, this mess will be cleaned up… as well as those stubborn tomato stains in our office.

WHY DID YOU STOP PANICKING?!?! Swine flu is not gone!!!!

Shocking! Apple announces an electrifying feature of its iPods and iPhones.

Michael Steele: Back and With a Vengeance. Summer blockbuster or real life?

So, Guantanamo, what’s new with you these days? No one is sure…

As you know.. we here at USDemocrazy have been busy covering the thorny issue of detainee rights (you know… Guantanamo and all that). We’ve have noticed the Obama guys doing some real 360s with the Bush administration policies.

It all comes to reason, right? New guys on the block, new rules, etc.

BUT HOLD ON! According to the crack judicial team at SCOTUS blog, the Obama administration is actually (SHOCK! HORROR!) looking very Bush-like!

The are claiming that “aliens held at Guantanamo do not have due process rights.” They want to the courts to reject  a bunch of lawsuits against military officials accused of due process violations.

Now, we here at USDemocrazy are a bit confused. The Obama legal leaders have clearly been looking liberally at detainee rights (see our Trying Times story here). But clearly this looks and smells like the Bush brand of legal policy. Check out the SCOTUS blog story here! Help us figure this out!