Posted on 10/27/2007 4:46:03 AM PDT by decimon
WASHINGTON - Dutch lawmakers who visited the Guantanamo Bay military prison this week said they were offended by a testy exchange in Washington with a senior congressional Democrat.
The lawmakers said that Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told them that "Europe was not as outraged by Auschwitz as by Guantanamo Bay."
Lantos, a Holocaust survivor, was responding to arguments that the United States should shut down the prison, located on a U.S. naval base in Cuba, the lawmakers said. Mariko Peter, a member of the Dutch Green Party, who began the exchange with Lantos, said she took notes of the remarks.
A Lantos aide said he realizes that the Guantanamo facility does harm to the reputation of the United States and has praised judges who ruled in favor of extending legal rights to prisoners. He has not, however, suggested that the prison be closed.
Before the Guantanamo exchange, the lawmakers had discussed a debate in the Netherlands about whether the country should maintain its 1,600 troops serving in NATO's Afghanistan operations.
"You have to help us, because if it was not for us you would now be a province of Nazi Germany," Lantos said, according to the Dutch lawmakers.
"The comments killed the debate," said Harry van Bommel, a member of the Socialist Party. "It was insulting and counterproductive."
A Lantos spokeswoman said Lantos was not available and had no comment.
The Dutch government soon will announce whether its troops will stay in the southern Afghan province of Uruzgan, where they recently have begun an anti-Taliban offensive backed by British and Afghan forces. Lantos has praised the Netherlands' contribution to the Afghan mission.
"It was a diplomatically strange situation," Peters said. "The mere suggestion that the United States could be compared with Nazi Germany is so flawed."
It was not the first time that Lantos had offended European political circles. In May, he lashed out at the former leaders of France and Germany. His comments, which included calling former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder a "political prostitute," provoked a rebuke from German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
The lawmakers, from the Dutch House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee, were invited to visit Guantanamo and Washington by the U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands, Roland Arnall. The lawmakers also met senior Bush administration officials, including Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte and Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England.
Members of the delegation said they were given an extensive tour of the Guantanamo Bay prison, which has been heavily criticized by human rights groups.
Some of the lawmakers said that while they found the physical conditions of the prison acceptable, they remain concerned that prisoners were not being given proper legal treatment.
Most of the delegation called for the closing of Guantanamo.
"We have to close Guantanamo because it symbolizes for me everything that is wrong with this war on terror," Peters said.
But at least one member disagreed.
"Let's not forget we are in a state of war — not only the United States but also my country — with Islamic terrorists," said the far right Freedom Party leader, Geert Wilders. "I think we could only learn from Guantanamo."
A number of the members said that the United States should consult international institutions and other countries to answer some of the difficult quandaries about closing the facility.
"We need to work out an international deal on the future of Guantanamo Bay," said Hans van Baalen, of the Liberals, who led the delegation.
I agree. The atrocities committed by Islamofascists are seemingly ignored by the Dems who spend more time being concerned about our treatment of these monsters at Gitmo and Abu Garib. They are the ones who are killing thousands of innocent people by their bombings, beheadings, baking of children, etc. They are indeed far more dangerous potentially than the Nazis. We are the good guys in this struggle just like we were in WWII. You wouldn’t know it from the Dems who compare us to Pot Pol, the Nazis, and the Communists under Stalin.
Pol Pot
“Desmond Butler didn’t say that. He relayed the words of a Lantos aide.”
You are right.
What can I say, I flunk proofreading.
But Desmond Butler could do with a refresher course “Don’t trust everything
a politician or his flunkies tell you”.
But maybe that isn’t taught at J-School.
Nobody to root for in this kerfluffle.
The EU and the "International Community" want to rule the USA inside and out! First the L.O.S.T. ruling the waters then, according to the above statement, the land and foreign policy.
Another step to a UN governed world.
Add to that what's happening on our borders and the "acceptable" Mexican Government interference in our internal affairs. As usual, no rebuke or comment from the US Government on any of the above.
If we carry on this way, we'll be lucky to make it as a Tenth World Country. Oh, I'll take that back, we're becoming a non-country, an International Zone! Sad, very sad.
The Nazis did take over Holland.
Lantos is one of the most anti-gun members of Congress. He obviously is not a proper student of history, even history he was part of.
“Frankly, I’m not buying it”
Theo Van Gogh could not be reached for comment.
I’m glad you could use it!
Not permanently.
What's intriguing here is that Tom really nailed their hides to the wall by an unfavorable comparison of Modern Europe to the Nazis. These pukes are so used to the "bushitler" garbage they were actually startled to hear someone speak out against their attitudes with such comparisons.
The way I look at it is very simple ~ not enough de-Nazification was done, particularly in the official "victim states" such as Nederland, Belgium, etc. More needed to be done, and probably could still be done. I suggest we start with their parliament!
I still don't understand why the little wimps who want to surrender think we would want to be advised and guided by THEM. The few Dutch people I know (here in the states) are neither wimps nor fools and I'm sure there are plenty of Dutch citizens who are as unhappy with the horrible "representation" they have in their government as I often am with mine.
When I lived in the Bay Area back in the late 80s/ early 90s, his eccentricities prompted many (even among his supporters) to call him The Planet Lantos.
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