Closing Gitmo won't repair U.S. image (Left won't be happy until Jihadists are freed)

The Chicago Sun-Times ^ | May 29, 2009 | Steve Huntley

[2ndDivisionVet]

President Obama maintains that closing the detainee detention center at Guantanamo Bay and transferring the terrorists to a supermax prison in the U.S. will clean up America's image in the world. Don't bet on it -- just take a look at the way human rights groups are complaining about the Tamms supermax prison in southern Illinois.

Conditions at Tamms, says Amnesty International, "appear to be unnecessarily punitive and may breach international standards for humane treatment." Human Rights Watch asserts that Tamms and other supermax centers, including a federal facility in Colorado, likely violate treaties such as the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

So the groundwork already has been laid for new attacks on U.S. detention of terrorists if Guantanamo Bay is closed. The only thing that will change is the location of the facility caging them. And locking up terrorist detainees on American soil may open new opportunities for legal challenges.

Admittedly, life at Tamms and other supermax prisons is severe. Inmates are locked up in small cells for 23 hours a day, deprived of human contact and granted very limited visiting rights for family or friends. Some critics compare the facilities to Guantanamo.

Surely one major difference exists -- while Gitmo detainees have yet to be tried and many won't be tried, inmates at Tamms are convicted criminals, and not your run-of-the-mill murderers, either. They are in Tamms because they're too violent for regular maximum security prisons. Consider Willie Cabrera, a Latin King gang leader and convicted murderer. He put Stateville prison guard Lawrence Kush on a hit list and organized the attack in which inmates beat him to death with metal pipes in 1989.

[2ndDivisionVet]

This is what we get for elevating a far-left amateur to the White House.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

No question about it. These monsters must never set foot on US soil because the ACLU and other groups will work (paid by our tax money) full time to free them.

[EyeGuy]

Once again, Leftist propaganda needs to be cut off at its knees.

I staunchly reject the premise that the US image needs to be “repaired”.

An utter fabrication of the International queer media.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The Europhonies who complain about incarcerated terrorists would just pick something else to bitch about...

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

Put one of the terrorists in a supermax for two weeks. He’ll be beggin’ to be sent back to Gitmo. He can tell his buddies what supermax detention is like. That should end the subject.

[Lockbar]

"the ACLU and other groups will work (paid by our tax money) full time to free them."

Free them, give them money and weapons, too. The ACLU is a key element of the enemy within.

[Ev Reeman]

If there is another terrorist attack on our country, woe to the democRATS, woe to Obummer and woe to Congressional leaders!

[Ev Reeman]

If there is another terrorist attack on our country, woe to the democRATS, woe to Obummer and his administration and woe to Congressional leaders!

[JoanneSD]

I agree, America has no reason to worry about our image abroad, except maybe to apologize to the world for Zero..even then all Americans did not vote for him..

[georgia peach]

Another Amen!!!