Transferring Detainees from Gitmo South, Cuba, to Gitmo North, USA

Flopping Aces ^ | 12-15-09 | Wordsmith

[Starman417]

A painted marker in a recreation yard points the direction to Mecca at Camp Delta where detainees are held at the United States Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, January 18, 2006. REUTERS/Joe Skipper

This is nothing more than a bait-and-switch in order to keep a campaign promise...Guantanamo isn't shutting down; just transferring locations:

Dozens of terrorism suspects being held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will be moved to a little-used Illinois state prison that will be acquired and upgraded by the federal government, an Obama administration official said.

The critical step toward fulfilling President Obama's pledge to shut the Guantanamo detention center will be announced Tuesday, said the official, who reported that Obama has ordered the acquisition of the eight-year-old Thomson Correctional Center, about 150 miles northwest of Chicago. Obama made the move despite the objections of Republicans in Congress and in Illinois, where critics say the transfer of prisoners -- some for indefinite detention, some for trial -- could make the state a target for terrorists. Rep. Mark Kirk has called the move "an unnecessary risk."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that a bipartisan majority in Congress "already rejected bringing terrorists to U.S. soil for long-term detention."

"The administration has failed to explain how transferring terrorists to Gitmo North will make Americans safer than keeping these terrorists off of our shores in the secure facility in Cuba," McConnell said in a written statement.

In telegraphing the announcement, the official said closing the detention center at Guantanamo Bay "is essential to protecting our national security and helping our troops by removing a deadly recruiting tool from the hands of al-Qaeda."

No matter what we do, it will be a "recruitment tool" in the hands of al Qaeda because it is propagandized by our enemies, along with those on the left, as something other than what it is.

[bigbob]

Mark Kirk is not the official spokesman of the State of Illinois, and the Thomson prison is not in his district.

It is in Don Manzullos district and as he said today on WLS, it is the concentration of terror detainees in one place that enables it to be used a propaganda and recruitment tool for our enemy, not it’s physical locations. It is the fact that they can point to a map and say to their recuits, “See, here is where our brothers are being held” that creates the problem. And now they will be pointing at the middle of the USA, not a little divot on Fidel’s island.

This changes nothing other than making America less safe. How much less safe, only time will tell, but it is definitely not a equal or better than having them in Gitmo.

It is only being done so Obama finally has something he can check of his to-do list.

[ASOC]

Good idea, bad idea.

Good idea - US Marines herding these asshats around Cuber are now free to return to thier combat units. Trust me, nobady wanted anything to do with these people.

Less expensive to keep then in a CONUS based slammer

People “too poor” or out of work no longer “have to join the Army” for a job - they can now be FedGov screws (this inspires a lot of confedence....)

Bad idea

When some batch of terrs sieze a school full of elementry kids to “trade” for the Gitmoees? Then wadda do?

WHen - and thets not if BTW - when one or more escapes, who will answer for the dead and injured?

Wait for the list of endless demands and the lib enablers there to ‘ensure’ we all have to hear the xxxxing and moaning of these hadjis.

Ya, just can’t wait....

[Cloverfarm]

If they thought the Caribbean was miserable ... wait until they get to enjoy a nice Midwestern winter.