Free Republic

THOMSON — The three appraisals of the Thomson Correctional Center have been completed, and the average value assigned to the vacant prison is far higher than what the Obama administration budgeted to buy the facility. Federal and state officials said Wednesday, however, the process continues to move forward. The state has offered the 1,600-bed prison to local governments for $219,932,218. The offer to locals is a requirement of the state’s law governing disposal of excess property, but it’s the federal government that is really interested in the facility. The Obama administration has said it wants to buy the prison 50...

President Obama's scramble to close Guantanamo is picking up speed as his arbitrary one-year deadline approaches, with Yemen and Illinois as the latest detainee destinations. Neither decision will enhance U.S. security. The government of Yemen announced yesterday that it will take six detainees, and more could follow if this transfer goes smoothly. Yemenis account for 97 of the 210 men still left at Gitmo, and 34 have been cleared for release. The problem is that Yemen is emerging as one of the world's sanctuaries for al Qaeda, and its government has essentially run a nonaggression pact with the terrorists.

Note: The following text is a quote: Some Guantanamo Detainees to Move to Illinois Prison By Gerry J. Gilmore American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Dec. 15, 2009 – President Barack Obama’s administration plans to transfer a limited number of detainees held at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to a prison in rural western Illinois, senior administration officials said here today. The federal government plans to acquire Thomson Correctional Center, a 10-year-old maximum security prison in Thomson, Ill., a farming community about 150 miles west of Chicago, officials said in a background briefing. The administration would need to work...