Should Guantanamo Bay Be Closed? If So, How?

Plutarch
Plutarch Members Posts: 3,239 ✭✭✭✭✭
For obvious reasons, I support the closing of Guantanamo Bay and criticize Obama for his apparent incompetence on what was one of his most progressive points when he was first running for president (during which I supported him), but I honestly don't know how it should or can be done without it getting dangerous and/or irresponsible.

What should happen to all of the detainees and inmates at Guantanamo Bay if the prison is closed? Can/will they seek legal action against the U.S.? Should the land be given/returned to Cuba? What do you think is the best way to close down Guantanamo Bay?

An excerpt from a recent piece on why Guantanamo is a fiasco:

Guantanamo Bay is a Stunningly Expensive Failure
0808pg0606gitmo02.jpg
Two weeks ago, the Senate Appropriations Committee released its report on the Defense Department budget. Buried inside were the numbers for Guantanamo—and they are horrifying. It costs $78,000 a year to hold a prisoner in a maximum-security facility, according to the Government Accountability Office; at Guantanamo, that number is an almost incomprehensible $2,768,902. In other words, the cost of chest thumping is about $2,690,000 per detainee.

And that is just the beginning: Since the facility was never intended to be a permanent structure, it’s starting to fall apart. Take just the troop quarters, where the soldiers responsible for running Gitmo are housed: According to the Senate report, the rooms are overcrowded; the air conditioning is wheezing; the metal support structure is dilapidated; and the plumbing is corroding. All of it needs to be replaced, which the Senate report says will throw another $100 million onto the financial bonfire.

Not done yet. All those accused terrorists have been locked up for more than a decade, which means they are getting older—some of them are even getting old. That means there are more demands on the medical clinic, which the Senate report says isn’t big enough and doesn’t have proper equipment. For emergency care, there is only the base hospital, which has to be used after hours or closed down during the day for security reasons when a detainee is brought there for a severe medical problem. The cost of fixing that up is another $11 million.

All of these expenditures might make sense if Guantanamo served a purpose, but it doesn’t. None of these detainees have any actionable intelligence after more than a decade of being locked up (and if they haven’t given up the information by now, they never will.) Despite the silliness of politicians and government officials in describing these guys, they are not superhumans with the ability to bring down airplanes with their teeth, as one military officer once claimed. They won’t walk through walls or knock them down with their minds if they are placed in maximum-security prisons. Just ask the dozens of convicted terrorists now serving lengthy sentences at normal prisons who have yet to break out.

Guantanamo is a failure—legally, morally, strategically and financially. The only thing it is good for is making politicians look tough. And America shouldn’t be wasting its money and reputation for that.

Guantanamo Bay is a Stunningly Expensive Failure

Comments

  • CracceR
    CracceR Members Posts: 4,346 ✭✭✭✭✭
    yup, close it and blow it up
  • LUClEN
    LUClEN Members Posts: 20,559 ✭✭✭✭✭
    It should be bigger
    And we should send pedophiles there
  • kingblaze84
    kingblaze84 Members Posts: 14,288 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Close the base, it has such a horrible reputation at this time. It's a big recruiting tool for people everywhere who hate America, as all the pics of horrible conditions and torture sessions are still all over the internet.

    The prisoners there should be slowly transferred to federal prisons in America, away from the mainland if possible because ? politicians don't want the "terrorists" on their soil. Obama should also issue an executive order to close the prison down, enough is enough
  • kingblaze84
    kingblaze84 Members Posts: 14,288 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Trashboat wrote: »
    It should be bigger
    And we should send pedophiles there

    I have no problem with any pedophiles being sent there. As long as it's not on some statutory ? ? , I sympathize with those people, girls have lied to me several times....
  • LUClEN
    LUClEN Members Posts: 20,559 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Trashboat wrote: »
    It should be bigger
    And we should send pedophiles there

    I have no problem with any pedophiles being sent there. As long as it's not on some statutory ? ? , I sympathize with those people, girls have lied to me several times....

    ? in a psych context refers to sex with prepubescents
    So none of those guys would qualify


    A man would have to be pretty gullible to believe a girl that is yet to develop any womanly features is 18
  • kingblaze84
    kingblaze84 Members Posts: 14,288 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited August 2014
    Trashboat wrote: »
    Trashboat wrote: »
    It should be bigger
    And we should send pedophiles there

    I have no problem with any pedophiles being sent there. As long as it's not on some statutory ? ? , I sympathize with those people, girls have lied to me several times....

    ? in a psych context refers to sex with prepubescents
    So none of those guys would qualify


    A man would have to be pretty gullible to believe a girl that is yet to develop any womanly features is 18

    Ahh ok I hear ya

    And as far as me, umm, falling for the lies, let's just say many young girls these days are developed as ? and still aren't legal age....in NY the legal age is 17 by the way
  • zombie
    zombie Members Posts: 13,450 ✭✭✭✭✭
    guantamo will be closed when all the inmates die of old age we should not risk letting these people out into the world not after all the hate they have built up for us.

    and any adult ? anybody under the age of 14 should be shot not put in jail.
  • LUClEN
    LUClEN Members Posts: 20,559 ✭✭✭✭✭
    zombie wrote: »
    guantamo will be closed when all the inmates die of old age we should not risk letting these people out into the world not after all the hate they have built up for us.

    and any adult ? anybody under the age of 14 should be shot not put in jail.

    then we can't torture them
  • zombie
    zombie Members Posts: 13,450 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Trashboat wrote: »
    Trashboat wrote: »
    It should be bigger
    And we should send pedophiles there

    I have no problem with any pedophiles being sent there. As long as it's not on some statutory ? ? , I sympathize with those people, girls have lied to me several times....

    ? in a psych context refers to sex with prepubescents
    So none of those guys would qualify


    A man would have to be pretty gullible to believe a girl that is yet to develop any womanly features is 18

    You know what the ? he meant why the ? do you always do that ? you are not a ? lawyer
  • zombie
    zombie Members Posts: 13,450 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Trashboat wrote: »
    zombie wrote: »
    guantamo will be closed when all the inmates die of old age we should not risk letting these people out into the world not after all the hate they have built up for us.

    and any adult ? anybody under the age of 14 should be shot not put in jail.

    then we can't torture them

    no what would be the point
  • LUClEN
    LUClEN Members Posts: 20,559 ✭✭✭✭✭
    zombie wrote: »
    Trashboat wrote: »
    Trashboat wrote: »
    It should be bigger
    And we should send pedophiles there

    I have no problem with any pedophiles being sent there. As long as it's not on some statutory ? ? , I sympathize with those people, girls have lied to me several times....

    ? in a psych context refers to sex with prepubescents
    So none of those guys would qualify


    A man would have to be pretty gullible to believe a girl that is yet to develop any womanly features is 18

    You know what the ? he meant why the ? do you always do that ? you are not a ? lawyer

    I'm pre law
  • zombie
    zombie Members Posts: 13,450 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Trashboat wrote: »
    zombie wrote: »
    Trashboat wrote: »
    Trashboat wrote: »
    It should be bigger
    And we should send pedophiles there

    I have no problem with any pedophiles being sent there. As long as it's not on some statutory ? ? , I sympathize with those people, girls have lied to me several times....

    ? in a psych context refers to sex with prepubescents
    So none of those guys would qualify


    A man would have to be pretty gullible to believe a girl that is yet to develop any womanly features is 18

    You know what the ? he meant why the ? do you always do that ? you are not a ? lawyer

    I'm pre law

    WELL DON'T BRING THAT ? TO THE I.C ALL THE ? TIME. You nitpick and harp on the details too much no different than the people online who harp on about spelling and grammar. You knew kingblaze was not talking about ? 12 year olds
  • LUClEN
    LUClEN Members Posts: 20,559 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Technically someone could be 17 and prepubescent
    I just clarified that dudes who get done ? like him would not qualify for sentencing at my hypothetical Cuban ? prison
  • zombie
    zombie Members Posts: 13,450 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Trashboat wrote: »
    Technically someone could be 17 and prepubescent
    I just clarified that dudes who get done ? like him would not qualify for sentencing at my hypothetical Cuban ? prison

    You know what forget it
  • LUClEN
    LUClEN Members Posts: 20,559 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Logic and clear definitions are far more important for meaningful communication than spelling or grammar
    provided the latter two aren't so bad as to inhibit understanding they're negligible and do not affect the factuality of what is being said
  • Alkinduz
    Alkinduz Members Posts: 2,070 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Murica lost so many goodwill after GB injustice came to light, even the Chinese were talking ? regarding human rights....

    Obama was unable to shut it down eventhough he gave his word, should tell you enough about the value of GB....for whoever the ? wants it to stay operational.
  • janklow
    janklow Members, Moderators Posts: 8,613 Regulator
    eh, it's not like in 2014 we don't know that Obama is not exactly a man of his word. much was talked during that initial campaign that has been left by the wayside.