Tag: guantanamo

Gitmo’s Gotta Go

The Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba, perhaps better known by its nickname “Gitmo,” is an affront to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the legacy of our national heritage. It should be closed now and all the people detained there returned to the place where they were seized. In this I wholeheartedly endorse … Continue reading “Gitmo’s Gotta Go”

Guantánamo, Our Gulag

I recently read an article by Kelley Vlahos about Thomas Drake, a news-worthy fellow who attained notoriety by becoming a federal whistleblower.  Instead of being lauded as a hero, he faced criminal charges and lost his job at the National Security Agency. Drake explained, “I saw, experienced government wrongdoing and malfeasance, directly and indirectly”, but … Continue reading “Guantánamo, Our Gulag”

Are Americans in Line for Gitmo?

Ambiguous but alarming new wording tucked into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and just passed by the Senate is reminiscent of the “extraordinary measures” introduced by the Nazis after they took power in 1933. And the relative lack of reaction so far calls to mind the oddly calm indifference with which most Germans watched … Continue reading “Are Americans in Line for Gitmo?”

Don’t Expand the Military’s Antiterrorism Role

The WikiLeaks documents released on Guantanamo prisoners indicate appalling military incompetence in haphazardly patching together sketchy and contradictory information that has allowed many high-risk terror suspects to go free, while low-risk or innocent detainees continue to be incarcerated. Yet some members of Congress would like to strengthen the military’s role in holding and trying such … Continue reading “Don’t Expand the Military’s Antiterrorism Role”

Rights Groups Deplore Order to Try 9/11 Suspects at Guantanamo

U.S. human rights groups reacted angrily to the Justice Department’s announcement Monday that the self-proclaimed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks on Lower Manhattan and the Pentagon will be tried before a military commission at the Guantanamo detention facility in Cuba.The groups, which described the move as the latest in a series of reversals by the … Continue reading “Rights Groups Deplore Order to Try 9/11 Suspects at Guantanamo”

Enough Already: Close Gitmo

Remember way back when? President Barack Obama promised to close the Guantánamo prison, restore the United States’ moral standing, and end the practice of torture.  It was two years ago. In January 2009, as one of his first acts as president, Obama signed an executive order that committed the United States to closing the prison … Continue reading “Enough Already: Close Gitmo”

Govt Accused of Fuzzy Math in Gitmo Report

A prominent public interest law firm that has defended numerous Guantánamo Bay detainees charged Thursday that a recent government report on a high rate of recidivism among former inmates is loaded with "vague and unsubstantiated claims and misinformation." The Center for Constitutional Rights said in a statement that the report to Congress by the Director … Continue reading “Govt Accused of Fuzzy Math in Gitmo Report”

Getting It Wrong in Guantánamo

I was at Guantánamo Bay prison on Halloween. In a ghoulishly fitting coincidence, that was the same day a former child soldier was convicted for war crimes for the first time since the end of World War II. Eight years and one day after Omar Khadr arrived at Guantánamo, his military commission case concluded with … Continue reading “Getting It Wrong in Guantánamo”