It's been about six years since President Bush first authorized the Pentagon to hold non-U.S. terrorism suspects in indefinite custody and without charge. Two months later, the first detainees were transfered from Afghanistan to a prison-like camp located at an American naval base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Since then, Guantánamo's been a lightning rod for criticism.
Should the Guantánamo Bay detention facility remain in operation?
Or should it be closed as soon as possible? Has it increased the security of the United States and does it continue to do so? Or has it been a limited tool in fight against terrorism that caused considerable damage to the reputation of the United States as inmates are being held indefinitely without charge and with limited access to lawyers?
Of course it should remain open.
All this liberal BBC chatter is just that mindless chatter. The BBC has no reasonable suggestions as to how to keep the possibly released Gitmo detainees from returning to the battlefield or blowing up subways; has no suggestions as to how to win the war on terrorism; has all kinds of suggestions as to how to lose the war; and continuously bashes the USA for every problem on the planet - since the BBC couldn't possibly blame the spineless EU for anything. Get a grip folks, allowing the BBC to exist in its current form and then paying for it is making you all look brain dead.
Boston
My name is Martin.The existance of Guantanamo is been used by the enemy of the USA,to make more enemies.On the other hand the information detainees had,is already in the goverment's hands.From the start terrorist counted on a reaction after 9/11,one that would shift the international opinion about the American people.The enemy was lucky enough with the creation of a 9/11 comission.People boiling in hate that established new rules,that would make the American people look responsible for all the problems in the world.Right there the USA lost the war.Now millons of muslim inside the USA,who are now American citizens,are investigated,the goverment don't trust them,they don't trust the goverment.Hate is growing,racist feelings are present very often.Now it takes half of the population of this country,to watch what the rest is doing,and guess who is paying the bill.The enemy could be everywhere.Oil prices more than doubled since 9/11.Guess who is paying for this new rules.
I thought the question was if Guantanamo Bay should be closed, not if the BBC should be allowed to stay on the air? Anonymous (probably ashamed to use a name) seems to get really off point.
Guantanamo is a black mark on the United States, and I am deeply ashamed by how the detainees have been treated. held without charges, and denied access to legal system. Bush, Gonzalez and Co. have set the cause of human rights back 50 years with their shenanigans.
Since when do you have the right to shame him becuase he doesn't post his name? Guantanamo Bay Should remain open as long as the war on terror continues. Bush has kept this country safe since 9/11, period, end of story, better then any Liberal could. Leave it open, it has brought safety to the US and many other countries.
Shut the place down and go back to the rule of law. A former US Attorney from Manhattan who successfully tried several cases against terrorists, wrote a letter to the NY Times op/ed page last week describing how, with great diligence and effort, she was able to accumulate the information necessary to susccessfully prosecute--and urged the government to do the same.
Guantanamo is a farce and represents all that the US refuses to stand for. Illegal detention.. assumption of innocence until proven guilty.. right to counsel, etc. It represents the worst of our country's legal system.. one that is NOT a justice system. We're capable of locking anyone up, throwing away the key, torturing, and leaving no paper trail. People can simply disappear and Guantanamo represents what can go wrong when a population becomes to passive or trusting of one leader
Only logging in as anonymous as I do not have an account. GTMO should reamin open as long as the GWOT continues and we are fighting terrorists worldwide. GTMO serves an important purpose in protecting both us at home from international terrorism and those overseas in countries across the world. It is unfortunate that a place like GTMO has to exist, but it was not our choice to start this war-Islamic fundamentalists who distort the true meaning of Islam started it back on 9/11/01; some can argue that it truly started many years before that, but 9/11 is when it became so very clear that we have entered the next level of this war. I can speak from personal experience having served in GTMO in 2002 and Iraq in 2006 (both times with detainees) that these are very evil people who would do anything in their power to kill every non-believer of Islam and also any Muslim who does not interepret the Koran as they do. We will build cases against these detainees and prosecute them to the full extent; those that are innocent or ones we do not have enough evidence to prosecute, will most likely be released to thier home country or another that will accept them. I can discuss this forever, but bottom line, GTMO is a very necessary facility if we want to continue to live a life of peace in our country and those countries around the world that support peace and combat terrorism. Don't be fooled to think that the current administration or we as a country are wrong here---we are only doing what is necessary, no matter how ugly or displeasing it may be to some. And remember, they are not American Citizens and are not on American soil,; they are foreign combatants being held on foreign soil.
Dear anonymous! I agree with every single word you have written! And you have written what the REALITY is, how deeply those people hate America (West), how far a muslim can go for the sake of their religion... this is something many just can't understand. I just wonder, are all the jails in the whole world so perfekt and flawless, so that Guantanamo prison is to be urgently closed?????????
Shut it down. It is hurting America, period. We need to figure out how to process people. Being dangerous is not enough to hold someone. There are a lot of dangerous people in America for all kinds of reasons. We dont throw people is jail prior to them doing anything, however. Based on news accounts, it is clear there are still people in there that are NOT top terrorists. It is more about people being in places at the wrong place at the wrong time. For those that are the most dangerous, and clearly terrorists, put them into max security confinement in Colorado at the max security facility there!
No, it not only should BE closed but should NOT have been opened in the first place. American citizens should be very concerned with how it's goverment treates other citizens. The people you see at the facility COULD be you some day. Do not let our goverment do this in OUR name. It is totally un-American hold ANYONE for years without trial or contact with the outside would. If our goverment does this in our name, what is to stop it from taking YOU to a facility like this? Write your congressman and the our President to either put these people on trial NOW or release them. Thank you for your time.
Consider the thinking of some of our founding fathers on this issue. “The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become instruments of tyranny at home." - James Madison; 2. "the practice of arbitrary imprisonments have been, in all ages, the favorite and most formidable instruments of tyranny."- Alexander Hamilton, Federalist #84; 3. "I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison; 4. “Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” - Ben Franklin; 5. "How far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without?" - Dwight Eisenhower. Mr Bush asserts that we invaded Iraq to bring freedom and democracy to the Middle East; maintaining the prisons at Gitmo, Abu Ghraib and at the numerous undisclosed CIA faclities; sanctioning the kidnapping and torture of citizens of our allies(Canada, Germany), and denying detainees a legitimate and lawful forum to challenge their detention subverts the principles of law on which our democracy is built and which Mr. Bush has invoked to justify his policies.
First of all, we should take our military base off of Cuban territory. Then we should either bring charges against the detainees, or take them back to where they came from. This is called "The Rule of Law". It used to be a bedrock of American Values. Our nation has faced much worse challenges than this. If we trash our basic values and our Constitution just because of some terrorism, then they will have won.
Closed imediately. It was/is an over reaction by some of the fear people in our goverment. It has not gotten us any info nor proven that anyone there was a bad guy. It showed that we Americans are arragant and cruel. It has been a black eye to our country. I say close it down and apologyze to the world for discarding our principles of due process. g
Yes. Why should the U.S. give up the flexibility afforded by the facility? If there are legal problems are human rights problems or PR problems, they should be addressed, though.
Perhaps the prison should be kept open -- but only as a museum/icon to the excesses of the "might-makes-right" mindset. It would be too easy to have it closed and pretend the underlying issues have been resolved. Maybe if those missing videos showed up we could have a multimedia show. There is no doubt in my mind that Guantánamo has served as rallying point for terrorists.
Whether it's GTMO or Alcatraz, the inhabitants are prisoners of war. We are at war with terrorists, are we not? One of the "inmates" was released from GTMO and was later killed fighting American troops in Iraq. I hope he didn't take out any of our kids before we got him. I don't recall any demands to try German or Japanese prisoners in an American court of law during WWII. When the war was over they were released. Some german prisoners opted to stay in the states and became citizens. If it is a choice of holding them as prisoners of war or releasing them to have them take the life of one American, I opt for holding them. I am sure my thinking is politically incorrect but when it comes to the safety my country and American citizens, I am a little prejudiced.
Guantánamo should be closed and U.S. policies drastically changed vis-a-vis so-called "enemy combatants". Sufficient concrete information has surfaced regarding the very serious legal and human rights abuses of the United States, abuses personified in the name "Guantánamo". I do not understand how the U.S. powers continue to persuade a very credulous U.S. public that these illegal and immoral activities are justified, either by keeping U.S. citizens safer, or by promoting democracy and human rights. My mom grew up in WWII Germany; if the U.S. continues to head in this direction, it is on a very slippery slope.
If the thugs have provided so much information about terrorist plans (or whatever you're referring to), then clearly there should be enough evidence against them to try them. Why are there no trials?
08/08/2007 5:23:24 PM
