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Subscribe to RSSDespite President Obama's vow to shut down Guantanamo Bay, the nation's most expensive prison is undergoing some costly new updates that would allow the facility to remain open for years. NBC's Michael Isikoff reports.
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba -- The U.S.-run Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba, targeted for closure by Barack Obama during his campaign for the presidency, is instead quietly undergoing millions of dollars of upgrades that could allow it to remain open for years as a prison for suspected terrorists, NBC News has learned.
Among the recent improvements to the facility commonly known as “Gitmo”: a heavily guarded soccer field for detainees known as “Super Rec,” which cost nearly $750,000 and opened this week; cable television in a communal living quarters and “enriching your life” classes for detainees, which include instruction on learning to paint, writing a resume -- even handling personal finances.
“Well, that's one class, but it’s not a popular (one),” Army Col. Donnie Thomas, commander of the military guards at camp, said with a laugh. “But it’s a class. It’s just to keep these guys busy.”
Other improvements are more practical, such as a new headquarters for the guards and a new hospital, which is still in the planning stages.
Navy Adm. David B. “Woody” Woods, commander of the Guantanamo facility, told NBC News that the improvements have “made it safer for the detainees, safer for the guard force,” and have not adversely impacted security at the facility.
“We treat them all as a threat only because if you don't then you're gonna get surprised, and that's not our business,” he said.
Many of the improvements have been made at the most modern facility in the detention center, known as Camp VI, a communal living compound that houses about 80 percent of the 169 detainees currently held at Gitmo. There, detainees who are deemed to be compliant with the rules and therefore eligible for more privileges are able to watch 21 Cable TV channels, DVD movies, read newspapers and borrow books from a library.
The detention center, located within the U.S. Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, was established in 2002 by President George W. Bush to hold detainees from the war in Afghanistan and later Iraq. The base in Cuba was selected as part of a Bush administration strategy to prevent judicial review of the legal status of the prisoners, who were initially denied lawyers.
Obama made its closure a centerpiece of his presidential campaign, arguing that U.S. courts were capable of handling the cases. After taking office, he signed an executive order on Jan. 22, 2009, directing that Gitmo be shut down within a year. The order also called for an immediate case-by case review of detainees at the facility with an eye toward either repatriating them or bringing them to trial in U.S. civilian courts.
But the president’s efforts to shutter the camp were blocked by Congress out of concerns that transferring the detainees to U.S. jails would pose a security risk and invite escape attempts or terrorist attacks on the facilities.
A little more than two years after Obama’s first executive order, on March 7, 2011, he signed another executive order making a number of policy changes regarding Gitmo, including a reversal of his order seeking to bring detainees to trial in civilian courts. Instead, he said, suspects would face military tribunals that would decide their guilt or innocence.
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the self-described mastermind of the 9-11 terrorist attacks on the U.S., and four other Guantanamo detainees were the first to go before a military tribunal last month, when they were formally charged with crimes that include murder and terrorism. They face the death penalty if convicted for their roles in the attacks that claimed 2,976 lives in New York, Washington and Shanksville, Pa.
But for the remainder of the detainees – including some who are eligible for release but have no country willing to take them – there is little prospect of leaving Gitmo anytime soon.
And that means U.S. taxpayers will continue to foot the bill for their presence in a U.S. prison that costs $140 million a year to operate – or some $800,000 per detainee.
Woods, the commander of the Guantanamo detention center, said he doesn’t anticipate the closure of the facility any time soon.
“As far as being able to close down the operation, I could do that … in a couple of months, the buildings and the people,” he said. “We have removed these belligerents from the battlefield and our job is to detain them, and we do that very well.”
Michael Isikoff is NBC's national investigative correspondent; Mike Brunker of msnbc.com contributed to this report.
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Why is Gitmo still open?? Another obama campaign promise that is an EPIC FAIL.
Yes.. What happened Mr. Obama??? I thought you would have that place shutdown in a year after elected?
Oh, thats right, you meant to say you would have our country shutdown in a year.
Job well done!!!
Idiots on board......... What part of "But the president’s efforts to shutter the camp were blocked by Congress out of concerns that transferring the detainees to U.S. jails would pose a security risk and invite escape attempts or terrorist attacks on the facilities" did you not understand?
obam owned the congress for the first two years. Oh so sorry; did you just now wake up?
Let me get this straight, they just try repeatedly to blow us up and destroy America and we turn Gitmo into a fking vacation resort? Wow, logic please. All you're doing is making people want to join the Taliban you MORONS.
If Obama allows this to happen, he deserves to be flushed in Nov.
Not to lose my cool again but this story pisses me the hell off. You can't honestly tell me that it's fair for Obama to treat terrorists better then he treats his troops. If I was in the armed forces I would be MAD. That's despicable and frankly the administration should be ashamed of themselves...
Are we supposed to care about terrorists going on hunger strikes to improve their conditions? Let 'em die. Save us all the money it takes to house them and feed them in the first place. Seriously, earlier they installed a soccer field in Gitmo, I'm not kidding. IT IS ABSURD TO TREAT TERRORISTS BETTER THEN YOUR OWN TROOPS!!!
tbh, it's Congress that appropriates funds, sets the budget, and holds the power of the purse.... The President can sign or veto such bills, but Capitol Hill creates these spending bills, and then votes on stuff without by all accounts even bothering to read the bills they sign....
One thing, yes this looks perposterous, by all means. However if the gaurds could turn on the right shows, it could be a nice upside if some of these people could get sufficiently westernized... Oh, and Jewish network, Al Quida would have to love that, along with a little dose of all that "western culture" they feel tends to "corrupt" anyone who views it. Just imagine the propaganda value this could provide to boot, as long as the prisoners don't control all the remote controls...
Oh hey, the gaurds might eat in the cafeteria, let the military gaurds pick the shows, and not worry about what would be considered appropriate to Jihadists... And they'd be passively exposed while eating, etc :p Perhaps a few news documentaries that aren't the stanndard issue Mid-East dictator propaganda (and could perhaps have a demoralizing effect for those locked in that mind set) could have some value also, if the military gaurds plan the right exposure :d
But yeah, when it's all said and done, article 1 of the Constitution does put the power of the purse in hands of the Legislature.....
The only "people" that own congress are corperations. Obama never had a filibuster proof majority.
"Idiots on board......... What part of "But the president’s efforts to shutter the camp were blocked by Congress out of concerns that transferring the detainees to U.S. jails would pose a security risk and invite escape attempts or terrorist attacks on the facilities" did you not understand?"
Did Obama said that this is what happened?? errr...like he also said first that the prison will be closed in one year from now? must be a very long year eh? as we conservatives do not have notion of time i have been told !
wow you people are the morons....they try to blow us up and we put some things in the prison that is less than luxurious...yet the rapists and child molesters and murderers and our own TERRORISTS can have the privilege of getting great commissary and satellite tv and mail and a lawyer in this "great" country of ours...i really hope you people arent religious cause you arent very good ones....just because some of these people were terrorists really doesnt mean we should treat them like crap....we have worse people in our own legal systems behind bars and free on the streets and we want the prisons and jails to treat them like people but a person of a different religion and personal beliefs we think they should be tortured thats not right...its not obamas fault its not even congresses fault that these things happen its our fault to INVADE and try to change these people who basically we all derived from since the first bones were discovered in that regional area....wake up people stop being terrorists yourself....we have terrorism in america that whites and blacks and asian and hispanic, christians jews muslims pagans....just stfu about them let them live for once before they die....hell our jails some of them are more than luxurious if you didnt know that.
As long as they force them to watch Jersey Shore, I think it is money well spent...10xs worse that Water Boarding
Transfering prisoners out of gitmo was voted down 93-7 Even in 2009 Obama's own party thought his ideas were wacko.
John-2512223 - You can look at one of two ways. Either he new it wasn't going to close and made the promises because he knew it was the popular position (probably helped with his Nobel Peace Prize as well) or he was to naive to know that he wouldn't have the power to close it even with control of both houses of Congress. Personally I think it was the first. Just as he had no plans to end the Iraq war ahead of what was already scheduled.
Wow. It seems that quite a few people commenting here have a really poor hold on reading comprehension. If some actually read this article or many previous ones posted on various websites or newspapers, you might have known that Obama did sign an executive order to close Gitmo within a year of that exec. order, BUT Congress then passed a resolution that superseded that order and left Gitmo open. So the fact that Gitmo is still open is not the fault of Obama. Also, I know a Lt. that serves at Gitmo, and although, unfortunately, some of these "upgrades" are going to make life a little better for the scum imprisoned there, it is mostly being done for the benefit of our own soldiers in the long-term.
When everything is considered, I am sure it is Bush's fault that Gitmo remains open. I would wager that muslim channels are part of those 21 channels. Al Jeziera in arabic is the main channel supplied to the terrorists.
Something tells me these guys won't have much use for resumes...
Whatever the reason Gitmo is not closed, do we have to turn it in the Waldorf Astoria?
What costs $800,000 per detainee??
as i read each paragraph, i could see obama's boot kicking his supporters in the teeth. i even winced a couple times, lol. fact is obama made a lot of promises that any person with a ounce of sanity knew he couldnt keep. has 1 thing he has done that wold have been considered an accomplishment happen? nope! he's a fraud,and a sham...
The President has the authority to order the facility shuttered...it is a military installation and he is the commander-in-chief. The simple fact is that it was politically beneficial to promise to close it and it's now politically beneficial to keep it open and upgrade it. I think it's a calculated decision that Americans just aren't going to be piissed off enough that it's still open to be a problem at the voting booth.
Obviously, Democrats aren't going to vote for a Republican over it...they're just going to move from voicing outrage at GWB/Guantanomo Bay to a general consensus of "oh, it's not really as bad as Obama made it out to be" outrage at Obama/Guantanomo Bay. That is what makes them hypocrites of the highest order.
John Boehner
In the House the vote was The vote was 282-131, with Democrats split. In the Senate it was 90 to 6. Sorry folks the fact that Gitmo was not closed as President Obama promised is the fault of both the House and Senate. It is the fault of both parties. The Senate at the time was 48 Dem 49 GOP 2 Independant 1 vacant. The House was 235 Dem.198 GOP 2 vacant. So yes Obama had a slim majority in the House and a toss up in the Senate. Closing Gitmo was part of the National Defense Authorization Act. That is a yearly bill for military spending. The only way to pass the bill was to remove the Gitmo Closing part of the bill.
Good catch JR on reminding us of all the liberal outrage and protests over Guantanomo Bay...where are they now?
No prison should have cable TV or libraries or soccer fields...especially for violent offenders or terrorists.
Cable TV for rapists, child molestors, murderers and terrorists and we have hard working people that can't afford it? Anyone that stands up for prisoner rights can kiss my behind....they gave up their rights when they committed a crime. Put them to hard labor, feed them bread and water, whatever it takes to make prison miserable.
The reality is; if anyone closed that facility most Americans would piss all over themselves. SOooo, we keep it operating, and we treat the inmates humanely. Congress wants it closed?, It can close it. Congress doesn't want these upgrades?, It can stop them.
I can not believe that the government is going to spend money to make these terrorists more comfortable and their lives better. Every single one of them would gladly kill the first American they had a chance to and our government is spending money giving them cable TV. This is completely absurd. Prison is not supposed to be like some luxury hotel, it is supposed to be unpleasant. We have people in this country who can not afford a roof over their head or food on their table and our government is spending money it does not even have to make these terrorists more comfortable. If Obama allows this to happen he should be impeached for providing aid and comfort to the enemy.
I'm glad that Gitmo is still open, not even his own party support that insane idea that is not benefit to us, because those terrorist once free will return to their arms and kill Americans , Erick Holder whose Lawyers firm donate more than 3000 hours counseling terrorist will be the first to defend him, but because they cant go to trial jet, this administration is giving them a much better live that the American prisoners. What about their fair share , why those terrorist have more privileges than any other prisoner in USA.
Not a Socialist-1286940
Epic?? LMAO.. yeah, this is epic.. The world is going to end because Obama didn't get it closed. Amazing how Congress blocked it isn't it. The same "GOP" that recently blocked a bill that would give women equal pay.
How about giving them "3 hots and and cot"? Former Navy/Marine talking here. Any POW's in any wars were lucky to get that.
rockjock - So was Obama wrong in 2009 or 2011? Dare we use the term flip flop? I guess that term is reserved for the other party's candidate.
Here is a link if anyone would like to revisit it, January 22, 2009 the President Elect Obama Signed an executive order to shut down GITMO with in 1 year, it was an executive order no congress or senate approval required not voting required. so all this talk of Congress shot it down is pure BS.
http://articles.cnn.com/2009-01-22/politics/guantanamo.order_1_detention-guantanamo-bay-torture?_s=PM:POLITICS
?? What I'd like know is WHO is paying for these 'upgrades'? I have neither cable nor a satellite service for watching any tele at my house. So a "suspected" terrorist has free access to 'higher grade' television (is that a 'right' for being locked up?) and I don't.... somehow that's just a half a bubble off plumb, if you ask me. I suspect that the taxes that I pay here are going to support these improvements as well?
As an indy, I realize I have a rather right-leaning veiw on supplying any jailbirds with free TV: let them pound sand, starting with rocks.
Any of you visited a civilian prison lately? Cable television. Cell phones. Vending machines. Gyms. Libraries. Radios. Dvd players. Many have conventional web service and some have wi-fi. Computers. Rec rooms. Fenced grounds for baseball, football, and basketball. I could go to the illegal stuff; such as drugs, liquor, and even opposite sex nookie now and then. Many of you have been watching too many movies. It's damn sure you're not practicing proper Christianity. "Visit your brother in prison". ????????????????
This topic has many faces.
1. Obama was Naive to say he was going to close Gtmo, why?
2. Congress had the attitude of "not in my backyard" with regard to the terrorists
3. Their own nations did not want them back
4. So what was Obama to do - shoot them? That would send you all into a tailspin wouldn't it.
5. Why do you blame Obama when if you look under the covers NOBODY wanted to take responsibility for them? This "BLAME GAME" that is going on here shows one thing and one thing only - none of you know a damn thing about what you are ranting about and shows only your ignorance.
6. I do think the average cost of $800,000/prisoner is obscene when one thinks a retired US Citizen who worked hard all his life gets a Social Security pension that averages $1800/month.
7. Having served in the Navy there during the Missile Crisis I am very familiar with the living conditions there and a simple chain link fence with a couple of good Marines would be sufficient - there really is no place to go in the 45 square mile base. This expense is offensive in the extreme.
8. BTW if the USA would like to pay down the national convert Gtmo to a gambling resort. It would be a Gold mine. After all the bay is one of the best harbors in the Western Hemisphere and could hold 30 or 40 cruise ships (during the crisis there were a whole heck of a lot more than that!).
Why not? That's normally what we provide prisoners.
They might as well get them a massage parlor and conjugal visit squad!
These guys should be spending their time doing hard labor and getting waterboarded! As time goes on, all of them should gradually "disappear" or "expire".
Whoever allowed these "improvements" is a domestic terrorist themselves and needs to be locked up in Gitmo.
How do you fill out a resume when your only accomplishment was being a terrorist? and your education was at a prison for terrorist? not allot of prospect there.
Yep, a chain gang is in order....moving rocks from one end of the yard to the other.
The wasteful spending will never stop. That is why the deficit is what it is.
Just one of the reasons why Obama should not get re-elected. School programs are being cut but we have millions to upgrade a prison to house terrorists. What is wrong with this picture?
Cable TV....Cable TV and Soccer....Cable TV, Soccer and...Healthcare? Are you @!$%#ting me? @!$%#. Makes you wanna conspire a terrorist attack just to get the good life. (Not that I would. It's a joke, people) Though there was that one guy a few months back who robbed a bank of 1 dollar to get free healthcare in prison.
Indefinitely detaining individuals without formally charging them with anything is a dangerous precedent. This place should have been shut down a LONG time ago.
When places like Gitmo are still open, people still claiming this as the "land of the free" need to answer for it.
$750,000 for a freakin soccer field, is that like a typical government $400 hammer?! For freak sake, throw down a couple hundred pounds of grass seed and buy a $1000 mower! What a bunch of idiots spending our money- and now they want more?!
Of course Gitmo is being upgraded - and - it will be exorbitantly expensive.
It is a military facility, after all.
@jcsmine
BS. The only two independent Senators BOTH caucused with the dems. One a self described socialist the other switched to independent only after narrowly losing the primary.
If they didn't have a filibuster proof majority how on Earth did they pass the stimulus and Obamacare?
@Not a Socialist-1286940
Exactly. And where are the liberals bitching about it? Gitmo was the epitome of wrongness during the Bush administration now they've got nothing to say. Sort of like the anti-war protesters packed up their bags and went home the day Obama took office as if suddenly the wars had ended.
Backcountry.
That is the least of their concerns. They are more interested in supporting the likes of same sex marriage, abortion of innocents, destroying all job creators ie Corporations, small business people, those who are successful, and this nation. They all can see the Freaking Mess in Socialist Europe, yet they still want that system for the USA. Now we are supporting those who tried to and did kill innocent Americans who did nothing to incite this attack. Yet we want to give them tea and crumpets. I worked in the Prison System as a volunteer. Yes these people deserve to be where they are. Yes we give too much protection to those who are the worse of society. When we use to let " Prison Justice" take its course through the GP, for those who don't know what that is. It is General Population. In the old days the prisoners policed themselves. If you where a CHOMO, you where gone. So if Obama is having a hard time closing this prison. Well all he has to do is send the convicted US Troops that are in Leavenworth for war crimes against the citizens of Iraq and Afghanistan. Place them in GP with the terrorists and I guarantee you within a week those troops would clean the place up. Then we could bring them back to the USA as War Hero's! Obama doesn't have to take a hit on his failed Presidency.
Joanne,
Yes and we are spending money fixing the Afghans infrastructure and new schools while Obama is letting schools shut down all over this nation. In the City of Portland Oregon many schools have shut down even when others had ideas that could keep them open while co-oping with other districts for more space. Yet we are spending millions on other nations needs instead of ours. Then Obama is lining the likes of his cronies pockets. Hell they bail once the get their money.
***********************************TOLD YOU SO*************************************
And all of you Newsvine Posters called me a Liar, so now what are YOU.
President Obama January 21, 2009 signed into US Laws his Patriot Acts (plural) that: "Expanded Presidential Powers" (to circumvent the US Courts, US Congress's Representation as the "Will of the People", etc.), Preemptive Detentions of US Citizens (without Hearings, No Trials, No Legal Representation), No Material Support to Terrorist Organizations (including no "Expert" Advise including no "expert" Legal Representation, Humanitarian Assistance, lots of etc.), inclusion of the Defeated as Unconstitutional US Laws US Senate S.1959 and US House of Representatives H.R.1955 aka the George Orwell 1984 "Thought Crimes Laws" in that the verbal or written statements are also the Crime and not the Action(s), the Monitoring and Censorship of all US Communications (especially the Internet), hidden in there was also the expansion of Guantanamo (US Congressional Appropriations), the transfer of some of the Guantanamo Prisoners to US Ally President Gaddaffi's Prisons (released by the Fundamentalist Islamic Jihadists (80% of the "Libyan Rebels") after the Overthrow of President Gaddaffi, the expanded use of US Contractors at Guantanamo that are exempt from the Four Legal Authorities Over The US Military (1907 Hague Convention, 1949 Geneva Convention, International Laws, Agreements, Treaties for the Treatment of Prisoners), lots of etc..
Notes: In 2008 the US Courts Ruled Illegal the Domestic Sureveillance of US Citizens of President Bush's Patriot Act (singular), President Obama's January 21, 2009 Patriot Acts (Plural) made this 100% Legal due to the Presidential Expanded Powers and Funding thru US Congressional Appropriations.
The Definition from the Defeated as Unconstitutional S.1959 and H.R.1955 "Anyone that states a radical change to (US) Government is a Homegrown Domestic Terrorist", etc. are in President Obama's Patriot Acts.
The Relationship to the US Insurrection Act as implemented by Presidential Executive Order without the prior consent of US Congress as "Expanded Presidential Powers" (of President Obama's Patriot Acts), and the US Military Use of Deadly Force Against Armed or Unarmed US Citizens. Expanded Role of US NORTHCOM within the US against US Citizens. Leading to President Obama's signing into US Law, December 2011, the NDAA, Indefinite Detentions of US Citizens (no Hearings, no Trials, no Legal Representation, no access to Classified Evidence), US Military Tribunals. Summary Executions of US Military that disobey the implementation of the US Insurrection Act, Indefinite Detentions of US Military Families, Relatives, etc. as possible Co Conspirators to Treason of US Military Service Members refusing to obey Presidential Executive Order and or Insurrection Act.
President Obama shown here signing into US Laws his January 21, 2009 Patriot Acts (Plural) during a Staged News Media Event, January 22, 2009, 3:48 minutes of 11:55 minutes:
Naomi Wolf: 'Obama can lock any US citizen up without trial'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLSeD19m3UE
Oh, yes, NOW WHO IS WEARING THE TIN FOIL HAT.
John-2512223, Nuadormrac (President Obama's Trillions USDs of Discretionary Spending), jcsmine, The__Fish (see above about Gaddaffi's Prisons), rockjock (what Executive Order, http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/executive-orders), Devil's Son (nice try, "Expanded Presidential Powers"), Mac Forrester, Thomas Boyce (sorry whitehouse.gov overrides your link cnn.com and so does President Obama's Patriot Acts), One really fed up boomer (US Taxpayers are paying without US Congressional Appropriations, it is extremely expensive due to the use of more US Civilians instead of below minimum wage US Military Personnel), Nerm_L It is a military facility, after all. (nope mostly US Civilian, just like President Obama's August 2009 US Civilian Surge to here (Afghanistan) as to why the US Department of State is spending Billions US Taxpayer money per year and nothing is being built nor done), etc..
As far as circumventing US Congress's Appropriations, the same way that he circumvented US Congress to use US Taxpayer Funds to pay for the US Military, and NATO's personnel bombs and fuel to attack Libya so that the Fundamentalist Islamic Jihadists could create another Fundamentalist Islamic Republic; Billions USDs of not Budgeted for Discretionary Funds. Of course not being Budgeted by US Congress requires more Cuts to previously Budgeted for US Programs/Projects for US Citizens.
The proof of President Obama's "Expanded Presidential Powers" of his January 21, 2009 Patriot Acts (plural) is his violating US Law that restricts his Presidential War Powers, 1973 War Powers Resolution, as he did not warn US Congress (both Houses all Members Required) 48 hours in advance so that US Congress could write US Law(s) with US Congressional Appropriations to cover his arse, like what President Clinton did with US Law, H.R.4655 "Iraqis Liberation Act of 1998" justification Weapons of Mass Destruction, authority to Order US Military Operation Desert Fox; President Bush's US Law, 2002 Iraqi War Resolution both with US Congressional Appropriations.
Even more ways to Circumvent US Congress as previously used by President Obama (:
President Obama's April 2009 Policy, "US Military will not be used to secure US Borders".
President Obama as Commander In Chief April 2009 Orders aka Policy to Cut the US Military Defense Budget while at two Wars (Iraq and Afghanistan) and 4 President Obama Secret Wars.
President Obama's March 2009 Policy, that resulted in the Overthrows of US Allies Worldwide, increased Strategic "Sphere of Influence of the Fundamentalist Islamic Shia Republic of Iran", loss of the Iraqis Oil to the Chinese and Russian Federation 2010, etc.. Removed from the Democratic National Committee's list of President Obama achievements after all the adverse results worldwide.
President Obama as Commander In Chief August 2009 Orders aka Policy hundreds of thousands of US Civilians for his US Civilian Surge. Change of Rules of Engagement to "Cannot shoot until shot", US Civilian Law Enforcement "Must beyond a reasonable doubt in a Court of Law have proof individual shot first". Letter of Reprimand for General McChrystal for violating President Obama's March 2009 Policy.
President Obama's Policy of "Only Criminal Undocumented Workers will be Deported".
President Obama as Commander In Chief unilaterally Orders US Military Actions at Libya, use of not budgeted for Billions USDs US Taxpayer Discretionary Funds.
Bottomline: YOU CANNOT DEFEND STUP!D.
Sounds to me like it is time that Gitmo went privately owned. This article leads me to believe we will now be taking care of these 169 men for the rest of their lives. Do we keep people in our prisons because no one wants them on the outside? My question is this...why does it cost $800,000.00 per year per inmate when here in our country the average (includes health and dental) is $35,598.00 per inmate per year? Maybe we should leave this prison up to the people that know how to run them?
Long on talk, short on action. Nothing new here folks, move on. Just another politician spending money. Silly Americans.
Private, for-profit prisons are generally worse than government-run prisons.
I was declared 'illegal' when USCIS lost my adoption paper 18 years after I was adopted. Since my parents had never told me I was adopted (internationally) before they passed away in a car accident, I responded to ICE's 'Papers, please' request with 'What papers?' and they decided that made me illegal and detained me for deportation, only to find that there was nowhere to deport me to since prior to my adoption I was undocumented/stateless--an infant abandoned at an orphanage with no birth certificate or paperwork and legally no home country. When they found they couldn't deport me they told me I would remain in ICE custody indefinitely until I could give them a copy of my adoption paper.
I spent a year in regular prison waiting for space to open up in a deportation camp, then they transferred me to a private, for-profit prison run by CCA (Corrections Corporation Of America) and located in Raymondville, TX that Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International dubbed 'Ritmo' because they said it felt and looked like Guantanamo Bay.
Food given us was crawling with maggots and we were told there was no money in the budget to fprepare another and we would just have to wait for the next one. They 'ran out' of eating utensils and told us we would have to eat with our hands.
There were no partitions between the toilets and the living areas of our 'pod'--a giant tent sitting on a concrete pad divided into four sections, or pods, each pod housing 50-60 people with five toilets in each pod. The guards could, and did, watch us go to the bathroom, and many got their rocks off watching--we had one-piece jumpsuits, and because of budgetary considerations, only women who were lactating or who had very heavy breasts were allowed bras so for the rest of us having to use the bathroom was essentially stripping. Underwear given me on a couple of occasions after the weekly 15 minute shower had blood from another woman's period still crusted in it.
Because the bottom line was profit, the guards hired were of the sort that most people wouldn't think about hiring--one guard had gotten kicked out of the correctional system for inappropraite behavior with inmates. Here in the deportation camp, we had been declared illegal and had no rights, so they pretty much did whatever they wanted. Strip searches and body cavity searches were ordered by any of the guards at any moment, these included checking 'breast implants' for contraband and sticking fingers into us to see if we were hiding contraband in bodily orifices.I particularly had the rectal--a guard sticks his hands into you, says hey I feel something but I can't reach it and invites his buddy over to have a feel, and if they still weren't satisfied they could take you to the infirmary and put you up in stirrups and have you 'visually inspected'.
The number of times you were suspected of having contraband went on your file and could result in revioking your privilege to work in the deportation camp--you earned a dollar a day scrubbing toilets and dishes and floors. One dollar bought you a pencil or pen, that was given to the gurads to hang onto for you because you couldn't have it in your pod. One day got you a small pad of grocery-list sized paper, one day got you an envelope, one day got you a stamp which the guards held onto. At the end of the week when I'd earned enough I'd show up at the warden's office with a letter to yet another courthouse asking if they had an adoption record for me in their files and the guards and warden would read it over for 'factuality and relevance' and if satisfied, they put the stamp I'd earned on it and sent it out.
Dad was in the military and we moved around a lot--there were three states in which the adoption record could have been filed and so I looked up the addesses to every courthouse in each of those three states and sent one letter a week out to each of those courthouses to ask if they had my adoption record. It took me three years, but I finally found it and they let me go.
Since there was nowhere for me to go--ICE wouldn't let me go because of the missing adoption paper, and i couldn't be deported because I didn't have an original birth certificate with a home country on it, I was stuck. Now, from this article, there are 169 detainees here, 5 of whom are on trial, but the rest are 'stuck', like I was, from this line in the article:
But for the remainder of the detainees – including some who are eligible for release but have no country willing to take them – there is little prospect of leaving Gitmo anytime soon.
There is nowhere for them to go, even though they are eligible for release. Keeping them in inhumane conditions is not going to make them change their minds about hating the US, but making them comfortable and showing them that we are not the 'infidel' they were told to hate can change their hearts and minds about us and they may truly come to regret the views they once held.
Now, as to why it costs $800,000 a year to incarcerate these people--this is a military prison. Military personnel run it, guard it, maintain it, and they need to be paid, and you can't think that a serviceman/woman working guard detail at Guantanamo gets paid the same amount as someone hired by CCA. ICE asks Congress for $141 per person per night per year for every detainee, that comes out to about $51,000 a year. CCA will hold the detainee for $98 per person per night per year--about $35,000 per year. Homeland Security keeps that $15,000 left over and adds it to their budget, along with the posessions and belongings of those going into the deportation camp--it's called civil asset forfeiture and they take houses, cars, clothing, jewelry, bank accounts, just like the Nazi SS took all the posessions of those they sent to the deportation camps. I lost my Mom's jewelry, my paintings, all my school records and spelling bee trophies and awards, even my high school ring--I realize it sounds petty but it still bothers me--I had to give it to the prison when I went in because I was wearing it when I was detained and three years later when I got out they said they'd 'lost' it. The only thing I still have of either of my parents and my childhood is my Dad's Vietnam gun--my landlord heard that I'd been detained as an illegal and took Dad's gun from my apartment before ICE cleaned it out and threw everything away. When I went back after I got out a neighbor told me she saw my old landlord smeaking out of my apartment with a green ammo box and it was the one that had Dad's gun in it, so I went and threatened to call the police about stolen property if he didn't give it back. He gave it back.
So CCA gets $35,000 per detainee per year. A lot of the guards who work for them probably wouldn't qualify for jobs anywhere else. I know of at least one who was a registered sex offender and one of the guards who considered me 'his favorite' had a record for domestic violence. Trust me, those guards did not make anywhere NEAR the amount that the military makes for running Guantanamo Bay.
Besides, Guantanamo Bay has to stay open, and prepare to receive more long-term detainees. According to the NDAA for FY 2012, the US military now has the power to indefinitely detain without charge or trial any non-US citizen engaged in terrorist activities or acting against the US or its allies' interests until the war on terror is over.
And currently coming up through the House and Senate, the Enemy Expatriation Act will allow the US to strip citizenship, whether natural-born or naturalized, from anyone suspected of acting, advocationg or disseminating information that encourages someone to act against the interest of the US or any of its allies. And just for further clarification, here's a list of what Homeland Security considers 'terroroism'. If you participate in any of these activities, after the EEA passes you could have your citizenship stripped and be an 'illegal terrorist' for:
Alternative media
Anarchist extremism
Animal rights extremism
Anti-abortion extremism
Anti-immigration extremism
Anti-technology extremism
Aryan prison gangs
Black bloc
Black nationalism
Black power
Black separatism
Christian Identity movement
Cuban independence extremism
Decentralized terror movement
Denial-of-service attacks
Direct action (including lawful acts of civil disobedience)
Environmental extremism
Ethnic extremism
Extremist groups
Green anarchism
Hacktivism (technology-enabled social/political activism)
Hate groups
Jewish extremism
Leaderless resistance
Left-wing extremism
Lone terrorists
Mexican separatists
Militia Movements (including conspiracy theorists)
Neo-Nazis
Patriot Movement
Phineas Priesthood
Primary targeting(directly supporting/funding terrorists)
Puerto Rican independence extremists
Radical Norse mysticism practitioners (Odinists)
Racialists
Right-wing extremists
Single-issue/multiple issue extremist groups
Skinheads whose ‘dress may include shaved head/short hair, jeans, thin suspenders, combat boots or Doc Martens and a bomber jacket’
Sovereign citizen movement
Tax resistance movement
Violent anti-war extremism
Violent religious sects (includes those who stockpile food and weapons)
White Nationalists
White Power advocates
White Supremacists
If you're an immigrant or not born in the US, you'll be deported. If you are then you're simply stuck in detention until the War On Terror is over.
First of all what I have read for replies here just shows me what a bunch of HANDICAPPED minds that you have. The writer of this article is a slanted and inept. Gitmo is a US Military Base. Manned by military personell. I can understand the "Super Rec" area, thats about 135 or so people that have to be maintained because no country wants them. They have been cleared of all charges, so why don't you want them to come to America? Don't fall all over yourselfs it's a retorical question. Than you have about 35 prisoners that need to be kept as prisoners. The improvments made at Gitmo was largely spent for the Personell manning the base. The govt. is not going to spend $750,000 for a single soccor field. The govt has improvement plans for every base all over the world based at 5 year rotating intervals. Every Barracks, Mess Hall, Orderly Room, and Outhouse gets at least a fresh coat every 5 years. AS for the 135 or so An area had to be created for them to be housed. this includes Building and fencing to establish a controlled enviroment. The writer of this article pointed to the prisoners and claimed this expense was on them alone. I am tired if these reporters that can't get their @!$%# straight. AS for the Morons that take everything that some foriegn idiot writes and beleives it without thinking about it or looking into it first well then............
Amanda,
If this EEA passes, their going to have to annex the rest of Cuba because a lot bigger facility is going to be needed.
BTW, I might have to check with Priceline for tickets to this vacation spot for some R&R. Doesn't sound too bad with cable TV, Super Rec, and life enrichment classes. Wonder if massages are available? You think that the radical muslims will quid pro quo on this one??
Speaking of handicapped... I couldn't help but notice, but NOWHERE in your diatribe do you mention the FACT that Obama vowed to close Gitmo. His words, not mine... If he kept his promise (along with dozens of others he has failed to keep) we would not even be having this discussion about the $750,000 spent on a soccer field.
The detainees at Gitmo were captured ON THE BATTLEFIELD... They should all be tried and prosecuted by a military tribunal, and sentenced accordingly.
AAhhhh..Barry the bomber is now turning into a humanitarian of the epic kind, first he bombs them then he sends them to a country club, winning the hearts and minds... course he did get the medal for freedom after all....what a waste a skin he is....If you libtards vote that idiot back in you better take a vacation at gitmo yourself....Hey 6dogs, you sound like a candidate for the gitmo loony bin country club..
COY, you are an idiot and you dont derserve to vote. I am a conservative, and yet I have the repect to call him his NAME AND 'RANK'!!!! Its PRESIDENT OBAMA, GET IT RIGHT!!!
Anyway, why don't we just shoot the convicted ones and send the others to other military prisons.
Thank God, there is still some people who see the truth, although overwhelm, drowning in a sea of lies. Thank God, there is still people who will rather look more to us, and the truth that a false sense of patriotism coming from a bunch of cowards, retards that refused to stop 9/11 and should have been tried for war crimes, instead of having innocent prisoners paying the broken dishes thanks to a hate, bigotry that won't quit against Muslims.
Of course, this is, unfortunately, a morally pyrrhic victory, where the "victors" haven't even realized the moral decay they have brough onto this, and here is the kicker, "Christian and democratic" nation. More Christian, and we could surpass the Nazis in atrocities, barbarism. Some one track mind individuals here full of hate, bigotry can't seem to understand that it was us who started all. We started, actually, not we, but the super cowards, the super retards that started this unending war for their own benefits.
OBL was our dearest friend, like Saddam, like Pinochet, like the Saudis, like the scum of the Earth they are, but when another of our owners asked this nation to protect them from Saddam, we stationed troops in holy ground for Muslims and they warned us, warned the Saudis, but money always, unfortunately trumps civlity, the Constitution, the so called "American values" and it was woe is me who started this neo-nazi adventure, but w/o the consequences that more intelligent men couldn't get.
This is where it hurts the most. The most retarded kind of people, compared to others, getting away with genocide, the indiscrimiminate killing of civilians. You could remodel Guantanamo to be an Abu Dhabi 10 star hotel, and the shame that these bunch of retards, specially that retard pervert from Texas and his entourage of war criminals, special needs people brought to America will never pass. It would like another Pearl Harbor but morally, judicially speaking. I wish we had more intelligent people and less morons that will rather live racist and poor than noble, democratic and Christian. Now to make those retards of Nazis feel at home, let me say bye for now with their "Christian" psalm: Heil, Hitler!
Well, there's some thought by conspiracy theorists that the 'refugee camps' currently being built by FEMA, one in every state, may be intended for this purpose. FEMA (who is part of Homeland Security, by the way) denies it and says they are building these to be ready to house refugees of natural disasters instead of schools and football stadiums like they did during Katrina.
The problem with this idea is that military prisons house other military personnel and these military personnel are expected to conform strictly with military dress codes, rules, etc, for the purpose of rehabilitation. The assumption here being that if your grasp of personal discipline and self-control were so poor that you ended up in a military prison, the prison will teach you self-control and discipline before you leave. There are very few people in military prison who are there for life, and very few who are there under the death penalty.
The intent of these facilities are that these soldiers will eventually leave and return to society and they must not be in the same frame of mind to do again whatever it was that landed them in there. So it would be awkward to house someone in a military prison who will not be leaving until the War on Terror is over--any guesses to when that will be?--and also a distinct danger. 1) a soldier who lost a buddy in a combat situation may kill the 'terrorist', which would be a travesty since the 'terrorist hasn't been convicted but he also can't leave; 2) a soldier who has been in a combat situation and does commit a crime against a terrorist is essentially being 'set up', like placing alcohol in front of an AA member.
There is a huge difference in the way a facility geared toward rehabilitation is run as opposed to how a facility for detainees who will likely be detained for the rest of their lives is run. when I was in the deportation camp there was a definite difference in the way people who were going to be deported quickly (within six months) and those like me (who were going to be there indefinitely) were treated. Quick deportees were pretty much left alone because ICE and the governments of their countries would get upset about mistreatment; those like me who were stuck were pretty much forgotten and had no rights. Most Americans don't understand the difference between 'illegal' and undocumented (illegals are those who broke laws, undocumenteds are like me, just missing paperwork, never broke laws) let alone realize that some of us CAN't be deported. Those who don't legally exist have no rights.
@Amanda-2017567
Nah, Obama thinks it's wrong to put people in Gitmo. It's much more "humane" to blow them and their families up with a drone.
Disappointment. That's what I feel. For the government, for its people, and for the people commenting on this board.
THe Right wing screams it is still open and they screamed when Obama tried to close it. UH OK
Obama signed an order to close, the Congress blocked it and refused to allow them to be put in stateside prisons and did not want regular trials but Military Tribunals. UH OK
Basically no states wanted these people inside their state, even though many of them have been cleared but have no place to go (to be repatriated to) so you complain that we must take care of these Detainees of Bush's wars....Uh OK
YOu attempt to compare the cats of the base and upgrades to ones in the US...Well your average soccer field does not have armed guards and a need to make sure the players don't escape or kill--the vast majority of the cost of the field is obviously for security measures.. You compare a prison holding less than 200 to ones holding a couple thousand in costs..as if the costs of maintaining a prison don't go down when you have more prisoners...economy of scale. And that most prisons are not located in the Caribbean where everything must come in by boat or air. And that most prisoners in the US speak English so you don't have added expenses of another language.
Of course if a single one escaped you would scream and blame Obama...so for that and other reasons (Being on a military base, foreign country etc they must have a higher level of security..Maximum as opposed to mid level and minimum security and such in the US. It cost more to maintain that level of Security.
YEs we give them their rights, treat them decently because we are supposed to be better than our enemies not just like them. We make sure they have decent representation. We take the higher road.
If you think, as one said, they are living in a resort...I am sure any of them would be willing to change their living environment for yours. 34 of the detainees are not being cooperative, the others are...they do as they are told, so they gain privileges like cable TV in a cafeteria (Such a luxury) and the use of a secure outdoor field. THat way they stay calm and don't want to kill the guards. We try to teach them a few things, keeps them occupied and when most of them are released, they will have something besides hate for the US...they will know they were treated humanely.
Of course we can allow the ones who were cleared for release into the US...I am sure you Right Wingers would welcome them into your towns...of course living in a right wing town is probably a worse fate than a prison.
Just because you fought for your country does not make you a terrorist, if it did thn Every US soldier would be considered one, your logic is ridiculous.
And to the total idiot who said Obama had a Filibuster Proof Majority because he had 48 democrats in the senate and 2 Independents...UH 50% is not a Filibuster proof majority,,,that takes 60 I believe. If you are going to comment on how our government works,you should at least have a minimal understanding of civics.
AMANDA...
I'm afraid I'll have to call you out as a liar.
You wrote that whole long sob story about your youth and being mistreated by ICE for not having "papers" after both of your parents died. But then you say that "Dad was in the military".
I was a military dependent. As such, YOUR entire life would have been documented in your father's 201 File with you listed as his next of kin. That would include your adoption papers, his pay change when adding you as a dependent, copies of your Dependent ID Cards, any school, medical and dental records, etc.
All of this would have been readily available to you and the authorities from the military's records center in St Louis.
Oh yeah, as the sole survivor in your family, you woud propably STILL have a Dependent ID Card.
Under the NDAA for 2012 and the EEA combined, here's how it's going to look.
The Discovery Channel has a show called "Whale Wars" about the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's efforts to stop whaling, specifically Japan's whaling fleet since the have continued to kill whales in defiance of a moratorium whaling passed by the UN. These people are willing to ram their boats into the Japanese ships to stop them from killing the whales, defining them as fanatics and terrorists who are willing to sacrifice their own lives for the cause they believe in. Japan has declared the Sea Shepherds terrorists for damage to the Japanese whaling boats and continued interference in Japanese whaling operations.
Now, Japan is officially our ally,and under the NDAA, what the Sea Shepherds are doing is 'acts of terrorism that run counter to the interests of a US ally.' Therefore, if the Sea Shepherds choose to put in at a US port, they would be detained and sent to a terrorist holding facility until the 'War On Terror' is over. Would we be happy about it? I suspect not, but laws apply to everyone, and we can't cherry-pick who we decide to detain and who we don't. Our law says 'terrorist' and Homeland Security's list clearly defines animal rights activists as 'terrorists' so we would have to detain them, as well as anyone who sends the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society money since they are supporting terrorism.
My youth was fine this was three years of my life after I turned 18. Dad got out of the military when I was ten. At the time I was detained, eight years later, I still had some of his records but not all of them and absolutely no idea who or where to write to to get copies. I had no idea then that they would still be available; I was a pretty sheltered private-school student who spent my time reading and drawing and painting.
I know that now but had no idea then. What many people don't realize is that ICE does not check on your claims of being a US citizen. You have to prove you are, if you don't have family outside who put money in your account for you, you have to work and you only earn enough to send one letter a week from behind bars and that is censored according to what the warden thinks is 'factual and relevant.' Dad had been out of the military for eight years--got out when i was ten, and he and Mom both died in the car crash when I was 17--actually four months before I turned 18. When I was cleaning out the house and throwing stuff away I had no idea what was important and what wasn't; believe me, I often wonder if I might have thrown it away by accident not knowing what it was; I had to get rid of a lot of stuff when I moved out of the house we were renting. The landlord then was nice enough to give me the security deposit back and I got a tiny apartment with it. Then ICE came for me six months after I turned 18 just after I'd graduated high school.
I did not have a dependent card that I know of--wouldn't that have expired or been withdrawn when Dad got his discharge and left the service? And in any case ICE can ignore that at will. My situation is not unique:
The son of a decorated Vietnam veteran, Hector Veloz is a U.S. citizen, but in 2007 immigration officials mistook him for an illegal immigrant and locked him in an Arizona prison for 13 months.
Veloz had to prove his citizenship from behind bars. An aunt helped him track down his father's birth certificate and his own, his parents' marriage certificate, his father's school, military and Social Security records.
After nine months, a judge determined that he was a citizen, but immigration authorities appealed the decision. He was detained for five more months before he found legal help and a judge ordered his case dropped.
And there was also a case not that long ago where a vet in Iraq found out that ICE had detained his wife for being illegal even though they has paperwork in progress with USCIS.
How do you know that for a fact? Not every detainee has been convicted of crime. In fact, as the article points out, some are eligible for release if we could find a country to take them. They wouldn't have been in that prison in the first place if we hadn't removed them from the countries where they were captured.
We have an obligation to provide humane, comfortable housing to people who have not been convicted of a crime. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?
I heard they were also installing bidets.
Lets give these animals all the luxuries.
The terrorists now have an easier life than most Americans.
Thank you, Obama.
Prison reform has been long over do. Americans still believe the "get tough on crime" works. People who read the studies on the justice systme know we do everything backwards including the rest of the world.
you are so right about our stone age treatment in our usa prisons, not to mention how pretrail detainees are treated when they have been convicted of no crime. We have so called professionals that have proven their way doesnt work. who else besides Congress could fail consistantly but still keep their job? Other countries treat prisoners humane and have a much lower return to prison rate than that of the usa. Our stockpiling of prisoners is wrong. Only here have we made incarcerating our own fellow citizens a business. Private prisons too give great returns to their investors, who profit off human meat. The spend about 15million a year in lobbists to get lawmakers to widen the net , make laws stiffer, to get more people incarcerated and for longer periods of time. it is so wrong, so un christian, so midevil.
Please explain to me what benefit cable TV has in a prison? There are regular working people who DON'T break the laws that don't have cable.
When the government is paying....the entitlement mentality rules and anything goes, just ask people over at the GSA. Who's making the decisions for these upgrades??? It won't be long before the Obama administration says they should be allowed to vote.
Lyrica, how on earth could the muslim terrorists keep up to date about Jihad without watching muslim tv.
Lyrica, I don't think they should have cable TV. But giving prisoners some comforts or rewards helps keep them in line. And in the case of Gitmo, it's not just about keeping them locked up. It's about getting information out of them. And while the prisoners there may not be happy, a content prisoner is a hell of a lot easier to pump for information.
@Tech_man20: Happy prisoners cost a hell of a lot less too. There are exceptions, but generally these kinds of things have been the norm in most US civilian prisons for the last 45 to 50 years.
Civilian jails though are generally another matter. Some are much worse than others, but generally these places are pretty damn rough. The jail inmates usually pass through relatively quickly. The staff doesn't have time to cultivate a relationship with them.
Americans want their freedom protected. and the very principles which make them proud of liberty and justice for all, they will deny to those that find them a threat and suspect want to kill them. If you cannot see the hypocrisy in G.W.Bushes policy then so be it, ignorance in America is nothing new, but its common knowledge many of the prisoners have not had a fair trial. Innocent until proven guilty, there are multitudes of Americans in prison for crimes they did not commit-one person recently that was convicted of rape and murder in the slammer for 11 years or something like that and is now free, "black" people also have been known to be thrown in prison falsely. But Americans want to protect their freedom from terrorists but cannot allow fair trials to prove the U.S. is a just country, no wonder they hate Americans-we proved them right not wrong. Most people I know believe the war was about oil and territory.
If it looks like a terrorist, it must be a terrorist....why elsa would they be at gitmo?....just shoot the bas$#@ds and be done with it...I know I know, i'm just another a slope-headed neandrathal...
COYOTEHUNTER
Yes - you are a Neanderthal - Good Catch!!!
Now put that on your 'Profile'
And what exactly does a terrorist look like? Did Timothy McVeigh's church peg him for a terrorist? Eric Rudolph? Anders Breivik? There is a mosque in Portland Oregon where one of the hijackers worshiped Since 9-11 the mosque and all of its attendees have been under surveillance, six of their number who have been involved in overseas humanitarian aid have been interviewed by the FBI in those countries and when they gave unsatisfactory answers were placed on the no-fly list and had to fight a legal battle in order to come home.
Since Tim McVeigh has been declared a terrorist, let's put everyone who went to the same church he did. Let's interrogate them all. Then ask them to sign a Miranda waiver prior to the interrogation then put them all on a no-fly list when they refuse.
And since a terrorist is someone who uses force or threats to intimidate someone, then by that definition all the child-molesting priests and pedophiles are terrorists too. Let's keep their parishioners under surveillance, including those who put money in the collection plate because they are guilty of supporting terrorism too.
The old 'if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck' argument doesn't hold here. As another poster said a few days ago on another thread, "You don't blame all ducks because of the two that s**t on your car."
Did you see this line from the article?
But for the remainder of the detainees – including some who are eligible for release but have no country willing to take them – there is little prospect of leaving Gitmo anytime soon.
Let's say we have a Mr. Mahmoud here. He's been cleared of charges by the US government and the US contacts his home country of Morocco and says here, we want to send him back to you. Morocco sits back and looks at the accounts of coercion, force, and inappropriate behavior from Guantanamo Bay and doesn't want him back; he could be brainwashed and programmed to be an informant agent/spy, or he could be so damaged by what he saw or went through that he'll go postal and kill people. So they tell the US they don't want him back.
He's stuck. For the rest of his life. He's been cleared of any wrong doing but he can't go anywhere, and because of what we've done he can't go home. How would executing an innocent person be inline with the American ideals of justice, fairness?
The Nazis in the late 30's put those who 'didnt belong' in deportation camps, but as time went on and Germany conquered more places there became nowhere that they could send these people they'd detained. So they started killing them. How would we be any different if we did what you're suggesting?
Perhaps because they were arrested by mistake? It seems that according to your logic, the US intelligence agencies and military NEVER arrest an innocent person. That's a far better record than our civilian police forces. Perhaps we should let the military enforce the law in the US, too, since it appears that they never make a mistake (such perfection would also allow us to do away with trials).
This is b.s. I don't have cable.
Maybe you should become a Muslim terrorist and get the royal Gitmo treatment under obama. Better hurry, though, you only have until next January.
No kidding, I have to go to work to watch cable tv.
I don't have cable either. I can't afford it since my husband lost his job in this wonderful economy. I'm sure glad our government can afford cable TV for terrorists.
Notasocialist, do you know what socialism is? You might want to look it up in the dictionary.
Our troops are socialists. Government paychecks, housing, food, loans, education, healthcare, childcare, pension.
Do you drive on the streets, use the post office, did you go to a public school, have you ever been to a library? Fire fighters, police officers, school teachers all beneficiaries of socialism.
Elected officials to including your precious tea party representatives will all recieve government benefits for the rest of their lives as will their spouses.
Do you vote? There is no more fundamental example of socialism than democracy where "We the People" control the means of production.
Its time we stop mis-using the word socialism as some catch-all evil. We all (or should all) pay in and we all benefit.
Gee...YA THINK?? Problem is the 47% of them that are perfectly capable of working, and thereby paying in, don't. They just benefit, while I continue to pay in.
Troops are not socialists...they are paid professionals whose employment benefits package includes many thing that other employers also provide. All they have to do to get these benefits packages is contract with the government to become veritable slaves, government property and risk life and limb in the name of protecting our society.
If you think soldiers are "socialists", you don't know what either of the words "soldier" or "socialist" means.
Not a Socialist-1286940
LOL a prison is not royal treatment. If I handed out tickets for all the stupid comments I read here, Id be out of them in 5 minutes.
P.S. Why don't you RUN for President. I am sure with your vast knowledge, you could keep 300+ million Americans happy at all times. You would have no problem getting Congress to go along with everything you want. You could take us to NEW economic heights in seconds.
No thank you. While I have no doubt I could do a better job than the current POtuS, your messiah, I'm having too much fun pissing you off.
So then you believe as I do that their taxes should be raised. Very progressive "not a socialist". The people at the bottom paying nothing or getting paid by the government to exist. The people at the top not even paying the same pecentage as people like yourself.
As for brownstein. You are correct that soldiers may or may not be socialists, but it doesn't matter. Our tax dollars supporting all aspects of their life including a government garanteed retirement and health benefit for their entire family including children and devorce's. This makes them the beneficiaries of the one of the largest publicly funded programs in the world. It may not be a pretty example of socialism but it is no doubt an arm of our democraticaly elected government.
If you want cable go to prison I'm sure it would be worth it or alternatively try harder to get a job even if it's one you don't like, you got an internet connection so it's not like you are deprived of technology. Maybe with better management of your money you could sacrifice your internet connection for cable and stop flooding these chat forums with stupid comments.
jcsmine,
Ding, ding, ding, BUY A CLUE for this Game Show.
As if US Military Service Members are exempt for State and Federal Taxes, while being paid below minimum wages.
The US Military Service Members may not pay Local, City, State Sales Taxes but do pay Surcharges equal to or more than State Sales Taxes at the PX, BX, NEX, etc..
Oh, sure if you Survive over 20 years (Below 50% of Base Pay, below minimum wages for a comparable US Civilian Job like US Security Contractor at $1 Million per year or US Law Enforcement Officer, Fire Fighter at $90,000 per year Retirements (State of California)) or more to Retire and are not Reduction In Forces (RIF) of the US Military by President Obama's Current RIF, or QMP'ed "Promoted or Out". And do not even compare being a US Law Enforcement Officer or Fire Fighter to being a US Military Combatant (as far as both the Mental and Physical Stresses, note: I am not including the USAF nor the USN that are not Ground Combat Forces).
Also that is no longer the case with the upcoming changes to future US Military Retirements demanded by those that robbed the US Civilian 401K Programs, that want the current US Military Retirement switched to 401Ks managed by them so that they can rob those too.
Once upon a time ago, during the 1980s, that was true, when the US Military Medical Service Corps managed all US Military Medical Care, Facilities, etc.. That is NOT the case ever since the US Insurance Corporations got involved with the US Military Medical Care, so now the US Military Service Members have TriCare payroll deductions with decreased levels of Medical Care.
As far as Divorce's, nope that comes under US Civil (Civilian) Laws, and not even touched by the US Military JAG Lawyers, US Military Service Member pays for Legal, usually the US Civilian Judges rule in favor of the non US Military Service Member spouse (male or female) to get everything leaving the US Military Service Members in Debt (Violation of the UCMJ article 134 for US Military Service Members to be in Debt), this type of Ruling by the US Civilian Judges is in complete Violation of US Law, US Military Service Members Civil Relief Act, and nothing is done about that; as far as benefits for Divorcees from US Military Members that was all done by US Congress, NOT the US Military Service Members as the US Civilian Control over the US Military. For a Divorcee to receive those benefits (deducted from the US Military Service Member's Benefits) they must have been legally Married with No Separations for a minimum of 9 years.
Ding, ding, ding, BUY A CLUE. jcsmine
What's a 'surcharge greater than sales tax' that US military members pay at the PX? I've never heard of one. Even more directly - there's not one in Afghanistan where you claim to be.
oh yes forgot add to post #3.11.
jcsmine,
Unless you make it to Retirement minimum of 20 years (plus a few days just in case), if you are RIF'ed, QMP'ed (Qualitative Management Program), etc. the only thing you get is your DD-214 and a Discharge Certificate.
If you are Medically Discharged (Combat Related Injuries) those can be downgraded also, % of Service Related Injuries by the Yearly Medical Review Boards.
So if you Served 19 years plus some days and get out of the US Military you don't get sh!t other than a pat on the back, some award, DD-214 and later Discharge Certificate.
Previously, when the Retention and new Recruiting reached Historic Lows they wanted to change US Military Retirement to 15 years, since the US Military Personnel (1% of US Citizens) were completely exhausted from repeated Deployments, 15 year Retirement Idea flew like a lead balloon with the 92% of US Citizens that refused to do their Fair Share by joining the US Military and getting paid below minimum wages; with Candidate Obama's Solution during the Presidential Debates to start the Selective Service and or Mandatory Compulsory US Military Service to Force the 92% of US Citizens to "Do Their Fair Share" as Candidate Obama's "US Military Service is a Civic Duty" and "US Citizenship is not an Entitlement" (documented on youtube.com).
President Obama's Selective Service would have meant being "Drafted" into the US Army or USMC Ground Combat Forces and not the USAF nor the USN cush jobs due to President Obama's Ordered as Commander In Chief April 2009 US Military Defense Budget Cuts of the USAF and USN.
cheetah-822547,
GO TROLL AND PHISHING SOMEPLACE ELSE.
I ALREADY PROVED YOU ARE A LIAR:
You aren't in the US or anybody else's army yet you make seemingly authoratative statements of policy and belittle outsiders. You make the real thing look bad because you're a fraud.
We will torture them with continuous feeds of 'Jersey Shore' re-runs in high definition 3D. they'll confess to anything.
Hammerhead...I guess that is true, if we rot their minds with our culture...anything is possible. Maybe this is where nobamas shovel ready jobs start, digging a soccer field....make the ragheads dig it themselves with a spoon!
J R Browenstein
Yes - Our Military (from which I retired from) IS based upon a Socialist model.
One is paid the same whether he works two hours or twenty hours/day; one can't work harder or produce more to see an immediate gain in income. One can't invest in the 'Company'
You really need to learn your "Isms"
Not a Soc: "While I have no doubt I could do a better job than the current POtuS, your messiah, I'm having too much fun pissing you off."
Why am I reminded of the seeming philosophy of so many Republican legislators? They say they can do a better job--but they refuse to do their job in order to make Obama a one-term president--and they are obviously having WAY too much fun pissing off their rivals and the U.S. citizens who voted for our President.
Hope they remembered the jacuzzis too.............What kind of BS is this??
Time to post some pics online of yourself next to a random assortment of junk and electronics with the caption: Me Build Pipe Bom 4 Terrorirritz 4 $$$$$$. Then sit back and wait for the one-way trip to Easy Street.
Obama said during his campaign he would close it and now they are spending millions to upgrade it?
He evolved..
Well that is just about par for Obama...say one thing...do another and then tell people that it will create jobs...So what sort of security clearance would someone need to be the Gitmo cable guy or Pool Boy...Answer...whatever clearance that Raul Castro can sell to some poor down and out Cuban who needs to make millions off of the stupid American President.
How's that for "Change"?
He did not evolve. He's still a chimp. Check out those ears.
jaran, Obama has created thousands of "green jobs" here in our town. Why just today, as I drove into town, I observed that every other truck was pulling a trailer with lawnmowers and trimmers on them. That is about as green a job as there is now, and Obama counts them as green jobs.
@jeran
LMFAO !!!!!!
German, both parties helped block the shutting down of Gitmo. Wanna be mad at someone? Try American politics for your outlit.
Just another example of that "hope and change" campaign BS President Obama threw at us that he has not kept. Go figure!
Gitmo, the terrorist resort hotel of the Carribean and still open for business!
txmom32
I think you are sounding more like the GOP. They are the ones who said, cut corporate taxes and it will create more jobs. Where are they? That's right, they are in China because the GOP sponsors tax cuts for companies that move jobs to other countries.
Why don't you stay focused on Texas. You know, a state that wants to leave the union, but when a natural disaster hits, comes screaming back to the federal government for a handout. A governor who screams foul at a Tarp bail out but then happily takes the money to balance the Texas Economy. A state where 1 in 4 have no health care, and the worst child murder rates in America. Yep, and all under a GOP Governor.
@ItsAboutTime-3704531: You should give it up. Most of these people are so full of sh^t their brains are treading brown liquid. No cognition, no comprehension. Best to you though.
Why give up on the truth? Can you dispute any of the information above? If you can, by all means. :)
Itsabouttime...isn't it about time for your next valium?
jaran: "He did not evolve. He's still a chimp. Check out those ears."
That is the kind of remark one would expect from a 5-yr-old. How old are you? Not only have you proven that you yourself have NOT evolved--you have yet to grow up. Please go take a nap and let the adults converse.
In addition to the cable TV and soccer, the other thing they forgot to mention is the personally monogrammed hookahs for each "guest" of the Gitmo Resort! I guess I don't need to mention that the main reason they are trying to keep this sort of quiet is because our hard earned tax dollars are paying to coddle these scum bags.
It's about time...there are companies trying to create jobs... many in my own state, no thanks to Obama and his attack on Nasa and others. When Obama and the threat of heaping pain on companies leaves Washington the jobs will be back. As for Texas...wew seem to be doing fine in the Private sector...but then our State Gov doesn't aim to make business owners pay until it hurts...or becomes unprofitable to be a business owner.
That's better living conditions than most people in poverty! How many children in North Korea, Africa, etc would get to see Cable TV, watch DVD movies, play soccer ,etc??? This is prison, not a resort!!!
GO FISHIN what about the kids IN THIS COUNTRY !
What about the adults in this country! I gave up TV 3 years ago to save $. The dirtbag prisoners who
want to kill us get more benefits than I do after working for 50 of my 63 years. Where's Sheriff Joe when
you need him!
Barcat, Sheriff Joe is presently being sued and being attacked by ATT. Gen. Holder, and is tied up at the moment.
You have more options then they do. I wouldn't call sitting in prison all day surrounded by crazy people and rascist guards watching TV a resort.
What makes you think the guards are racist?
You people dont realize that thats the way it is in most prisons in America. Yes they are enemy combatants but they deserve humane treatment. And for you unbelievers, it does help all of us if those combatants remain busy and are on a routine schedule and they think they are being treated fairly. There is more to it then just locking them up. Think out of the box people
Venivini?....your pretty quick to throw out the race card aren't you...must be one of the sheep.
Brad, since you seem to want to coddle them and treat them with kid gloves consider this. 99.9% of these scumbags would kill you as soon as look at you if given the chance. Their guards know this full well. Their express purpose is to kill as many Americans as they can get their hands on that includes you and your family members. You want them to have a routine? Fine, put them on a chain gang and make them do some real work. You want fair treatment? Ask yourself how many of the 3,000+ of our citizens murdered on 9/11 got treated humanely and fairly by them or their associates? Think outside the box? How about we release and resettle them in some part of the country, say where you live. How about you take in one or two into your own house. Think you or your family would be treated fairly by them and be safe? I don't think so.
Tired of living in a dirt hut? Tired of eating sand day in and day out? Want to move to a life of luxury? With infidels waiting on your every whim? Become a terrorist against the infidels, if you fail, we guarantee a life filled with luxury and ease paid for by the infidels.. Whats wrong with this picture??
instructions in writing a resume???? WTF !!! I can imagine how such a resume will read for a potential employer (maybe the resume is to apply again for a job with Al-Quiada some hopeful day?):
other activities and accomplishments:
""...suscesfully completed trining camp where learned how to handle explosive home made artefacts; use of different assault weapons and urban terroristic tactics amoung other experiences..""
WTF !!!
First thing is to teach the dirtbags how to write...they can make a bomb, but they can't read or write...lets see, on their resume it would read....High energy individual, motivated in infidel fighting, well versed in all aspects of bomb making, shooting unarmed civilians, stoning women to death, able to control whole herds of goats with a single stick...blah blahblah...???...Its like the movie, Bridge on the river Kwai...Madness, its all madness!
Now I see why Obama hasn't closed Gitmo like he promised he would. It is a great pit to spend millions of taxpayers' dollars. Just think of all the stimulus that will be going on down there once they get cable tv. And I bet the place is shovel ready too. Obama is probably betting all the terrorists will vote the straight democrat ticket once they get out of prison and sneak into the U.S. across the Mexican border.
he'll have a polling place right there at Gitmo. Don't need an ID to vote, ain't that right Mr. Holder
Just what we need a stimulated muslim terrorists.
About time! all terrorists wanting to destroy us should have luxuries too. Thank you
a million times liebtards. Bomb making kits included too?
Well just another broken promise by Obama.
Yep, broken by the DO NOTHING Congress that wouldn't support the closure of the base. Thank your GOP for that one.
Itsabouttime-3704531
It was a 90-6 vote lead by an almost super-majority Democrat Senate. Not sure why you would blame the GOP on that one.
Cardinal an almost super majority?
You need to learn math and what a super majority means. IN the US Senate it is 60 votes
These prisoners have been allowed to live. They should live in conditions no better than where they were before we seized them.
I doubt that any of them are innocent.
I wish I had the courage to stop paying my taxes until the government stops wasting money. I, however am a coward and realize that if I didn't pay my taxes, I could end up in jail and it wouldn't be as nice as this one.
Laura you've just proven you're nothing more than another scared tea-bagger willing to condemn these people without due process. I'll bet you think you're a good American.
What has this country come to. Illegally detaining people and then crying because they're provided a few diversions.
Rick- do you want to go live with them?? By all means, go!!
Thank you Mr President..What else can I do as an American tax payer to make these individuals more comfortable?? I am clear about your priorties.....Can I do anything more?? Just bill me as a tax payer if these terrorist want for chinese take out delivered!!
We are spending $800,000.00 on each prisioner a year is what the news said ...Obama must be paying them a big check a week to...it be hard to just blow that much on each one.
You need to realize that the money goes for salaries, maintenance, food, electricity, grounds keeping for the soccer field and don't forget the cable bill ;P
That's about the same amount that he spent to create each of those temporary $20,000 a year jobs from the stimulus bill.
how in hell a prisoner cost $800,000.00 a year !!!! can someone intelligent explain that to me because i am such a retard that i do not get that math !! I dont even make $80,000 per year, heve never done it and a terrorist from another country held under the US gov. expends this much ???!!!! In what !!!!! paying those troops to mke their lives less miserable in prison?? Why I ask we keep dealing with this BS ??? Can't wait for November to put my 2 cents in
Another nice job by the government, my tax dollars goes to pay for cable and at home I can't afford cable!!!!
The Rightwinger seem to need to focus on a cable TV in a Communal Rec Room (THis is not in the cells), well if you allow them TV (Cheapest way to occupy their minds) you would need cable in Cuba...the local communist stations probably are not the best picks if they can even be received on the base and the prisoners probably don't speak Spanish anyway. Am am sure all TV on the base is fed via cable. Stop your silly nitpicking.
An Idol mind is the devils workshop...keep them busy.
Just send them all home on a flight provided by the United States...followed close behind by our Air Force...until they are high over the ocean. Problem solved, money saved.
Spoken like a true tea-bagger.
Yea KILL THEM ALL without due process, even the ones you have already cleared for release.
Thats the Right Wing Christian Way!
May God have mercy on your souls even though you do not deserve it.
tax dollars hard at work
Here let me hand over my tax money so you can help the scum of the Earth. Thats what I want my tax dollars going towards....................... not. No upgrades if anything we should be downgrading the place or let them stay in their own country where it is worse than a jail. If they get cable the should only be allowed to watch c-span.
Make them watch Nancy Grace and Jane TheLez Mitchell. No, wait - even terrorists don't deserve that. Talk about your cruel and unusual punishment.
Better yet jersey shore that way then can hate us more. bahaha
DPY uh that is the point, there is no country that is willing to take them.
But your intelligence is showing since you have a Jersey Shore Obsession...I have seen enough about that show to know I have no interest in ever seeing it. You must be glued to the set for every airing
If no country will take them, than they need to be put down like a rabbid animal and btw I hate that show.
Why stop there? Throw in a olympic size swimming pool as well...
Yes and fill it with PIGS S$%^T, and blood
JB, I think they got that last year!
seriously? I know many families, that are not on welfare, that cannot afford cable TV. They are too busy paying taxes, and bills, and trying to keep food on the table for their kids. This is such an insult! I wonder what our POWs in Iraq get to watch? Oh wait, they get to watch their comrades being tortured, and they get to hear it in stereo!.
WTG white house!
I'm all for it! As long as they are forced to watch "Jersey Shore", "Real Housewives of whatever", and infinite reruns of "Sex and the City". That's torture right there.
and anything involving the kardashians and lindsey lohan.
Forced to watch Dr Phil would be taking cruelty too far. No one should have to endure that.
I understand keeping the "detainees" busy and occupied, but surely there are things to do around the prison grounds that could be done by these folks. Maybe they could plant a garden and raise some of their own food. Cable TV? Lots of folks here in the US don't have cable.
Don't you just love paying taxes? (sarcasm)
"but surely there are things to do around the prison grounds that could be done by these folks."
Like digging their own graves, maybe?
Learn to make better bombs?
24 x 7 Disney Channel!
How does our Government get away with this? And why can it not be stopped?
Vote obama and Eric Holder out in November. That'll stop it.
Attorney General is not an elected position there smart guy
When Obama gets get voted out I'm sure Holder will be out the door too, smart guy....just sayin'..
Well no $hit, Sherlock. Clearly my dry wit went right over the top of your itty bitty brain.
Not a Socialist-1286940
LOL yep, vote for Romney. He won't be able to close the prison either. However, he will immediately resume where BUSH left off and continue use human torture and violate the Geneva convention for it.
Come November.. the Republicant TeaParty will be GONE. Obama will be re-elected and then we can close this prison.
How are those bath salts workin for ya?
Apparently Stronger than those smelling salts.
So imprisonment at GITMO is bad, but execution by done strike is A.O.K. That is some real mental gymnastics it takes to support Obama. Maybe we can bring that reasoning to the US General Prison Population. Or are you just being a Democrat sycophant, ItsAboutTime-3704531? It is all the GOPs fault you cry. How did Obamacare get passed but closing GITMO did not? I guess maybe your great leader played you for a rube.
Vote Obama out and Holder will be gone in the twinkling of an eye.
Obama or Romney neither one are going to close this place, and both will keep spending money on it. They don't listen to you. They listen to politicians and Wall St. bankers.
The only person we have a chance with is Gary Johnson.
Another government pork project, $800,000 a person, only our U.S. government could fins a way to justify this. For the ones that are "eligible" to be released but have no country to take them. Dump them back on the soil they were born on, let them then be that countries burdon!!
I don't even have cable tv as I refuse to pay for it and all the bloated commercials. The networks that come free through the air are more than enough for me.
Yup.
And the liberals, who screeched like stuck pigs when Bush was POTUS, braying about 'indefinite detention' 'due process' are all now silent as a tomb.
So, now we see that it's not because these liberal toadies are 'principled' and concerned about 'human rights' or 'the high standards of the USA".
No, they're quiet because the liberals love Obama, and they're HYPOCRITES.
LMAO... the Liberals are hypocrites. Amazing how you ignore all of the hypocrisy in the GOP party. A party that just recently VOTED against giving women equal pay in Congress, led by the GOP. Yep, that's the party that believes in 'human rights and high standards". The same party that says left government in our lives, but wants to tell women what they can and cannot do with their own bodies. One that is so afraid of giving civil rights to gays/lesbians, because it destroys the moral fiber of the nation.
Keep telling yourself that the liberals are hypocrites and ignore your own GOP party.
Since everyone seems to want to shut down this prison then I suggest we get some petitions started and write some letters and put pressure on Congress so they will feel compelled to shut it. The prisoners will have to go to other prisons so maybe we can ask that every state takes three prisoners and the extra go to Texas. Problem solved.
Of course our state prisons keep losing prisoners. I wonder who wants an escaped terrorist in their neighborhood?
Steven B, Your childish name calling aside, try reading the article.
"But the president’s efforts to shutter the camp were blocked by Congress out of concerns that transferring the detainees to U.S. jails would pose a security risk and invite escape attempts or terrorist attacks on the facilities."
"But for the remainder of the detainees – including some who are eligible for release but have no country willing to take them – there is little prospect of leaving Gitmo anytime soon."
Bush and his chickenhawks started two unnecessary wars who's true goal was to make a profit for his campaign donors. Bush, Cheney, Wolfowitz, Rumsfield, Rove, etc. are war criminals in my opinion and deserve to be tried before the world court for their crimes.
Must be a horrible place to work, they make soldiers wear glow belts around their heads? WTF, over?