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View Full Version : House Votes No Gitmo Detainees in US



bobdina
10-02-2009, 11:24 AM
Associated Press | October 02, 2009

WASHINGTON -- The House went on record Thursday against allowing detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba to be transferred to the United States, even to face trial or to be jailed in maximum-security prisons.

The 258-163 vote on a nonbinding recommendation put Democrats controlling the House in a difficult spot and prompted senior lawmakers to postpone unveiling a House-Senate agreement on a homeland security funding bill.

If such a ban were to become law, the Obama administration would be hard-pressed to close the Guantanamo Bay prison by January as Obama has promised. Last week the administration acknowledged for the first time that it might not be able to close the facility by that deadline because of difficulties in reviewing detainee files and resolving legal and logistical questions.

Eighty-eight Democrats broke with Obama and House leaders on the nonbinding recommendation, an ominous sign for future votes. It would be difficult for lawmakers to change their positions without drawing withering criticism from political adversaries.

The administration has yet to reveal its plan for closing the prison. Supporters of the transfer ban say an overwhelming number of their constituents want to keep Guantanamo prisoners where they are.

"There is no reason these terrorists, who pose a serious and documented threat to our nation, cannot be brought to justice right where they are in Cuba," said Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky. "I certainly think that is where the American people stand on this issue - they don't want these terrorists in their hometowns."

Supporters of closing Guantanamo say the facility and the lengthy detention of suspects who may have been held indefinitely without trial have stained the United States' reputation across the globe. And they said fears of bringing the detainees to the U.S. are exaggerated.

"I refuse to believe that our law enforcement officials, our prison officials and our Justice Department officials are not skilled enough and thoughtful enough to imprison these thugs in high-security facilities at minimal or no danger to our citizens and our communities," said House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis.

Several of the fiscal 2010 funding bills contain varying restrictions on the transfer of Guantanamo detainees, reflecting widespread opposition among voters about bringing enemy combatants onto U.S. soil. A bill pending on the Senate floor, for example, contains an outright ban on releasing Guantanamo detainees into the U.S., including for trial or incarceration.

The vote also put House members on record as backing the Obama administration's refusal to release new photos showing U.S. personnel abusing detainees held overseas.

President Barack Obama has already said he would use every available means to block release of additional detainee abuse photos because they could whip up anti-American sentiment overseas and endanger U.S. troops. His powers include issuing an order to classify the photos, thus blocking their release.

ghost
10-02-2009, 12:33 PM
So does this mean that Guantanamo stays open? What are we doing with the detainees? We're shooting them right? 100 rounds of 5.56mm is alot cheaper than keeping them alive in a cell....

Reactor-Axe-Man
10-03-2009, 12:30 AM
The Big Zero can't even get his own party in Congress to do what we wants (i.e. GITMO closed by the end of the year), so I suppose it comes as no surprise when the IOC tells him to get fucked at the Olympics.

ghost
10-03-2009, 10:10 AM
The Big Zero can't even get his own party in Congress to do what we wants (i.e. GITMO closed by the end of the year), so I suppose it comes as no surprise when the IOC tells him to get fucked at the Olympics.


So are you thinking that Guantanamo is going to stay open?

Reactor-Axe-Man
10-03-2009, 12:50 PM
So are you thinking that Guantanamo is going to stay open?

If Congress says 'no' to bringing them here, even as temporary holding while they face trial, where exactly can they go? We either create something just like GITMO, not on U.S. soil, or else we keep GITMO open. You will note how much of the Left's furor over the place has been muted of late. Only the howler monkeys on the far fringe left will continue to throw shit if GITMO stays open, and they can be marginalized in the media. People on the right will laugh and point their fingers at yet another broken Obama promise, but they sure as hell won't complain when he does something (in this case, nothing) that they happen to agree with.

ghost
10-04-2009, 12:07 AM
If Congress says 'no' to bringing them here, even as temporary holding while they face trial, where exactly can they go? We either create something just like GITMO, not on U.S. soil, or else we keep GITMO open. You will note how much of the Left's furor over the place has been muted of late. Only the howler monkeys on the far fringe left will continue to throw shit if GITMO stays open, and they can be marginalized in the media. People on the right will laugh and point their fingers at yet another broken Obama promise, but they sure as hell won't complain when he does something (in this case, nothing) that they happen to agree with.


Hahaha. Judging from what I've seen from the left, I wouldn't be surprised if we made a new base just like it. Fuck me.... All for the sake of controversy. Fucking soft...

If they don't know what to do, I'm sure the sharks are hungry.

GTFPDQ
10-04-2009, 01:43 AM
Wait, didnt the US put these people there? Are they prisoners of the USA? So how can the politicians say "Not here"?

Reactor-Axe-Man
10-04-2009, 02:03 AM
Wait, didnt the US put these people there? Are they prisoners of the USA? So how can the politicians say "Not here"?

They want to have their cake and eat it too. Keep them indefinitely detained, and at the same time not in the U.S. For whatever reason, we simply aren't going to feed them feet first into industrial plastic shredders or put bullets into the backs of their heads, and they will never give up their jihad, so we can't let them go and give them another chance to make good on murder and mayhem.

The idiots in Congress (redundancy alert!) have painted themselves into a corner. They screamed bloody murder about GITMO while Bush was president, but now that their boy Zero is in charge, they are caught in the contradiction of Criminal Booooosh being wrong wrong wrong and yet, in reality, absolutely right.

Frankly, I'm loving it. Popcorn for everyone!

GTFPDQ
10-04-2009, 09:44 AM
Ill take the popcorn and raise you a cold brewski.

ghost
10-04-2009, 11:32 AM
They want to have their cake and eat it too. Keep them indefinitely detained, and at the same time not in the U.S. For whatever reason, we simply aren't going to feed them feet first into industrial plastic shredders or put bullets into the backs of their heads, and they will never give up their jihad, so we can't let them go and give them another chance to make good on murder and mayhem.

The idiots in Congress (redundancy alert!) have painted themselves into a corner. They screamed bloody murder about GITMO while Bush was president, but now that their boy Zero is in charge, they are caught in the contradiction of Criminal Booooosh being wrong wrong wrong and yet, in reality, absolutely right.

Frankly, I'm loving it. Popcorn for everyone!


Well said.

Do you have any kettlecorn, though? I'd prefer that. :lol:

bobdina
10-04-2009, 11:56 AM
I really think the politicians were taken off guard by this. They thought because Pres. Obama was elected they could do anything they like and the public would go along with it because at the time the majority polled loved the President so they thought they had card Blanche to do anything. Fact is reality has now hit home and Pres. Obama so far has not lived up to those lofty expectations everyone(supposedly) had for him. And these great ideas are turning out not so great when they tried to put them in action.

ghost
10-04-2009, 12:04 PM
I really think the politicians were taken off guard by this. They thought because Pres. Obama was elected they could do anything they like and the public would go along with it because at the time the majority polled loved the President so they thought they had card Blanche to do anything. Fact is reality has now hit home and Pres. Obama so far has not lived up to those lofty expectations everyone(supposedly) had for him. And these great ideas are turning out not so great when they tried to put them in action.


Yeah. A bit late for a reality check, though. Isn't it?