Guantanamo Bay May Close

There have been rumblings from The White House concerning a possible closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility due to the bad image that it has given to the "war on terror". Rumors are that the terror suspects who are being held there will be moved to military prisons around the world, perhaps in Afghanistan or even Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where they could face trials.

I was listening to a radio news report, that said that on Friday, June 22, there was a meeting with Vice-President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff, National intelligence Director Mike McConnell, and Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace attending.

The news reports have long been highly critical of Guantanamo Bay and human rights groups have decried the terror suspects being held there as being ill-treated and abused. There have been some over stepping "bordering on abuse" by the military and the Bush administration in their handling of these terror suspects, but I think that was more true right after 9/11 then it is now. The suspects who remain in Guatanamo Bay are still considered dangerous, and many of them would be unable to return to their home countries even if they were released as they do not want them to return "home".

One issue I have with the detention facility is that it has been a long time, and there should be a endgame to their incarceration, either they are terrorists or they are not, so get on with the military tribunals. It didn't take this long to hold trials after World War II in Nuremburg for the Nazi's who were tried and that was in a post war Europe, while they were still trying to rebuild their countries. So finding Justice is about the will to do so, and the Bush administration has not been willing to do so!

Guantanamo Bay should probably be closed as it is just one more bad image used by our enemies against an America that is loathed and hated by many people around the world. We are a great nation and the continuing incarceration of suspects who do not seem to have a chance of getting Justice belies who we say we are as a Nation built on "being innocent, until proven guilty".

Let's live up to our ideals Mr. President and order your people to get this resolved right now.