(Thumbnail image from The Guardian)
The closing of Guantanamo Bay is slowly, but surely pushing forward. U.S. politicians will let terror suspects at Guantanamo be transferred to face trial in the U.S. - a move that makes the closure of the prison camp seem all the more certain. They have yet to discuss whether detainees will be allowed on U.S. soil once Guantanamo is closed – a hot topic since Obama first announced his plans to close the facility.
Today we’re looking at perspectives on what the developments mean from Russia Today, CNN, MSNBC, Politico, the Washington Post and NewsMax TV.
Russia Today highlighted what New Yorker’s think of move to close the prison.
“Do you think Guantanamo Bay should be closed? I don’t really have an opinion. Would you have an opinion if it was closed and they were moved to your town? Absolutely. That would be scary? I’d say leave it open.”
But Politico talked with an aide from the White House, who has a positive view of the idea.
“Allowing transfers for trial is a positive development that will allow us to bring many of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay to swift and certain justice.”
As plans have developed to close Guantanamo Bay, Dick Cheney and daughter Liz Cheney have openly opposed the plan. Liz Cheney talks to CNN’s Cambell Brown on why Guantanamo Bay detainees should not be tried in the United States.
“Our criminal justice system is simply not set up to handle the kinds of classified information that would have to be turned over to terrorists in order to prosecute them. You’ve got a real potential that you’d get these terrorists here and judges will decide that they’ve got to be released.”
But MSNBC’s Chris Matthews talks to retired Navy Rear Admiral John Huston, who believes that the U.S. prison system can handle the detainees.
“We can bring these people to the United States put them in prison in the United States, prisons from which nobody has ever, in the history of America, escaped, and we will be perfectly safe."
The Washington Post opinion column Post Partisan says that arguments against allowing detainees in the U.S. are based on unreasonable fears.
“The opposition to the transfer of detainees is beyond irrational. It hinges on a bizarre fear of terrorists somehow suddenly showing up in Americans’ “back yards,” which only makes sense if you are a resident of a federal Supermax prison.”
Finally, NewsMax.TV offers the perspective of Republican Senator Kit Bond who says Obama shouldn’t be making any moves before he’s thought his plan through completely.
“These are not white-collar criminals these are trained terrorists who’ve sworn to kill Americans. And to bring them back to the United States even if they’re in some kind of facility, is very, is frightening…. We’re closing Gitmo – where’s the plan? That’s what we called ready, fire, aim. I’d prefer that they aimed before they fired.”
With the proposed deadline to close Guantanamo Bay only months away, do you think the Obama Administration will hit their deadline? Where do you think inmates should go if the gates are shut? We’d like to hear your opinion.
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