Ex-Bush official Philip Zelikow: Close Guantanamo now, U.S. can keep these prisoners just fine
By John Amato Wednesday May 13, 2009 2:15pm
Former Bush State Dept official Philip Zelikow testified today about the closing of Guantanamo Bay. He compared it to the former prison known as Alcatraz, which was closed because of its horrendous reputation. He also feels that the U.S. could easily hold any prisoner from Guantanamo Bay, while Republicans are trying to claim otherwise with their usual fearmongering.
Zelikow: Guantanamo, in world public opinion, had become a toxic problem for the United States of America, and so we needed to address that as an issue in our foreign policy.
Dick Durbin asked if we could hold any transfers from Gitmo to federal correctional facilities in the United States safely, Zelikow answered:
Zelikow: Sir, we hold people who are far more dangerous in such institutions including quite dangerous terrorists like Ramzi Yousef, who's currently residing in a maximum security facility inside the US now. I'll also add that I've had the opportunity on behalf of one of the federal judges who have been working through the habeas petitions to be asked to examine classified files and provide expert advice on holding these folks and one of the things that strikes me now and struck me then is we have a vast amount of experience in how to judge the continued incarceration of highly dangerous prisoners since we do this with thousands of prisoners every month all over the United States including some really quite dangerous people. We routinely make these decisions...
I think the United States knows something about prisons, since we hold the most prisoners in the world. Sen. Jim Webb is setting his eyes squarely on reforming the prison system in America. Glenn Greenwald has an excellent piece on Webb's proposal. Good for him.
And by holding Guantanamo detainees here, it would create more jobs for corrections workers wherever they are held.
Login or Register to post comments.
Release the pot smokers from jail, hey presto! You've got even more room for all these incredibly dangerous terroristy looking people. Guilty! Of being brown!
Excellent post!!
Release the stoners!
I betcha there are prisoners being held here in the US right now that have done worse things than any of those people held at gitmo.
Closing Guantanamo means nothing if the prisoners are just moved to other US-run prisons where they will continue to be mistreated. US prisons are as notorious for maltreatment as any in the world - isolation cells that drive people insane; sadistic use of dogs, beatings, tasers, and gas; withholding of needed medication; endless proselytizing for Christianity; near-impossibility of being released even if shown to be innocent; a civilian population led to believe that all imprisoned deserve to be there; sadistic guards, increasing numbers of whom are ex-military; etc. We need to be providing jobs through other means than the prison system. It is a cruel, pointless system, and yes the US does hold more prisoners than any other nation in the world, even countries with much larger overall populations. That is something to be ashamed of, not to be proud of, especially since it's not due to increased crime but to expanded criminalization since the 80s and a profit-driven prison system. Just because Republicans are against something, for whatever reason (in this case, because they believe the accused to be too dangerous to have in the US), that doesn't mean that doing what they are opposed to is the right thing to do.
Bring them here. Let them loose in a mall with credit cards. See how
Muslim they really are. Give them apartments and jobs. Give them
Netflix and a TIVO. See how violent they become. They will be small
business owners in a year with families, SuVs and they will be trying
to get their cousins over here to work for them. They hate us when they
live in a slum or a mountain shack. Give them underwear, hot water and
some Dominoes and they will be voting Republican before you know it!
no one talks about this..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagram_Air_Base
close that too!
listen to this conversation!! stick non convicted humans in SUPERMAX facilities! What the fuck, who's the criminal in this story??
I was going to say that I'm pretty sure it's against the law to put people in prison who haven't even been charged with a crime much less convicted.
of the JFK assassination as counsel to the HSCA in the late 1970s.
He is not to be trusted. He's part of the inner circle.
Don't forget he was Executive Director of the 9/11 Truth Commission!!
That went SO well!!
I think that's the point: if even THIS wanker thinks Gitmo should be closed, then repigs really have no reason to object!
corporate overlords are still looting the Treasury,and our elected officials continue to have their palms greased by armies of corporate lobbyists.
The best thing we could do to regain our (the U.S.) standing across the globe, would be to KEEP GUANTONIMO OPEN, and put Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Gonzalez and the rest of the republicans in there - so that they could be waterboarded!
Because waterboarding is not totrture and its a good thing! Right DICK?
Good idea. And to show them they have nothing to fear from waterboarding, we could take Hannity up on his offer and waterboard him there.
Bush and his pals are retired anyway. Let's send them on a permanent tropical vacation!
The only reason the repugs don't want them here is that their stories might get out. I would bet the Hanoi Hilton would seem like a real Hilton compared to Gitmo.
they should be released, regardless of the 'charges' against them. You could never to this to a person in this country (with the exception of Jose Padilla, also illegally). If you did, because of the Constitution, a prisoner would be released with prejudice. These people aere not recognised any differently in the Constitution. Therefore, they must be treated as any person under the law in the US. Violation of the speedy trial clause, dismissed.
I don't understand how the US govt can keep breaking the law.
Did he say if he objected to giving ALL these terrorists welfare? Because from what I heard from the Newtster that is the big worry here. That these guys are going to get welfare when they are let out of GITMO to wonder aimlessly on the streets of your town.
you"
but they wont be
they will be residing in max security prisons...in lock down...out of gen pop, where they would be killed
the whole argument is fooking rediculous
I guess the repugs don't think the CO's who run the joints here in the US can't handel the turds from getmo. I worked at SMU in Az. these guys would be no issue. Hell the i/m in VCU were strate up assholes. Some of the people at gitmo were sold to the US by warlords who wanted them out of the way. Rember the 9 billion dollars in CASH bush and dick sent to Iraq.
bush/chanie have taken a contru that was is good shape and just fucked it up and there still trying to fuck things up and there not in office. look at that repug dipshit julieon -e. befor he was in office there were about 700 misterminer grass arrest in NY. when dipshit got in, it went to over 59,000. I guess if you smoke pot that is worse than starting a war,spying on Americans,letting banks do what ever,and brining down 3 buldingd. I think they pland it all.
Our prisons can safely hold the like of Charles Manson, the Unibomber, Son of Sam, etc., and we're worried about being able to hold a few detainees? Do these idiots figure we couldn't safely incarcerate OBL if he is ever caught?
Login or Register to post comments.