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Thursday, May 21, 2009
Check out the checks and balances in the first story. NIMBY = Not In My Back Yard
I understand the checks and balances, and the senators are probably worried about not being able to be reelected in the next elections because their constituents won't want to detainees in their states.
I agree with the former persectutor who said that some of the men found guilty in the justice system not too far from being as capable of evil as some of the terrorists are. That makes sense to me. There are evil people everywhere. Just because some of them are in Guantanamo Bay doesn't make it you or the world any safer.
I agree with Addie. It only takes one person to be determined to do something crazy and violent and kill hundreds or thousands of innocent people. Locking up 50 or so of suspected terrorists is not really going to make that much of a difference in the world as I see it.
I dont see why they are making the fuss. Most of us want G.B. closed and we should all help and do so. Why is it a huge deal to put a few terrorist in a high security prison in your own state. If the prison does its job it not like they are gonna get out. Its no worse then locking up a seiral killer or anything else. But im not a senetor trying to get reelected either.
I'm going to play devil's advocate, Matt Lowe. You say "most of us" want Gitmo closed... a 90-6 vote in the Senate says otherwise. Let's say you are a concerned parent who watches FOX news and has been bombarded with media coverage for years about how evil these suspected terrorists are. Guantanamo Bay is portrayed as a barrier between the United States and these "evil" people.
If you believed that these terrorists were truly evil people, wouldn't you be frightened if they were coming to live/be tried in your state?
But that's the problem. This is an issue based in fear, and not in facts.
However, Matt, you can't disregard that fear. It's a legitimate emotion and fear does control how people view issues, especially if they are constantly being told to fear the issues.
The only way to combat the fear is to shed some light on the issue. There are some evil people in Guantanamo Bay. There's a reason, whether it is constitutional or not, that the cite was erected. But that doesn't mean we should compromise our values as a nation because we are afraid.
If America truly believes in justice, it will try the detainees in a civilian court and judge them as people, as innocent or evil as they indeed are. There is nothing un-american about achieving justice. I do believe that most Americans would like to see Gitmo closed, and thus a small degree of America's dignity restored to it's already beleaguered international image. What country once was saw as a beacon of freedom and forward-thinking, has become an unneeded vigilante keen on keeping red scares of the past shrouded in a new face, justifying outrageous unjust proposals like those under the Bush era.
"All men are created equal...except for enemy combatants."
I agree with Addie not just on the point about criminals in our own court system being evil, but also on her point about fear. It is a perfectly ligitimate argument. People are afraid and want their families to be safe. Many parents don't like having any dangerous criminals in prisons near their homes, whether the prisoners are from Guantanamo Bay or just down the street. The NIMBY argument cannot be disregarded by anyone for whatever reason.
People's feelings need to be taken into account. Matt I don't know if "most" is an accurate term when saying who wants Guantanamo closed. Perhaps they don't want the practices to continue, but that doesn't mean that the prison can't still do its job. Also, saying that America must try these people in a civilian court or be classified as unjust...it isn't that simple. Yes, the detainees should be tried as people, but I fully and completely understand why the senators voted 90-6. I wouldn't want suspected terrorists anywhere near me, regardless of the security of the prison.
First of all, if Obama acutally had a good, solid plan, he probably would have gotten congress to pass the legislation. Instead he tried to throw some non-sense together and present it to congress in order to try to fullfill one of his many promises made during the campaign. Second, Addie is correct by stating that the senators are worried about not being able to be re-elected if they support putting terrorists in their states prison system. Lastly I belive that these terrorists are war criminals and should not be subjected to the U.S. court system. Keep in mind that these prisoners were not read their rights and if they were subjected to the U.S. court system they may be set free on this issue alone. What U.S. crime would we charge them with? They are enemy combatants and prisoners of war. The war crimes they commit on the battlefeild cannot be tried in U.S. courts.
I'm mixed on the issue of sending the prisoners to Nebraska.Robert Miller makes a good point by saying there are many risks in having them near you in the first place.They are dangerous people.But, if the prison does it's job properly and there are plenty of skilled staff, there should be no problem.Many people are not looking at this issue objectivly, but emotionally.They are making decisions based on fear.
11 comments:
I understand the checks and balances, and the senators are probably worried about not being able to be reelected in the next elections because their constituents won't want to detainees in their states.
I agree with the former persectutor who said that some of the men found guilty in the justice system not too far from being as capable of evil as some of the terrorists are. That makes sense to me. There are evil people everywhere. Just because some of them are in Guantanamo Bay doesn't make it you or the world any safer.
Check it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DpBOLQBbec
I agree with Addie. It only takes one person to be determined to do something crazy and violent and kill hundreds or thousands of innocent people. Locking up 50 or so of suspected terrorists is not really going to make that much of a difference in the world as I see it.
I dont see why they are making the fuss. Most of us want G.B. closed and we should all help and do so. Why is it a huge deal to put a few terrorist in a high security prison in your own state. If the prison does its job it not like they are gonna get out. Its no worse then locking up a seiral killer or anything else. But im not a senetor trying to get reelected either.
I'm going to play devil's advocate, Matt Lowe.
You say "most of us" want Gitmo closed...
a 90-6 vote in the Senate says otherwise.
Let's say you are a concerned parent who watches FOX news and has been bombarded with media coverage for years about how evil these suspected terrorists are. Guantanamo Bay is portrayed as a barrier between the United States and these "evil" people.
If you believed that these terrorists were truly evil people, wouldn't you be frightened if they were coming to live/be tried in your state?
But that's the problem. This is an issue based in fear, and not in facts.
However, Matt, you can't disregard that fear. It's a legitimate emotion and fear does control how people view issues, especially if they are constantly being told to fear the issues.
The only way to combat the fear is to shed some light on the issue. There are some evil people in Guantanamo Bay. There's a reason, whether it is constitutional or not, that the cite was erected. But that doesn't mean we should compromise our values as a nation because we are afraid.
If America truly believes in justice, it will try the detainees in a civilian court and judge them as people, as innocent or evil as they indeed are. There is nothing un-american about achieving justice. I do believe that most Americans would like to see Gitmo closed, and thus a small degree of America's dignity restored to it's already beleaguered international image. What country once was saw as a beacon of freedom and forward-thinking, has become an unneeded vigilante keen on keeping red scares of the past shrouded in a new face, justifying outrageous unjust proposals like those under the Bush era.
"All men are created equal...except for enemy combatants."
I agree with Addie not just on the point about criminals in our own court system being evil, but also on her point about fear. It is a perfectly ligitimate argument. People are afraid and want their families to be safe. Many parents don't like having any dangerous criminals in prisons near their homes, whether the prisoners are from Guantanamo Bay or just down the street. The NIMBY argument cannot be disregarded by anyone for whatever reason.
People's feelings need to be taken into account. Matt I don't know if "most" is an accurate term when saying who wants Guantanamo closed. Perhaps they don't want the practices to continue, but that doesn't mean that the prison can't still do its job. Also, saying that America must try these people in a civilian court or be classified as unjust...it isn't that simple. Yes, the detainees should be tried as people, but I fully and completely understand why the senators voted 90-6. I wouldn't want suspected terrorists anywhere near me, regardless of the security of the prison.
Interview with mayor...
Success.
Interview with alderman...
success.
First of all, if Obama acutally had a good, solid plan, he probably would have gotten congress to pass the legislation. Instead he tried to throw some non-sense together and present it to congress in order to try to fullfill one of his many promises made during the campaign. Second, Addie is correct by stating that the senators are worried about not being able to be re-elected if they support putting terrorists in their states prison system. Lastly I belive that these terrorists are war criminals and should not be subjected to the U.S. court system. Keep in mind that these prisoners were not read their rights and if they were subjected to the U.S. court system they may be set free on this issue alone.
What U.S. crime would we charge them with? They are enemy combatants and prisoners of war. The war crimes they commit on the battlefeild cannot be tried in U.S. courts.
I'm mixed on the issue of sending the prisoners to Nebraska.Robert Miller makes a good point by saying there are many risks in having them near you in the first place.They are dangerous people.But, if the prison does it's job properly and there are plenty of skilled staff, there should be no problem.Many people are not looking at this issue objectivly, but emotionally.They are making decisions based on fear.
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