May 08 2009
Not In My Back Yard: Congress Bristles At the Notion of Guantanamo Prisoners Entering the US
Well finally, Congress has found an issue that they can agree on. Republican and Democrats have decided to work across party lines to bitch at Barack Obama about the possibility of Guantanamo Bay detainees being transferred to US soil. Can anyone else here the big top music?
The closing of Guantanamo Bay was one of Barack Obama’s campaign pledges due to the uproar of Dems. and others at the treatment of the detainees being held there. Now that President Obama has issued an executive order making good on his promise Democrats are balking at moving terror suspects to their districts and Republicans are using the controversy to political advantage.
Republicans are jumping at the chance to criticize the President’s weakness on foreign affairs and according to the Washington Post have proposed legislation “dubbed Keep Terrorists Out of America Act.”The Republican Representative from Kansas Todd Tiahrt also proposed a bill that would block funding for any transfers onto US soil. Thus far both bill have been blocked by Democrats.
Democrats haven’t been without their fair share of criticism and grand standing on the issues, passing a resolution requiring that the President submit a detailed plan by October. Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska adds his disapproval to the transfer of prisoners to the US, “I wouldn’t want them, and I wouldn’t take them.”
The Billings Gazette states that economic development officials in Hardin Montana are more than willing to take the prisoners. Hardin is the location of a 460 bed prison that is currently sitting empty, and based on a recent city council vote in Hardin, they would welcome the 100 or high paying jobs that would come with the federal contract to house the prisoners.
Alexandria, Virginia is the current front runner for the transfer. Alexandra boast a large federal prison in close proximity to federal courts. Two Rivers Authority, the development arm of Hardin argues that their prison is better because it is “modern and empty.”
Members of congress from both parties and both houses have stood up to resist the transfers to their districts, stating that their constituents don’t want the dangerous terrorists in their neighborhoods. At best the constituents seem split the legislatures intent on playing politics with the headlines. Federal prisons are well known for the dangerous criminals that they house. Are terrorists any more dangerous than other federal prisoners? Federal prisoners hold rapists, gangsters, and murderers. In fact Zacharias Mousawi, one of the 9-11 conspirators is currently held in a federal prison on US soil. It was probably foolish and brash to close Guantanamo in the first place, simply because of its symbolic significance. Now that it is done they have to go somewhere and no country is likely to take the prisoners if the US won’t. Congress should stop the partisan resistance on this, these prisoners represent no more danger to America in our prisons than they did locked up in Guantanamo Bay or free in terrorist-harboring nations like Pakistan or Afghanistan.
