Back Talk Requested: Guantanamo — Rhymes with Geronimo.
Posted By Cliff Tuttle | January 24, 2009
Posted by Cliff Tuttle
Once again, I listened to the afternoon talk shows while driving to the court house. The topic of the day: closing the military prison at Guantanamo Bay.
Perhaps you’ve forgotten, but this facility was erected on an old naval base that the United States acquired in 1903, in the aftermath of the liberation of Cuba in the Spanish American War. As I understand it, the primary purpose for imprisoning the enemy combatants in a location outside the United States was to postpone trials indefinitely. The problem was and is that prosecuting suspected terrorists involves disclosing classified information, at least to the suspect and his attorney, and possibly to the world. But that justification for an offshore prison has been stripped away, primarily by decisions of the United States Supreme Court.
Nevertheless, it seems that a lot of Western Pennsylvanians are afraid of having these prisoners housed anywhere on the same continent. The fear was expressed that any such prison would be a target for terrorists. I didn’t listen long enough to hear whether the concern extended to jail breaks.
So, why not (as Conressman Murtha suggests) support the local economy by inviting a few long term guests to inhabit our region? If one of them did escape, it is pretty likely he would head for the border — not stick around to commit acts of terrorism. So, if you don’t live in Mexico or Canada, what’s the big deal? Back Talk Requested.
CLT
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