No

by Jodi L. Nielson

Created on: January 30, 2010

We are a nation at war.  Agree with it or not, it is a fact.  And a consequence of war is the need to contain and confine enemy combatants captured in the course of combat operations.  Currently, these enemy combatants are being housed at U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, also known as GITMO.  More than a few of our politicians want to turn the discussion of closing GITMO into a purely political argument.  But they need to understand that this is much more than a political issue.  It is a matter of national security.  More specifically, it is a matter for the military to handle, not those who decided to send them to war.

The arguments to close GITMO are rooted in the worst case scenario of political correctness gone wrong.  They’ve said that operations at GITMO have given America a black eye.  They’ve said the enemy is using the very existence of GITMO as a tool to recruit new terrorists.  They’ve questioned the use of enhanced interrogation techniques used to obtain vital intelligence regarding future attacks.  But they don’t want to close it and cease the incarceration of enemy combatants, no, they just want to move them to federal prisons right here in the United States.

These “suspected terrorists” are actually being very well cared for at Guantanamo.  They have access to excellent medical facilities, are fed meals that nutritionally balanced and in keeping with the tenets of Islam.  They are issued copies of the Quran and prayer mats and calls to prayer are played 5 times a day—also in keeping with the tenets of their religion.  They are allowed to socialize and exercise.  Their living areas are kept clean, with fresh linens and some comfort items.  And are allowed, upon arrival, to send a postcard home to friends and family letting them know where they are and how they are doing.   In no other war have enemy combatants been treated so fairly. 

The existence of Guantanamo is not the catalyst for these terrorists to continue their dark mission.  Their recruitment tool is not that Guantanamo Bay exists, but that America exists.   Their hatred is not aimed at Guantanamo, but at the “infidels” that populate the “capitalist West.”  Politicians have decided to use GITMO as the scapegoat, but the truth is that terrorism existed long before GITMO was made the operational center for holding enemy combatants and it will continue long after it is closed.  Consider that the detention facility at GITMO didn’t exist when the terrorists made their first attempt to bring down the World Trade Center, bombed the USS Cole, or even on September 11, 2001, when they hijacked four airliners and murdered nearly 3,000 innocent civilians.  GITMO cannot be blamed for the terrorist attacks on England, Spain, France, Pakistan, India or Bali.  So their arguments to close GITMO are based on false assumptions, political fallacies and an incomprehensible need to placate our enemies.

Closing Guantanamo won’t make these alleged problems miraculously go away.  Moving the “detainees” to a different facility within the borders of the United States does nothing but change their geography.   Millions of taxpayer dollars will be spent to purchase and update the “new” facility.  Millions more will be spent upgrading security in the area surrounding it.  And in the end, there will still be accusations of mistreatment.   The ACLU and human rights groups will still protest and fight for the rights of the terrorists.  They will be tried in our Federal Courts and be afforded all of the rights of a defendant under our laws.  They will have court appointed attorneys (at taxpayer expense) and will be using our Courts as a public forum to defend the heinous acts that have committed against the United States and the rest of the world. 

Political arguments to close Guantanamo Bay show either the ignorance of or the reluctance to acknowledge the reality of our current situation.  We’re talking about terrorists; Islamic extremists who have corrupted a religion for their own purposes.  Fanatics who set off car bombs in the middle of public markets filled with women and children.  Who strap bombs to themselves and blow up wedding parties, hotel lobbies and funeral processions all while invoking the name of their God.  These are not people with whom our politicians can have a reasonable, logical discourse in order to bring this issue to a close.  It is just naïve to believe that if we can somehow convince the leadership of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban that we are treating the “detainees” in a “fair and just” manner, that they will what, have an epiphany and suddenly come to the conclusion that America is actually pretty cool and they should stop trying to terrorize the world.  Closing GITMO achieves nothing but a shallow “political victory” for President Obama.   

If the politicians want to close Guantanamo, then the only acceptable option is to move all the detainees back to facilities within the combat zone, not within the borders of the United States.  Detainees should be treated like the enemy combatants that they are and should be appearing before Military Tribunals, not in civilian courts.  They should be afforded whatever courtesies are allowed under the Geneva Convention (even though they are not signers) but not the rights and privileges of the citizens of the very country upon which they have declared war.    We will never be able to bring this conflict to a close as long as our Politicians continue to behave in a “reactive” rather than “proactive” manner.  Every time they, the Politicians, question our Military Leadership, publicly chastise our intelligence agencies, put our Military members on trial (there are three SEALS facing courts-martial for allegedly giving a terror suspect a fat lip during his apprehension), or adjust our tactics in a way to placate the terrorists, the terrorists win.   Whenever we pull back, apologize or over react, the terrorists are emboldened and push forward.   They thrive on our fear—that’s why it’s called “terrorism.” 

Congress voted to send our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines to War.  They now need to step back and allow the Military Leadership to do their jobs.  If they still want to pursue political means of bringing this war to a close, that’s fine.  But these political measures should not be taken at the detriment of the military action.  A war is not won on the defensive nor is it won in the Offices of Congress.  The global war on terror will only come to an end when the citizens of the world stand up and in one voice declare that we will not be held hostage by the actions of a relatively small group of fanatics.

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