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| Yes | 51% | 282 votes | Total: 553 votes | |
| No | 49% | 271 votes |
Yes
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Add to FavoritesYes, because Guantanamo Bay is almost certainly holding innocent civilians behind bars. We know this because some, possibly many, of the captives were turned in by bounty hunters and personal enemies, not by U.S. military personnel. And because terrorists don't wear uniforms, it's impossible to know for sure who the enemy is.
Whether innocent or not, however, the detainees should be given a chance to prove his innocence in a court of law, as any citizen in a civilized country can. Under the Military Commissions Act (MCA), however - pushed through Congress by the Republican allies of the Bush Administration in October 2006 - detainees have almost no chance to get their cases heard. As legal experts have pointed out, the MCA strips detainees of their right to habeas corpus, the fundamental right of any prisoner to test the lawfulness of his detention.
Without the right of detainees to challenge their incarceration, there is no way to know who is innocent, and that means some poor bystander who never meant us any harm or who may actually be an ally could be rotting in Guantanamo with no hope of release.
Under the MCA, the government can hold any prisoner in custody for the rest of his life, without due process or recourse to courts. And what if this innocent man has a wife, children or elderly parents who depend on him?
Is it right to deny these detainees legal counsel and a chance to see the evidence against them, rights you and I enjoy under our Constitution?
No, it's not right. We should shut down the military prison on Guantanamo Bay and incarcerate the detainees on U.S. soil where they will be given a chance to defend themselves in court.
Learn more about this author, Les Jacobs.
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No
"...I'm laying down my gun and I'm hanging up my boots....So lay me down, in that open field out on the end of town, and know my soul is where my Momma always prayed that it would go, If you're reading this, I'm already home..." -Tim McGraw
They have killed America's own son's. They have killed innocent civilians. When the towers came down, they rejoiced in the streets at the death of our people. They have blown up our people who are tying to liberate them from themselves. They call us infidels because we do not believe in Allah. They hate us because we are Americans.
In the Guantanamo Bay prison, they get three meals a day (unless they are on a hunger strike). By the way, no one can go on a hunger strike and refuse food unless they are being given food to refuse. They are given their religious material, the Koran, and prayer rugs so that they have the freedom to worship. This is more than they offer the American women over there. They force them to cover their faces like their religion demands.
We have not lowered our standards to treat them as they have treated us, that would be a horrible way to treat a person. We need to get upset about the right things like how our sons and daughters are being killed in Iraq while Bin Laden calls for more attacks on this great country of ours.
We are America. We are strong. We are the land of the free and the home of the brave. We deserve to keep these evil murders in a prison in Guantanamo Bay.
Learn more about this author, Renee Dawson.
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