[Grovenet] Being thankful

[Katie Allnutt]

Alan,
   Here is an article dated Jan 17 of this year that states 6  
detainees have been released from Git-Mo recently.  The article also  
states that over 60 that Bush has released have either returned to  
terrorism or have been converted to terrorism in revenge for their  
treatment.  Do you thank Bush for these 60? Are they different than  
any that might be released by Obama?
Gitmo had over 700 detainees at its peak. Now only 244 remain. Where  
did all those folks go? Some of them are likely here in the good ole  
USA.  Not because of anything that Obama did but because of things  
that Bush did. Do you thank Bush for those too?
  So, I'm not sure what will be truly different under Obama other  
than we won't be torturing prisoners,  hardening their desires to  
turn into terrorists and our prosecutions of them will be more  
aligned with the principles that we adopted at the time of the  
American revolution protecting people (humans) from powerful  
governments and kings.
Ultimately though, if Obama's plan results in some people being  
released we don't need to panic that he is throwing all the gears  
into reverse. He is merely shifting the sails and the ship is tacking  
into a friendlier wind. A wise thing to do when you were heading into  
a storm.

Please note also that the recently released prisoners were held for  
'several years' and none of them were charged with doing anything.  
The principle of habeas corpus dates back to the Magna Carta  in the  
year 1215 and Bush's ignorance of its value is just a small example  
of how he wanted to take us back to the stone age. Or at least back  
to somewhere in the 12th century.  I say 'no thanks' to that and  
'thank you' to Obama for bringing us back to at least the 13th  
century and likely even somewhere close to the 21st.


Katie


(CNN) -- Six detainees were released from the U.S. military's  
detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the Department of Defense  
said Saturday.




Four of the men were transferred to Iraq, one to Algeria and one to  
Afghanistan, a military spokesman said.

They had each been detained at Guantanamo for "several years,"  
according to the military. None of them was charged with a crime.

"The transfer is a demonstration of the United States' desire not to  
hold detainees any longer than necessary," said a Department of  
Defense statement. "It also underscores the processes put in place to  
assess each individual and make a determination about their detention  
while hostilities are ongoing, an unprecedented step in the history  
of warfare."

The detainees were among 60 whom the United States has decided to  
release. Those remaining have not been cleared for release as the  
government negotiates their return with their home countries.

"There is an inherent risk in detainee transfers and releases, as  
over 60 ex-Gitmo detainees have reportedly returned to terrorism,"  
Department of Defense spokesman J.D. Gordon said.

At its peak, Guantanamo held 770 people who the U.S. government  
believed may have been involved in terrorist activity or military  
action against the nation. The facility drew sharp criticism,  
including from Barack Obama as he campaigned for the presidency.

Human and legal rights advocates complained that many of the  
detainees were being held indefinitely although there were no  
criminal charges filed against them. Reports of mistreatment of  
detainees led many, including Obama, to argue that the facility was  
not ineffective in dealing with alleged enemy combatants or for  
gathering good intelligence.

Sources close to Obama's transition team say he plans to make  
shuttering the facility a priority soon after he takes the oath of  
office Tuesday.

In all, 244 detainees remain at Guantanamo.

This week, a federal judge ordered the release of a man who is said  
to be the youngest prisoner sent to Guantanamo after he was captured  
in Pakistan at 14. The judge gave no timetable on when the man must  
be freed
On Jan 22, 2009, at 9:10 AM, Alan Domenghini aka an OleHoss wrote:

> Mike...
> you may not be thanking #44 for letting the Git-Mo detainees out into
> the USA Public!
>
>
>
> From: "Steele, Mike" <steelem at pacificu.edu>
> Date: January 22, 2009 8:44:26 AM PST
> To: Forest Grove local interests list <grovenet at rdrop.com>
> Subject: [Grovenet] Being thankful
> Reply-To: Forest Grove local interests list <grovenet at rdrop.com>
>
>
> I'd like to express my thanks to Presidents 43 and 44:
>
> Dear 43...thank you for leaving the office.  Same for your VP.
>
> Dear 44:  thank you for coming to this office.
>
> Thank you for having a good mind, a keen intellect.
>
> Thank you for showing signs of humility and self-reflection.
>
> Thank you for being a constitutional scholar.
>
> Thank you for being able to express yourself clearly and eloquently.
>
> Thank you for undertaking to reverse the unbelievable damage 43 and  
> his supporters did to the world and our beloved country.
>
> Thank you for being strong enough to withstand the acid of racism,  
> the attitudes of people who would throw your campaign signs in the  
> garbage.
>
> Thank you for seeing the big picture.
>
> Thank you for working so hard to drag this country and the world  
> fully into the 21st century.
>
> Thank you for looking forward, not backwards.
>
> Thank you for not excluding those who disagree with you.
>
> Thank you for leading a true people's campaign.
>
> Thank you for bringing to Washington D.C. the happy faces of a true  
> cross section of this country.
>
> Thank you for not feeling comfortable just in the company of "the  
> haves, and the have mores" (43's preference).
>
> Thank you for not closing yourself off from the world.
>
> Thank you for attracting 200,000 Berliners to a speech you gave  
> last year.
>
> Thank you for bringing hope to us.
>
> Thank you.
>
>
>
>
>
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