I cannot understand why President Barack Obama signed a series of executive orders to close Guantanamo Bay on January 22, 2009, setting the closure date in January of 2010.
The Guantanamo Bay facility accommodates 680 terrorists and about 110 are hard core terrorists, picked up in the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq for the most part.
The obvious question that stands in the back of our minds: Where will these detainees go after this facility is completely closed down a year from now? It may be a legal turning point in limbo for all involved. Where does this leave the protection and well being of the United States if these terrorists are let go?
Most Americans will feel less safe if this facility completely closes. It feels like not much thought was expended on it by the Obama Administration.
I don’t believe in torture tactics of any kind, but the torture of a small number of inmates should not be used to free so many people determined to do us harm. Closing this detention camp leaves some unsettled and complicated issues. We are left wondering how many of these detainees will be prosecuted and where will they go?.
Over 45% of Americans feel this facility should be shut down completely. On the other side of the coin, more than two thirds of Americans feel there still should be investigations into allegations that the Bush Administration used torture to interrogate these dangerous terrorist suspects. Taking this all into consideration, do we still want these terrorists prosecuted in our backyard? Can we afford to tempt another terrorist attack on American soil? Most Americans do not feel comfortable with this idea.
President Barack Obama needs to make his case more clearly on his true intentions concerning the dilemma. All we can do is wait and see what the Obama Administration does next.
