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Cynthia Tucker

What’s scarier than Guantanamo detainees? No job

8:06 am August 13, 2009, by ctucker

President Obama was absolutely right to pledge to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The prison helped to damage our standing in the world, alienating allies and becoming a recruiting cry for al-Qaida. In addition to the cruelty of the confinement, many of the detainees committed no acts of terrorism. The facility stands in violation of cherished American principles.

But Obama has run into unexpected difficulties keeping his  promise to close the prison. Conservatives think the facility needs to stay open, and even Democrats have protested and stymied efforts to bring detainees onto U.S. soil.

Members of Congress have engaged in shameful grandstanding, claiming that Guantanamo detainees would be much too dangerous to bring to the continental U.S.  — even to a maximum security prison. Never mind that there has never been an escape from a so-called “supermax prison.” Politicians have been busy scaring their constituents over the idea that terrorists might be in the prison down the road.

But the folks in Standish, Mich. aren’t so easily frightened. Like much of the country, they desperately need jobs, and they’ve got a prison in danger of being shut down due to state prison cuts.

So, they say, bring ‘em on. Said Standish city manager Michael Moran, “If anybody did escape, they’d have a surprise. We’re a community of hunters. Just about everybody has guns.”

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36 comments Add your comment

mike

August 13th, 2009
8:34 am

What a joke. Is detaining these detainees indefinitely in Standish some type of moral improvement to storing them at Gitmo?

Does the current prison “damage our standing in the world” because of its geographical location? Nonsense.

Where the detainees are housed is irrelevant. This whole argument is a re-arranging of the deck chairs and of course Tucker being the good partisan she is, reflexively jumps to support it.

Tell us Cynthia, how will moving these guys to Standish improve our standing in the world?

Also, can you tell us what is being done with detainees these days? Has Obama stopped going after these guys? Is he just having them killed? Is he housing them indefinitely at Bagram? Please tell us about the new “more humane” detention policies.

Rickster

August 13th, 2009
9:28 am

The only job Cynthia’s concerned about is her own!

arnold

August 13th, 2009
10:24 am

Where they are confined is relevant. The name “Gitmo” id disturbing to a large number of people worldwide. We need to lessen tensions, not perpetuate them.

Robert

August 13th, 2009
11:57 am

Cynthia, you scare me much more than GITMO….

gatorman770

August 13th, 2009
12:28 pm

Cynthia I thought I heard the AJC was going to try to be more fair and balanced by you leaving the AJC and moving to DC. When you leaving?

Jim morrison

August 13th, 2009
12:31 pm

Hey Cynthia,

You are the biggest Racist Moron at AJC.

Why don’t you QUIT, you liberal Socialist!

Enough Said!

whatever

August 13th, 2009
12:39 pm

another in a long line of pathetic attempts of cynthia to try to protect her savior, barack. hey cynthia, it aint the dems or the repubs that are keeping the people at Gitmo, its the spineless non-leader you elected into office. he has the power to do a lot of things but can only do something if it is popular. sorry to say, but being president isnt about doing what is popular, thats easy. being president is about making tough decisions that may anger your own party. bush wasnt a leader, he didnt do anything that would anger the repubs…and barack is the same way.

quit trying to make excuses for this mistake of a president.

Steve

August 13th, 2009
12:40 pm

Cynthia for head prison guard in Standish.

jt

August 13th, 2009
12:46 pm

The really scary part is that some northern industrial wasteland wants people so that “their prison doesn’t shut down”.

Is that a “cherished American principle”.??

Cynthia Tucker, where is your empathy for the world’s largest incarcerated population.? You should at least give the same publicity to these incarcerated Americans because they are disproportionally minorities and the majority of these minorities committed no violent crime.

reservoirDAWG

August 13th, 2009
1:05 pm

You suck Cynthia. How did you even graduate college?

Jack

August 13th, 2009
1:09 pm

Oops! Betcha Tucker won’t allow any more comments.

bromack

August 13th, 2009
1:14 pm

Ms Tucker,

The only reason Obama et.al…are unhappy about Guantanamo is because some Yemeni Prince’s son is being held there.

And this Prince is paying some NY lawyer a bunch of cash to get him released. They figure if they can generate enough negative publicity amongst the american media and public… that oughta do the trick…

Thats why I always say…. stand for something… or fall for anything.

Bromack.

VRM

Get Real

August 13th, 2009
1:23 pm

Now I see why she hadn’t taken comments in the past. All these so-call ‘tough American Patriots’ are running scared. The Unabomber is in an American prison, and hasn’t escaped. I believe the point of bringing them here was to conduct trials or tribunals to release the innocent ones to countries that will take them, and put the rest in prison. You tough guys are so quick to start wars, but don’t want to except the consequences of it. Rather house the prisoners in Cuba. A bunch of Chuck Norris’ you all are. lol.

mimi

August 13th, 2009
1:35 pm

everyone calm down..

Mac

August 13th, 2009
1:42 pm

I think they’d be welcome in northwest Georgia’s carpet country if it meant some people could go back to work.

And, I stand corrected. Welcome to blogging. Hope all goes well.

Stan

August 13th, 2009
1:45 pm

GITMO is HOT as “H” and Why are We Stuck on HATE?

Rufus

August 13th, 2009
1:53 pm

What I can’t figure out is all these so-called Americans, who want to treat murderous, and terrorists, as victims, even if they kill hundreds of innocent people, when these clowns are killing American soldiers, in A WAR, and get caught, they have to be treated with kids glove, because, if treated any other way violation of cherished American principles.
In what fantasy world, are these reporters living in.
War, is not a picnic, stop protecting and feeling sorry for these killer,
they are animals, their soul purpose in this world is to kill American, or anyone else who gets in their way.
If we keep babying these things that imitated a human being, they will be knocking, or should say breaking into your house someday, and lets see how sorry you’ll feel.

Had-enough

August 13th, 2009
2:16 pm

Cynthia, you say that Guantanamo, “The facility stands in violation of cherished American principles.” Say what Cynthia? Do mean the white peoples “cherished principals”? You have never given this country credit for anything? Now it’s CHERISHED by you. You are really a peace of crap. The AJC should be done with you altogether.

Gordon

August 13th, 2009
2:27 pm

Wow. Now I know why Cynthia never let people blog until recently. I don’t agree with her either, but there is a lot of pent-up anger here.

mike

August 13th, 2009
3:06 pm

According to Amnesty International:

““For the approximately 600 detainees held in the US air base in Bagram in Afghanistan, the change in US administration has likewise meant little or no change in their situation. Detainees held in the base still have no access to judicial review and no access to legal counsel, with the administration continuing to apply a global “war” legal paradigm and resisting access to the US courts even for those who have been held for years after being arrested as far away from Afghanistan as Thailand and United Arab Emirates.”

Do you think Cynthia is unaware of what is going on at Bagram? Or is she consciously adopting a hypocritical stance for partisan reasons?

Kirkfish

August 13th, 2009
3:10 pm

I have never udnerstood why Gtmo has such a bad rap as a prison. The detainees get better treatment, better food, and much better working conditions than sailors did when it was a training base for ships in refresher training or on shakedown cruises.

Steve

August 13th, 2009
3:10 pm

I’m not sure what the point of the move is…seems mostly for publicity. Does Cynthia honsetly think moving these war prisoners will change any terrorist mind?
Moving them seems similar an old army punishment of moving a sandpile from one location to another. Nothing is accomplished other than tiring the person responsible for moving the pile.

Chris Broe

August 13th, 2009
3:21 pm

At least Cynthia doesn’t coddle trolls the way Bookman does. There’s nothing lower than coddling trolls.

Nothing.

Fitzgerald

August 13th, 2009
3:34 pm

If the Gitmo prisoners are housed in a general prison population somewhere in the USA, what are the chances that they would survive very long? Prisons have the gangs that don’t really care about the terrorists from Gitmo. If the Gitmo prisoners are sent to the Standish prison, would Obama take away the guns that the Standish city manager is referencing?

Californication

August 13th, 2009
3:47 pm

Well Cynthia, put your money where your mouth is, since you claim that they have done no wrong, tell Obozo that you would be happy to host them at your house. Problem solved.

JackLeg

August 13th, 2009
3:49 pm

Doesn’t make you wonder if these are really bad guys? Their own countries won’t even take them back. But don’t worry liberal logic will give them a home. Liberal, and logic in the same sentence, that’s a mistake.

WBK

August 13th, 2009
3:50 pm

Cynthia, I think you better stick to commentary without a blog. Hardly anyone agrees with you and you seem to bring out the worst evern in good people. You and Michelle finally got to love this country.

Rufus

August 13th, 2009
4:08 pm

These poor innocent terrorist, who go to all those bad prisons, and are treated better than in their home country, how about an American solder who become a prisoner in their hands of these innocent terrorist, who will dismember them, and cut them up and throw the body pieces in a river, and keep the head to play with.
I don’t hear these two face, journalists accusing the terrorist of doing anything bad at all.
There is nothing wrong with the prison in Gitmo, already housing these parasite, why bring them here, we have enough trash in this country and enough Anti-America, organization that go by all various names.
American people need to wake-up, and stop letting the other side take over. Has nothing to do that you’re a republican or a democrat.
Stop, being a hypocrite, and complaint about your country, the only thing that’s wrong in America, are the liars, distorted, and small mined, who never can find anything good about America.

ben quiet

August 13th, 2009
4:28 pm

OUCH!

Atlanta Native

August 13th, 2009
4:53 pm

The point that interests me is the statement quoted by Ms. Tucker about them having guns and being hunters. Based on MANY previous columns she has written she is very supportive of ANY gun control bill to get the guns out of the hands of citizens.

Why, then, does Ms. Tucker find that quote relevant to the story, as these sorts of folks who “cling to their guns and religion” are the sort of people she thinks are ruining America. Is it fair to send the detainees to such a backward place full of ignorant, hillbillies (they aren’t rednecks up north)?

Atlanta Native

August 13th, 2009
5:09 pm

resevoirDAWG:

That’s graduate FROM college. By saying “graduate college” your comment loses any impact. Kinda like when an ath-a-lete axes a question.

Tru

August 13th, 2009
5:12 pm

Love thy enemy

pray for those that persecute you.

Roger

August 13th, 2009
5:27 pm

I agree with the person that said Cynthia was only concerned about her own job. She HAS to write articles that “go against the grain” to get attention. More readers equal more job security.

Fang1944

August 13th, 2009
5:58 pm

I am astonished at the vitriol in these posts. All Ms. Tucker did in this column was report on the plan to move the prisoners to a supermax prison. I think I sense some good, old Georgia racism here.

And apparently the President can do no right.

Atlantan

August 13th, 2009
8:21 pm

AJC, please close your comments section or I will stop reading this paper. With the internet, I don’t need you anymore. These comments are completely inappropriate and offensice. You are giving sociopaths a platform to speak.

Thomas Jefferson

August 15th, 2009
6:48 pm

Nice try distancing CTucker AJC….you still suck and no one will buy your rag…you still have an Obamite pretending to run the show….AJC is irrelevant and I hope it is replaced by a real paper…