I came across this news story today.
 

 On his second full day in office, President Obama signed an executive order to close the prison within a year. Today, the date that the prison was to have been closed, the facility remains open.

Oh, do politicians make promises to get into office nowadays? I had no idea.

Whoa, he's been in office a year already.

wait.....a politician who cant get things done by his deadline?... 
 
 NO WAY

I thought the deadline was yesterday. Oh well, he already failed at this because of this. Where's the Price is Right losing horn when you need it?

I wouldn't mind another Harold & Kumar movie filmed somewhere based on 'ol Gitmo.

Just one more thing in a laundry list of unfulfilled promises.

So it seems like more and more people are moving from the "Obama is a godsend who's going to make massive changes and fix our country" side to the more sensible "He's a politician like any other- of coarse he's going to lie to get elected" side.

" So it seems like more and more people are moving from the "Obama is a godsend who's going to make massive changes and fix our country" side to the more sensible "He's a politician like any other- of coarse he's going to lie to get elected" side. "

I've been to Guantanamo Bay, that place is fucking hot as hell. The worst two weeks of my Navy life.

Fuck those terrorists.  Let them rot in there some more. Fair trial my ass, they are combatants, not some kind of misguided criminal.  They take away other people's rights, they dont deserve the same.

" Fuck those terrorists.  Let them rot in there some more. Fair trial my ass, they are combatants, not some kind of misguided criminal.  They take away other people's rights, they dont deserve the same. "

" @TheHBK said:

" Fuck those terrorists.  Let them rot in there some more. Fair trial my ass, they are combatants, not some kind of misguided criminal.  They take away other people's rights, they dont deserve the same. "

What happened to the presumption of innocence?  What happened to a fair trial?  What happened to evidence and the testing of it?    When they are found guilty in a fair trial I have no sympathy for them but until then I remain open minded. "

" @oldschool said:

" @TheHBK said:

" Fuck those terrorists.  Let them rot in there some more. Fair trial my ass, they are combatants, not some kind of misguided criminal.  They take away other people's rights, they dont deserve the same. "

What happened to the presumption of innocence?  What happened to a fair trial?  What happened to evidence and the testing of it?    When they are found guilty in a fair trial I have no sympathy for them but until then I remain open minded. "

I understand that we want fairness, but in my mind, this is fair.  They would not be there if they had not been caught shooting at US soldiers or in those terrorist training camps.  A lot of people want to treat them as if they just shot a person in a robbery or that they stole a car.  Thats not how this works.  They took up arms against the United States, against other countries.  Not just one person or a small group, they are military combatants.  And so they are POWs.  Can you imagine how fucked up the Nuremberg trials would have been had they just been murder trials, and not war trials?  All those fools would have ran out on bail, said that they could not be kept locked up, and just ran off to Argentina.  Thats what these guys want so they can get off on technicalities, but there is no due process in war.  And thats what people need to realize.  Its not like someone accused them either, they were caught in the act. "

" I thought the deadline was yesterday. Oh well, he already failed at this because of this. Where's the Price is Right losing horn when you need it? "

" Oh, do politicians make promises to get into office nowadays? I had no idea. "

The problem here is that nobody wants most of these prisoners.  Not us, not European governments, in most cases their home countries don't want them back either free or to deal with in their legal system.  The reason is you don't get sent to Gitmo for jaywalking because there are too many cheaper easier methods to deal with minor criminals.  The problem with a fair trial is also not as easy or noble as it seems because in our judicial system you are innocent until proven guilty and lets be honest O.J. got off because a glove didn't fit so how many of these prisoners do you honestly believe with a good lawyer would end up proven guilty.  Then even after the trial once again what happens?  Do you really want a prisoner from Gitmo moving next door to you well guess what most other people feel the same way.  War on Terror, Close Gitmo, No Child Left Behind, Free Health Care.  These are all great sound bites that politicians love to throw around but the reality usually isn't as glamorous as the soundbite seems.

Guantanamo Bay is unbecoming of the US.  It's embarassing.  Not just because of the rights of the detainess, but because the American public won't admit to themselves that when it came down to it, they chose Security over Justice & Liberty, just like everybody else.  So much for land of the free and home of the brave.  Rather than looking each other and the world in the eye and saying "These are our enemies, we will treat them as such", they chose to use some bullshit technicality to try and protect the illusion that Justice is more than just a US slogan - something that can't be discarded as soon as it becomes inconvenient.  Not so long ago it would have been unthinkable for Americans to try and justify holding anybody indefinitely without trial - that is the very antithesis of what America is supposed to stand for.
 
It's heartbreaking that when the American public finally woke up and remembered that they're supposed to stand for something more, elected a President to give them their country back, handed him a cast iron mandate to get things done; the guy they got elected turned out to be a world class choker.  I have never seen the US Presidency looking weaker than it does right now.  Sure, his recent predecessors are never going to be on Mt. Rushmore, but at least they looked like they were in charge.  Right now it looks like your President is no more than a glorified PR guy who talks a good fight in front of the cameras and then never delivers on any of it.  What's the point electing a President if he can't even achieve the major things he campaigned on?
 
Don't get the impression I think Britain has come out of the last decade looking any better, because I don't.  There are CCTV cameras on every street corner, we almost implemented compulsory ID cards, letting Europe tell us how to run our country - Europe! - it's tragic.

If you haven't seen it, go see the movie Catch a Fire. Highly relevant. The subtitle should be 'aka how to create a terrorist out of fear for future terrorism".

He realized it would be stupid to close it, it's a perfect place for them. I don't understand why people want to close down Guantanomo so bad, we would just have to spend more money to jail them here.  Now put them on trial to shut everyone up, and send them back.

I always though closing Guantanamo was a stupid idea. Guantanamo is a place. People aren't angry that we have a prison. Everyone has prisons. People are angry that we are abusing our power. Change the policy. Closing down Guantanamo is meaningless.

He's really busy with the Health Care issue right now, give him time. Besides, you can't really expect promises like that to be kept.

He still has two hours and 15 minutes.

Why do I care? Right now, I'm blocking myself from politics, even though I'm american. Why does everyone hate obama? At leasts he's not Bush.

This would not be a problem if he was King instead of President. Truly, then he would make good on his words if he could just say them, calp his hands and it gets done immediately.

I love the responses to the topic 

Every politician is exactly the same, they're all about grandiose ideas and making the country better until they get elected, and then they don't do shit except bitch about what the other team wants to do. This is why no one votes any more.