Obama Order to Shut Gitmo

"Obama Order to Shut Gitmo, CIA Detention Centers"
abcnews.go.com

After being in the white house for only a few days Barrack Obama has already laid out plans to shut down the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as well as changing the current guidelines for interrogation and treatment of detainees. President Obama signed three new executive orders that will shut down the detention center no longer then one year from now. In regards to the treatment of detainees the new plans will put an end to any type of interrogation that is deemed as torture. I agree with these changes, tactics such as water boarding and any other kind of abusive interrogation should not be tolerated. As Americans we should hold ourselves on a higher level then to use those types of methods. I do not however understand the point in rushing to close Guantanamo Bay. The problem that I have with it is that currently there is no plan for what is to be done with the detainees. Clearly we cannot simply let them go, there is too much of a possibility for them to go right back and start fighting again and bringing them into our state prisons doesn’t sound like the safest idea to me either. I think that Guantanamo should be left open until a new and better plan is put into place or even to allow the prison to remain open under the new guidelines. Overall I think that this is a step in the right direction for President Obama and the new administration. By putting an end to the abusive interrogation methods we are saying to the rest of the world that no matter what the situation, we will not get away from our ideals and our morals and we will do the right thing.

I am so happy that President Obama is putting an end to Guantanamo Bay. We had a large debate over the tactics, such as torturing, in Guantanamo Bay in my leadership class last year and I couldn’t believe people’s opinions. The thing that upset me the most was when people agreed that the inmates should be tortured. I also thought about what this is saying about the United States and how we are suppose to be this great country. I also thought how terrible it is when we hear of our service men/woman who were tortured yet we feel that it was fine in Guantanamo Bay as long as we were the ones doing the torturing.

I don't know if I agree or disagree with this. I think it is a good choice not to torture people, but then again look at it from a different point of view. If I am not going to be tortured then why would I tell the person any information? If I know for a fact that you aren't going to smack me on my face just because I spit on you, swear at you and tell you to go to hell then what point would there be for me to let you run the show when actually I would. You see if there isn't some line that these people here have then they can walk all over us and not to mention that our soldiers are still going to be tortured either way. The U.S. might be a better country and maybe be should be better than to torture but then who's to say that we should be over in another country telling them what to do cause we let them do whatever they want here.

I think that Obama deciding to shut down Guantanamo Bay is both good and bad. I totally am against the fact that we as Americans resort to the kinds of torturous acts that are performed at Guantanamo Bay, so I am all in favor of ending those acts. However, I have to wonder, what will happen to the prisoners in there now and the prisoners in the future if there is no Guantanamo Bay? I do not necessarily believe it should be shut down, I would much rather see it regulated and monitored so that the torture stops. I think we as Americans need to refrain from participating in such cruel and unusual acts. We are only stooping to the terrorist's level when we do these types of things, and I think we are better than that.

aleciasmith wrote:I am so happy that President Obama is putting an end to Guantanamo Bay. We had a large debate over the tactics, such as torturing, in Guantanamo Bay in my leadership class last year and I couldn’t believe people’s opinions. The thing that upset me the most was when people agreed that the inmates should be tortured. I also thought about what this is saying about the United States and how we are suppose to be this great country. I also thought how terrible it is when we hear of our service men/woman who were tortured yet we feel that it was fine in Guantanamo Bay as long as we were the ones doing the torturing.

I think you made a very good point, Alecia, and I agree, completely. I feel that way, as well. Other countries have released our POWs and, without even getting into all of the controversy over Gitmo, it's also good policy that we do in turn.

I've heard some people question where the former POWs/aka terrorists are going to go. I guess that doesn't bother me, so much, because I feel that the ones who are detained, there, may be potentially "harmless". It's the ones who are still out there and that we may not even be aware of that we need to be wary of and be watchful of.

Personally, I felt this was an awesome move on the part of our new President.