The President stated that Gitmo was being used as a recruiting tool, so we need to be careful. America is a great and powerful country but with greatness comes enemies. Is the President suggesting that we need to curb behavior that inspires criminals? Its like saying a women needs to be covered up in order to avoid rape, and if she is raped she brought it on herself. Where does it stop? Our enemies hate the freedoms we have, should we eliminate them as well one by one? This is the slippery slope the Democrats are always quick to bring up. America is not a country founded on an opinion poll but on principles that need to be respected not diminished because of how others may see us.
President Obama is giving these suspected terrorists what most people around the world dream of, a free pass onto American soil. Supposedly they will be in "maximum security" prisons, which basically will be a country club compared to what they are used to. We are affording them the same rights that they claim to despise. They do not live by America's laws so how can they be judged by them? Many of the American prisoners that these terrorists will come into contact with obviously have no respect for the American government, law or human lives. So in addition to three meals a day, an extensive library and a bed to sleep in, we are supplying them with a ready made pool of future followers.
President Obama mentioned "rehabilitation". We are not talking about a drug addict or an abused child who grew up to be a monster. We are talking about people who believe, with every ounce of their being, that Americans are standing in their way of "paradise". They have twisted a beautiful religion into a reason to kill. How they interpret their religion is not something that can be rehabilitated, it is ingrained in them like DNA.
We have to pay attention closely to any government that is willing to house these prisoners when any leader in the right mind would not want to invite danger into their backyard. These prisoners have proved to be skillful, intelligent and willing to die to achieve their goals. In other words, these operatives would be extremely valuable to any Anti-American regime. It is important to also point out America is not a country that asks another to handle its problems. We do not sit and wait for a white knight, we ARE the white knight.
All Americans were effected by the events of September 11th. Even if you were lucky enough not to have someone you love perish that day, you watched it unfold live on television. The hatred and capabilities of the enemy were brought into our living-rooms and that made it personal for every American. But as the months turned into years following September 11th, 2001, since we no longer laid awake at night with visions of buildings crumbling or panicked at the sound of planes flying overhead, we stopped taking things personally.
We need to make the war on terror personal again and think of the "enhanced" interrogation techniques in terms of a parent looking for an abducted child. If someone tells you they know where your missing child is being held, would you not do everything and anything to find out the location? Would anyone stand idly by while someone they love is in danger? Obama stated we can not sacrifice our values for security, but what good are values if you can not keep those closest to you safe? I do not suggest that America lowers itself to the level of our enemies but we must not tie the hands of those who are trying to protect us.
We can not send the message to our enemies that we are unwilling to do whatever it takes to protect America and our allies. By closing Gitmo, criticizing the people who keep us safe and the methods they use, we are telling the world that America is once again becoming the sleeping giant, a dangerous image that no American can afford.
