Many people have a picture of this facility in their heads, but that's all it is, a picture. In reality, Guantanamo Bay is more resort-like than an inhumane environment. Columnist Charles Krauthammer was quoted to have said, "If al Qaeda defeats the United States, you rule the world out of Mecca. If you lose, you end up on a tropical island, Bermuda shorts, holding a daiquiri in your hand." (Schock and Roe). This is an educated man who has seen what Guantanamo looks like.
A story in the New York Times stated that according to a Pentagon document, "about 1 in 7 of the 534 prisoners already transferred abroad from the detention center are engaged in terrorism or militant activity, according to administration officials" (Schock and Roe). It looks to me that Guantanomo Bay is a smart, safe, and humane place to keep people involved in terrorism.
President Obama initially wanted to have terrorist trials in New York City. Upon hearing this, many New Yorkers became afraid, angry, and felt mocked that these war criminals would be brought back into the city they themselves attacked. This is not right. The terrorists should be as far away as possible from the civilians they have outrageously harmed. Why should this ever be allowed to happen? Think about it. If you lived in New York and were terrified at the sight of the hi-jacked planes flying in low, ran in panic along side hundreds of your neighbors, or lost loved ones as a result of this act of terrorism, would you want one of the terrorists involved in this terrible act to come to the same place they attacked? This is what the majority of New Yorkers are saying. They are bewildered that someone would even think of bringing the terrorists into the city. (Katz). Have they not suffered enough?
Another thing to think about is this: Who is going to pay for all the security needed to transport the terrorist suspects throughout the nation and keep every one as safe as possible during the trials? I have found an article that states that tax payers would have to pay a total of S200 million a year to pay for security for the trials of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and the other terrorist suspects connected with the 9/11 massacre. (Baker). Yes, if the terrorists are tried among the people, it is the people who will pay for it (in more ways than one I might add).
Non-citizen terrorists to not need to be given the "rights" under the constitution. They are war criminals that should not be treated lightly. Personally, I do not think some one who has planned to blow up a bomb in attempts to kill United States citizens should have the right to plead the 5th ammendment. A citizen of the United States has their rights but a non-citizen who sends a message of violence and of war should be treated differently.
The judges of civilian courts have been trained to judge civilians. Those involved in military tribunals have been trained to deal with war criminals. Why would we not want to leave terrorist suspects in the hands of our military? This seems like the most logical, and safest approach.
Although I do believe military tribunals should be conducted in a humane way, they may need to be more forceful than a civilian court has bounds to be in order to get to the truth. How are we supposed to attempt to forsee terrorist plans when we politely ask them in a civilian court? These are serious matters that come down to life, and death.
Do we want the safety of our citizens to be in jeopardy so a terrorist can have his right to be silent and have a lawyer attempt to get him set free? And what would happen if a terrorist were set free in the middle of a large city like New York. Would you feel comfortable knowing there is a terrorist suspect who managed to get by our legal system as your next door neighbor?
Why should we put visions of terrorist "rights" in front of what is best for our nation? I think sometimes we forget how fortunate we are to live in this country. Our country was fought for. The founding fathers knew that there were sacrifices to be made in war. Our nation currently is at war. Certain terrorists have declared war on our country, and when we detain them, we want to give them a chance to hold on to the rights meant for United States citizens? I see this as our rights as United States citizens spat upon.
Hopefully I have made my points clear. I am writing in what I think is in the best interest of our great country.
Works Cited:
Baker, Al. "Security for Terrorism Trials Estimated at S200 Million a Year". 1/6/2010:
Katz, Celeste. "Residents Protest Holding 9/11 Terror Trial of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed in New York". 2/6/2010:
Schock , Aaron, and Phil Roe. "Never Meant As a Door to the U.S.". 6/25/2009:
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