Should Guantanamo Bay be closed?

[RSS News]

US president Barack Obama has ordered the closure of Guantanamo Bay? What do you make of the decision?

(Feed provided by BBC News | Have your Say (http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/talking_point/default.stm))

[Red Rebel]

Torture will be done else where. Bush just fucked up and made GITMO public. It should be returned to Cuba..

[SocialRealist]

I have no doubt in my mind that torture will be done else where, possibly a more friendly area to the United States. I think that it is a very good thing that Guantanamo Bay is going to stop housing suspects of "terrorism" though.

[Comrade B]

CIA functions on its own. Even if Obama really does want to shut down the prison and move the prisoners to a different in-US prison, the other secret prisons of the US will still be running.

[StalinFanboy]

I think we should start water boarding rich people.

[money for hunger]

I think we should start water boarding rich people.

Yeah "if you make over $250,000 a year your ass is gonna pay"
haha

[StalinFanboy]

Exactly. haha

[Angry Young Man]

I have to speak honestly, that my cynicism had jumped me when I heard the news. Reading this thread made me realise that it was purely symbolic.

[GPDP]

According to some news reports, secret CIA prisons are also supposed to close, and more "extreme" torture methods will be banned from use.

Wonder just how much of this will hold true.

[Psy]

According to some news reports, secret CIA prisons are also supposed to close, and more "extreme" torture methods will be banned from use.

Wonder just how much of this will hold true.

Well the only Obama could do that is to ask the FBI to turn the CIA into a FBI puppet through arranging unfortunate accidents of CIA leaders and replacing them with undercover FBI agents yet that could backfire and I don't think Obama has the balls to use the FBI as a stick against the CIA. Yet even if he did get the FBI to purge the CIA of disloyal agents it would be to restrengthen the executive branch so the CIA are more held accountable to the ruling class.

[ZeroNowhere]

It's simply a symbolic gesture, which makes no difference otherwise. Did 'Mission Accomplished' mean that the Iraq War was over? Hell, Obama seems to be rather silent on what will happen to the Gitmo detainees after it's closed. I doubt they're going to take 'em home, so extraordinary rendition? Well, that's not really going to help anybody.
Obama's inaugration speech wasn't that 'changey', and even less 'hopey', more Bushy. How unsurprising.

[punisa]

According to some news reports, secret CIA prisons are also supposed to close, and more "extreme" torture methods will be banned from use.

Wonder just how much of this will hold true.

Didn't catch a chance to hear Obama say so, but if he actually did then it's a very good decision.
I agree that by just closing Guantanamo not much will be accomplished, except the obvious media political points he will acquire, or better said - points he already acquired, as all European papers are writing about it today.

[Pogue]

Guantanamo Bay holds only 4% of prisoners in the world being held illegally and being tortured. The other 96% are elsewhere.

[ev]

Guantanamo Bay holds only 4% of prisoners in the world being held illegally and being tortured. The other 96% are elsewhere.

Where do those statistics come from?

I think that the US needs to implement legislation banning torture of any nature, it is inhumane. With all the crimes against humanity the US has committed, its politicians may as well be shitting on the Geneva convention, Magna Carta, Universal Declaration of Human Rights on a day to day basis, I really don't know how they sleep at night..

[GPDP]

Where do those statistics come from?

I think that the US needs to implement legislation banning torture of any nature, it is inhumane. With all the crimes against humanity the US has committed, its politicians may as well be shitting on the Geneva convention, Magna Carta, Universal Declaration of Human Rights on a day to day basis, I really don't know how they sleep at night..

Quite well, I'd say. They probably all have Temperpedic mattresses or something.

In other words, I doubt they give much of a shit.

[Magdalen]

We should really try to make something very clear here - Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is not being closed. All the US are doing is claiming that they will soon shut the concentration camp within the base. This makes no difference whatsoever to the 118 square kilometres of Cuban territory which are still being illegally occupied by the US. The base is also used to mount acts of aggression against Cuba and to prevent any use of Cuba's largest natural harbour.

The one-sided treaty which established the base was signed over 100 years ago when the entire island of Cuba was under US occupation. This treaty stated that the US could maintain a naval base at Guantanamo regardless of the wishes of the Cuban government. Since the Revolution, Cuba has taken a firm stance against the base refusing to cash any of the token cheques given by the US. (Fidel told a Ignacio Ramonet in 2006 that every cheque delivered since 1959 was sitting in the top drawer of his desk.)

Raúl Castro told the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS on Thursday that Cuba would use the closure of the Guantanamo concentration camp as an opportunity to renew the campaign for the return of all occupied Cuban territory, which had been downplayed in order to avoid preventing promotion of the international campaign urging the concentration camp's closure.

[R_P_A_S]

Obama would earn great respect from me if he entirely leaves Guantanamo Bay, the whole U.S. OUT! and take your Mcdonalds and Subway with you too.

[Killfacer]

US president Barack Obama has ordered the closure of Guantanamo Bay? What do you make of the decision?

(Feed provided by BBC News | Have your Say (http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/talking_point/default.stm))

Stay away robo scum.

[Yazman]

This is nothing but pure symbolism as the US is just going to move the prisoners to another location where they will likely receive similar treatment - hence the reason they want another country to take the prisoners. Its a good thing Australia refused to take them - what about the UK?

This is also not to mention that they are not actually closing the naval base and will still be occupying Cuban territory.

Nothing useful will come of this.

[Pogue]

Where do those statistics come from?

I think that the US needs to implement legislation banning torture of any nature, it is inhumane. With all the crimes against humanity the US has committed, its politicians may as well be shitting on the Geneva convention, Magna Carta, Universal Declaration of Human Rights on a day to day basis, I really don't know how they sleep at night..

Its from the film and book Taking Liberties.

[fabiansocialist]

This is nothing but pure symbolism as the US is just going to move the prisoners to another location where they will likely receive similar treatment

Obama is the master of such empty symbolic gestures. The evil empire cannot be sustained without torture and the "deep state" will continue these practices.

[BIG BROTHER]

everyone has already said it, it is a purely symbolical gesture. A good one I'll say but even if they ban torture we know its still going to be done.