SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
The White House announced Friday that President Biden hopes to shut down the prison at the Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, a tall task that the Obama administration failed to do nearly a decade ago.
"We are undertaking an NSC process to assess the current state of play that the Biden administration has inherited from the previous administration, in line with our broader goal of closing Guantanamo," she said. "There will be a robust interagency process to move forward on this, but we need to have the right people seated to do this important work."
Former President Barack Obama said the detention center went against American values and was a "stain on our broader record" when he argued for the prison's closure in 2016, NPR reported.
Later that same year, then-President-elect Donald Trump vowed to keep the installation open.
"We're gonna load it up with some bad dudes, believe me," Trump said in 2016.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 09 2021, @06:26PM (3 children)
I recall that Obama tried to do this when he was President and immediately got pilloried for even daring to suggest that he might try to do it. The key question is what to do with the prisoners at Guantanamo. Try them in federal court? Send them to prisons in their home country? Declare an amnesty? Something else? I don't see any easy answers to this one.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 10 2021, @02:42AM
Line them up and put a bullet in the back of their heads, then a mass grave somewhere. That's the standard for fascists isn't it?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 10 2021, @03:24AM
Thanks Obama!
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 10 2021, @04:42AM
Congress also passed multiple laws that were designed to prevent its closure too. An additional problem beyond the procedural/optic issues is that a number of detainees don't want to leave for a number of reasons or their countries don't want to repatriate them.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Wednesday June 09 2021, @06:26PM (57 children)
It will be newsworthy when the job is done, and not just half way
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 1, Flamebait) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday June 09 2021, @06:39PM (56 children)
This is Obama's third term, so it's more than halfway done, right?
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday June 09 2021, @07:26PM (45 children)
Your bro Trump promised to not only keep it open but to expand the population.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Wednesday June 09 2021, @07:28PM (44 children)
Trump is not the president, Manchin is
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 09 2021, @07:36PM
Not in runaway's qbrain.
(Score: 5, Touché) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday June 09 2021, @08:01PM (42 children)
Just pointing out that Runaway's position on this issue reverses every time there's a new administration sworn in.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday June 09 2021, @08:12PM (41 children)
ORLY? Citation needed. Seriously, you need to justify that statement. I have disapproved of the prison, and all of the so-called justifications for it, ever since Bush and his lackwit butt buddy Cheney opened it up.
Find one instance where I voiced approval for any of Dick Cheney's warped rationale. That goes for torture, rendition, "enemy combatant" status, sending prisoners to foreign "interrogation" centers - any of it.
You're simply talking out your ass here, monkey boy.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday June 09 2021, @08:26PM (10 children)
So you are willing to go on record and say that Trump was wrong to keep GITMO open?
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday June 09 2021, @08:35PM (9 children)
I am on record, opposing the existence of Gitmo, even before it was officially opened. That has not changed in 20 years. WTF would Obama, Trump, or Biden change my opinion of an obviously wrong policy?
(Score: 4, Interesting) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday June 09 2021, @08:57PM (8 children)
Well good, apparently we agree about something.
What would be nice is if you complained about Trump actively expanding the practice [humanrightsfirst.org] as much as you do about Biden not ending it quickly enough.
Even GW himself wanted it shut down:
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday June 09 2021, @09:13PM (5 children)
Laughably, Bush wants to close it down for the wrong reasons. He can't admit that it was simply WRONG from the word go.
Trump? That was just more foolish shit from the reality show guy. You notice that it wasn't expanded, and his "bad dudes" never arrived.
Obama? Excuses. He made a showing, and said the right words for the media. Now, in his third term, maybe he'll actually have his puppet shut the place down?
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 10 2021, @01:19AM (2 children)
Daaaaamn you make rocks look smart.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday June 10 2021, @01:21AM (1 child)
You were the one laying in the yard, talking to the rocks and sharing your beer with them.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 10 2021, @05:49AM
Wow you spying on me bro? Mad I didn't share muh beer with you?
Thank you sir, your display of partisan outrage really cements how there is no point working with conservatives since their viewpoints change so drastically with who is currently saying whatever.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Aegis on Thursday June 10 2021, @01:34AM (1 child)
Obama removed 80% of the prisoners from Guantanimo.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday June 10 2021, @01:51AM
True, he got rid of some of those prisoners. He didn't shut it down, and it is still an embarrassment to civilized people everywhere.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by khallow on Thursday June 10 2021, @12:46PM (1 child)
Should we be looking to your meager level of complaining for the standard? And apparently, Trump "actively expanding the practice" hasn't led to a change [reuters.com] in the size of Guantanamo's prison population (which apparently went from 41 prisoners at the start of Trump's tenure to 40 prisoners at the end).
I think most of us agree that Guantanamo shouldn't have existed in the first place. But shouldn't we place a higher priority on finally shutting the place down than in blaming others for not caring enough about small aspects of the problem?
My take is that I'm willing to give Biden credit for finally doing what's right when three previous presidents couldn't - assuming he actually does it. And I'm not particularly interested in the level of complaining or hypocrisy people have done in the past, especially when it's only for certain people and not everyone.
(Score: 3, Touché) by DeathMonkey on Thursday June 10 2021, @03:30PM
I posted a journal about us finally shutting the place down.
If the responses had been "great, let's do it" you might have a point.
Instead we got a bunch of posts blaming others for not doing it fast enough. And these are coming from the same people who support the guy who issued an Executive Order forcing it to stay open and allowing new prisoners.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Wednesday June 09 2021, @08:28PM (29 children)
:-) Did you wait for Obama to take over before turning against the Afghanistan war? I know a lot of people who did
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday June 09 2021, @08:40PM (28 children)
That doesn't make sense, in light of what I've already posted.
I approved of the invasion of Afghanistan. I disapproved of the way it was handled. It should have been a punitive expedition, not a war. Osama bin Laden should have been priority one, and all resources should have been focused on him. Grab Osama, or kill him, and GTFO.
Obama had little to nothing to do with how Afghanistan has evolved. The Establishment ran that cluster fuck for it's own purposes. The opium fields, testing new weapons, etc ad nauseum. It made no difference which president was sitting in the Oval Office.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Wednesday June 09 2021, @08:55PM (27 children)
Okay, so your obsession was just Bin laden? Still would like to know what hooked you on that.. Do you know something we don't?
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday June 09 2021, @09:21PM (26 children)
Alright - you tell me. Who masterminded the attacks on 9/11/01? Was it the Jews? The CIA? Russia? China? Or - maybe it was Osama bin Laden? Which conspiracy theory do you buy into? Do you believe that it was impossible to knock the Twin Towers down with two aircraft? If so, who was responsible for them falling?
If you don't mind, I'll take Osama's own word that he was responsible.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/bin-laden-claims-responsibility-for-9-11-1.513654 [www.cbc.ca]
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Wednesday June 09 2021, @11:40PM (14 children)
Well, see that's a bullshit question, because that information is not publicly available. So we, you and I, don't know. You are taking their propaganda at face value.. Why? You don't know Osama's "own words". You have no idea where those videos came from. You only know what they are telling you. You are doing the stereotypical "appeal to authority", believing what they say without question. This is the part I don't understand. If they lied about Iraq, why do you believe they aren't lying about Afghanistan? It makes no sense. We have no admissible evidence to justify the invasion.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday June 10 2021, @12:49PM (13 children)
Unless, of course, that information is publicly available.
What I do know is that those conspiracy theorists haven't come up with a plausible alternative. Evidence works for me, not spooky finger wiggling.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday June 10 2021, @02:22PM (12 children)
It isn't. That's just your boilerplate hand waving bullshit.
The reopening of the opium pipeline [bbc.co.uk] is just one proof of the real intent of the invasion. Afghanistan is over 80% of the global supply. We went in at the Mob's "request". It is the work of organized criminals.
Doesn't matter, you choose to believe propaganda just because of its source. This is a waste
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday June 11 2021, @12:29AM (11 children)
Here's the problem. You have no evidence. Meanwhile the al Qaeda narrative has plenty of evidence - statements from the boss claiming responsibility, staff capable of doing the funding, planning, and carrying out of the 911 attacks without any outside help (together with evidence such as communications, financial transactions, training, etc), motive for such high profile attacks on the US, and even a history of targeting the World Trade Center (this wasn't their first attack).
Meanwhile if we accept that the attack was staged for making money or gaining power, then why not do it again and again? It's just a money/power machine - turn the crank. These sort of uber conspiracy theories never make sense. The all powerful conspiracy is way too competent for this human world while simultaneously doing very little.
So what? I remain amazed at how shitty your arguments are. You truly are an warning for us all.
TL;DR - evidence or STFU.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Friday June 11 2021, @12:44AM (10 children)
You are just choosing to believe official conspiracy theories.. Your edited videos are not evidence.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday June 11 2021, @01:22AM (9 children)
That just so happen to be backed by evidence. Where's yours?
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Friday June 11 2021, @02:56AM (8 children)
Bullshit.. Where? From their own editing room... Please, you have nothing
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday June 11 2021, @03:55AM (7 children)
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Friday June 11 2021, @04:04AM (6 children)
I know how commercials are produced. Could probably film the same scene in Mojave to key into the background. You cannot prove authenticity of any of their work, you have to take them at their word, which you obviously do despite their propensity to lie, like they did for Iraq also, even more blatantly. Yours is a straight up appeal to authority, again.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday June 11 2021, @11:58AM (5 children)
No, your argument is an appeal to ignorance. It "could probably" be this way because "they" have sufficient ability to fool us, thus, it must be this way.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Friday June 11 2021, @02:18PM (4 children)
You neither, only lies
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday June 12 2021, @12:55AM (3 children)
Once again you accuse others of lies, but I think we both know who the real liar is.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Saturday June 12 2021, @01:29AM (2 children)
:-) Yep, I sure do..
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Tuesday June 15 2021, @02:25AM (1 child)
khallow v. fusty. Well, what did you think was going to happen? Enough to make we weep for SoylentNews. Or, cry. No, weep. Cry! Weep!!! I win.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday June 15 2021, @05:04PM
:-) Well well well, what about you? Do you go along with the official conspiracy theory [youtu.be]? Or are you interested in the whodunit?
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Wednesday June 09 2021, @11:43PM (10 children)
Oh, and the better question to ask in place of "Who masterminded the attacks?" is, Who financed the attacks? The "mastermind" is only doing what he is paid to do.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday June 10 2021, @01:28AM (9 children)
You realize that Osama bin Laden was a wealthy man, right? His family is filthy rich. And, you realize that 9/11/01 wasn't an extremely high budget operation. Having rounded up a couple dozen fanatics willing to throw their lives away on this mission, the entire operation would have cost bin Laden most of his pocket change for a year.
Did you think it required tens of millions of dollars to pull this off? Hundreds of millions? Seriously?
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday June 10 2021, @01:53AM (8 children)
He's a bit player, hired help, like hiring any other contractor for a job. You put him on a pedestal he doesn't belong. You are choosing which lies to believe. Pure emotion
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday June 10 2021, @02:09AM (7 children)
Oh, forgive me for being emotional. So, how about using your cold analytical mind, and tell us who did mastermind the operation.
Stop blowing smoke, alright?
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday June 10 2021, @02:38AM (6 children)
I don't know who has the most to gain. But they gained a lot more than Bin Laden did. The question remains, why do you believe these lies and not others? What makes this one so special? Because they fit it to your preconceptions? Did you ever have any doubts? Or did you just hop on the bandwagon the moment it happened? Support of this invasion/war is totally irrational, and it's a true curiosity for me, a fascinating madness..
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday June 10 2021, @02:52AM (5 children)
You seem to be running some circular logic here. Who, exactly, made money from the attack on the Twin Towers? The only people who clearly profited is the Military Industrial Complex. You continue to make suggestions, but carefully avoid making accusations. Tell me which rabbit hole you're speaking from, tell me what you see down there - or I'm done with this conversation.
Who destroyed the Twin Towers if not bin Laden?
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday June 10 2021, @03:34AM (4 children)
How would I or you or anybody else know? All that shit is buried in secrecy. You still haven't provided evidence it was him. All you have is official hearsay. You have decided to take known liars at their word because it fits a profile. I guess I'll never know why. But I will always call the supporters damn fools, because that is what they are.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday June 10 2021, @03:43AM (3 children)
I have to rely on translators to tell me what the man says, but he released several videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHInbQcyg2Y [youtube.com]
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday June 10 2021, @04:10AM (2 children)
Yeah, for sure.. [youtu.be]
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday June 11 2021, @01:27AM (1 child)
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Friday June 11 2021, @02:54AM
All the videos you have seen are edited..
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday June 09 2021, @07:52PM
But I have heard that . . .
Trump is still in power and is running things behind the scenes.
Trump will be swept back into power in August (year unspecified), because the Supreme Court will undo the 2020 election, because "Mike Lindell has the evidence" and will present it to the Supreme Court.
There are several different "Bidens".
So how does Obama enter in to this? Or Hillary and her emails? What about collaborator traitors such as GW Bush or Romney?
Smartmatic and Dominion worked together (they did not), and Smartmatic operated in a number of different states in the 2020 election (they did not), and both Smartmatic and Dominion were founded by a dead Venezuelan dictator (they were not, and these things are provably factually false).
There are other fables and fairy tales I could repeat. But that seems sufficient.
When trying to solve a problem don't ask who suffers from the problem, ask who profits from the problem.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 09 2021, @07:53PM (8 children)
After all your complaints about TDS! TDS! I find it quite hilarious how triggered you get by everything Biden does. He is an old conservative white male and you're still flipping out! Not to worry, we all saw it coming and I doubt anyone is surprised by your continued hypocrisy ;^)
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday June 09 2021, @08:18PM (7 children)
Old conservative white male? Jesus. Biden is an old ESTABLISHMENT privileged white male. And, you apparently voted for him.
(Score: 2, Funny) by fustakrakich on Wednesday June 09 2021, @08:34PM (3 children)
They had to, to get rid of Trump. I think it was a pretty neat trick.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 10 2021, @05:56AM (2 children)
Was no trick, except maybe for some of the older liberals not really paying attention. DNC ratfucked the primaries like 2016, they were just lucky to be running against the worst POTUS in history. Biden is doing exactly what everyone expected, though he and the DNC have a chance to do better. They won't, but the chance is there. They won't even make a big enough stink for us to believe that Manchin was really the problem. Hope I'm wrong!
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday June 10 2021, @02:35PM
But you're not wrong. This is no accident. The dems will always find a convenient excuse. If they win a bigger majority, they'll always have more "Joe Manchins" to jinks the works, like with the 111th congress during Obama's first two years, and then still theatrically blame the republicans to keep the liberal money corralled. This is boilerplate stuff, still incredibly effective, as shown by the responses I get from democrat parishioners here. The simple fact is that DNC/GOP is a coalition, and we have no opposition party at work, it's all pretend.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday June 10 2021, @04:28PM
Correct. There was an election and the person with the most votes became the candidate.
Both times.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 09 2021, @11:27PM
Ugh, you're so disgustingly tribal.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 10 2021, @05:54AM
You seem to believe that the establishment is not conservative. You're wrong. They simply don't care at all about the politics of little people so they will trade your values for some extra pork. When it comes to the continued reign of the American aristocracy, they are as conservative s it gets.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday June 10 2021, @02:39PM
Yeah, conservative.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 4, Funny) by krishnoid on Wednesday June 09 2021, @06:47PM (2 children)
Trump: What about my pardon! I don't want to go to prison!
Biden: Fine, fine, how about this? I'll close Gitmo.
Trump: What?!
Biden: Don't push your luck.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 09 2021, @11:14PM (1 child)
How about we turn it into "The von Trump Family Lodge"? The shills are alive with the ...
(Score: 2) by Aegis on Thursday June 10 2021, @01:38AM
Nazis.
Quite an apropos reference, actually!