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Hooray already!
Jan. 23rd, 2009 10:49 amOn the first day of his presidency, Barack Obama:
1. Forbade White House staff from serving as lobbyists during his presidency
2. Enacted a pay freeze for senior White House staff
3. Revoked Bush’s Executive Order 13233, which allowed presidential files to be kept sealed indefinitely
4. Loosened up limitations on the Freedom of Information Act put in place during the Bush years
5. Announced his intention to close the extra-legal, extra-territorial prison at Guantanamo Bay
6. Specifically limited interrogation methods to those permitted in the Army Field Manual, and upheld the internationally recognized definition of “torture.”
Some things occur to me. First, the fact that numbers 5 and 6 had to be undertaken at all is sign of how just far U.S. Federal government had strayed from their own stated ideals. Being against torture is not exactly a bold moral stance, but, apparently it had to be taken.
Secondly, at this point Obama can now spend the next three years playing World of Warcraft, and the nation will be substantially better off than it was. It would not even be an unparalleled presidential vacation. Bush spent just under three years of his presidency at Camp David or his ranch.
Finally, this quote from an interview with McCain sort of demonstrates why he would not have been an improvement. In an interview, he gave his reasons for partly disapproving of President Obama’s decision to close Guantanamo.
“We should have addressed the issue of those who we know would pose a threat to the United States, but we don't have sufficient evidence to move forward,” he said.
So, the government knows they are a threat, but has no evidence to put them on trial? I understand this sentiment, really I do, but also recognize it as being contrary to the principles of a lawful society. You do not lock people up simply because you’re suspicious of them, even if you have darn good reason. If Lord Sankey were alive, McCain would have been beaten to death with a horsehair wig, while being lectured about “The Golden Thread of British (and American!) Justice.”
Perhaps, if you keep them locked up forever, throwing in an occasional beating when they complain (and beatings are common enough at Gitmo that they happen accidentally…) you will eventually get enough evidence?
Since 2001, 775 people (that we know about) have gone to Guantanamo Bay Detention Center. Only three have been convicted of any charges. 270 remain – of whom, the U.S. only intends to charge 60. The remaining 210 have been held, in some cases for seven years, without charge, and in many cases, with the knowledge that there can never be a charge. To his credit, McCain recognizes this as improper. Unfortunately, he does not regard it as a fundamental crime against the “certain inalienable rights” his nation is founded on.
1. Forbade White House staff from serving as lobbyists during his presidency
2. Enacted a pay freeze for senior White House staff
3. Revoked Bush’s Executive Order 13233, which allowed presidential files to be kept sealed indefinitely
4. Loosened up limitations on the Freedom of Information Act put in place during the Bush years
5. Announced his intention to close the extra-legal, extra-territorial prison at Guantanamo Bay
6. Specifically limited interrogation methods to those permitted in the Army Field Manual, and upheld the internationally recognized definition of “torture.”
Some things occur to me. First, the fact that numbers 5 and 6 had to be undertaken at all is sign of how just far U.S. Federal government had strayed from their own stated ideals. Being against torture is not exactly a bold moral stance, but, apparently it had to be taken.
Secondly, at this point Obama can now spend the next three years playing World of Warcraft, and the nation will be substantially better off than it was. It would not even be an unparalleled presidential vacation. Bush spent just under three years of his presidency at Camp David or his ranch.
Finally, this quote from an interview with McCain sort of demonstrates why he would not have been an improvement. In an interview, he gave his reasons for partly disapproving of President Obama’s decision to close Guantanamo.
“We should have addressed the issue of those who we know would pose a threat to the United States, but we don't have sufficient evidence to move forward,” he said.
So, the government knows they are a threat, but has no evidence to put them on trial? I understand this sentiment, really I do, but also recognize it as being contrary to the principles of a lawful society. You do not lock people up simply because you’re suspicious of them, even if you have darn good reason. If Lord Sankey were alive, McCain would have been beaten to death with a horsehair wig, while being lectured about “The Golden Thread of British (and American!) Justice.”
Perhaps, if you keep them locked up forever, throwing in an occasional beating when they complain (and beatings are common enough at Gitmo that they happen accidentally…) you will eventually get enough evidence?
Since 2001, 775 people (that we know about) have gone to Guantanamo Bay Detention Center. Only three have been convicted of any charges. 270 remain – of whom, the U.S. only intends to charge 60. The remaining 210 have been held, in some cases for seven years, without charge, and in many cases, with the knowledge that there can never be a charge. To his credit, McCain recognizes this as improper. Unfortunately, he does not regard it as a fundamental crime against the “certain inalienable rights” his nation is founded on.
