Monday, November 10, 2008

Goodbye Gitmo, Hello Overcrowded Legal System

As if our legal system isn't already overcrowded and understaffed, now they will get a boost of new inmates as the residents of Gitmo get transferred to the United States after Jan. 20th.
President-elect Barack Obama's advisers are quietly crafting a proposal to ship dozens, if not hundreds, of imprisoned terrorism suspects to the United States to face criminal trials, a plan that would make good on his promise to close the Guantanamo Bay prison but could require creation of a controversial new system of justice.
During his campaign, Obama described Guantanamo as a "sad chapter in American history" and has said generally that the U.S. legal system is equipped to handle the detainees. But he has offered few details on what he planned to do once the facility is closed.

Under plans being put together in Obama's camp, some detainees would be released and many others would be prosecuted in U.S. criminal courts.

Obama has said the civilian and military court-martial systems provide "a framework for dealing with the terrorists," and Tribe said the administration would look to those venues before creating a new legal system. But discussions of what a new system would look like have already started.

"It would have to be some sort of hybrid that involves military commissions that actually administer justice rather than just serve as kangaroo courts," Tribe said. "It will have to both be and appear to be fundamentally fair in light of the circumstances. I think people are going to give an Obama administration the benefit of the doubt in that regard."

Though a hybrid court may be unpopular, other advisers and Democrats involved in the Guantanamo Bay discussions say Obama has few other options.

Prosecuting all detainees in federal courts raises a host of problems. Evidence gathered through military interrogation or from intelligence sources might be thrown out. Defendants would have the right to confront witnesses, meaning undercover CIA officers or terrorist turncoats might have to take the stand, jeopardizing their cover and revealing classified intelligence tactics.

A third group of detainees -- the ones whose cases are most entangled in highly classified information -- might have to go before a new court designed especially to handle sensitive national security cases, according to advisers and Democrats involved in the talks. Advisers participating directly in the planning spoke on condition of anonymity because the plans are not final.
A new court? These aren't criminals in the sense of legalities, but criminal POW's. They have to be treated under the Geneva Conventions of War. Something that was happening at Gitmo.
Obama has said the civilian and military court-martial systems provide "a framework for dealing with the terrorists," and Tribe said the administration would look to those venues before creating a new legal system. But discussions of what a new system would look like have already started.

"It would have to be some sort of hybrid that involves military commissions that actually administer justice rather than just serve as kangaroo courts," Tribe said. "It will have to both be and appear to be fundamentally fair in light of the circumstances. I think people are going to give an Obama administration the benefit of the doubt in that regard."

Though a hybrid court may be unpopular, other advisers and Democrats involved in the Guantanamo Bay discussions say Obama has few other options.

Prosecuting all detainees in federal courts raises a host of problems. Evidence gathered through military interrogation or from intelligence sources might be thrown out. Defendants would have the right to confront witnesses, meaning undercover CIA officers or terrorist turncoats might have to take the stand, jeopardizing their cover and revealing classified intelligence tactics.
Now we will have hundreds of hardened terrorists in our prisons and on our soil. And if they are found innocent (knowing the liberal bleeding hearts they will be), then we will have hundreds of terrorist on US soil and staying here. But that is ok. After all, what harm can they do?

OSAMA bin Laden is planning an attack against the United States that will "outdo by far" September 11, an Arab newspaper in London has reported.

- bin Laden 'planning US attack'
- Goal to 'outdo' September 11
- al-Qaeda reinforces training camps

And according to a former senior Yemeni al-Qaeda operative, the terrorist organisation has entered a "positive phase", reinforcing specific training camps around the world that will lead the next "wave of action" against the West.
This new influx of prisoners, many of whom are members of al-Qaeda, would just be the group needed for such an attack. And guess who is falling right into their hands?

4 comments:

TexasFred said...

Ya know, Obama may not be ALL bad, he may very well keep Bush from going down in history as the WORST president in U.S. history...

Maybe...

Maggie Thornton said...

TexasFred, now don't discount Jimmy Carter:-)


MitM: If Obama is going to get on with his careless agenda, then I say get it on sooner, rather than later.

I hear the Gitmo guys are going to Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo. I really feel for the military families there - and anywhere in Missouri is only a turnpike trip to my hometown.

Anonymous said...

NEW GOODIES FROM HITLER'S BROTHER OBAMA:

Obama Planning U.S. Trials for Guantanamo Detainees
http://obambi.wordpress.com/2008/11/10/obamaterrorists/#comment-6408

Oh yah, between THIS and the new ABORTION plan he announced today (that abortions overseas will be funded by Americans); AND that he wants to do hideous experiments on LIVE EMBRYO’S CREATED IN A LABORATORY, not discarded ones [as if THAT is really any better]
http://ironmill.wordpress.com/2008/11/11/obama-executive-orders-will-fund-abortion-embryonic-stem-cell-research/

…and the new OBAMA NATIONAL HOLIDAY they’ve got in the works: http://special.cjonline.com/stories/110908/loc_353922770.shtml

IT’S ON!

I WILL not and REFUSE to claim this MONSTER as president, my president.

and not one DIME of mine will go to his ghetto pet projects to spread the wealth around NOR the horrific lab experiments on human life.

if he wants to pay for this stuff, let him get it from the poor he’s always talking about. I’D TAKE DEATH before I’d submit to that monster.

I DON’T EVEN SUPPORT DOING THOSE ABOMINATIONS ON ANIMALS, LET ALONE HUMAN BEINGS.

There is no question this monster is the antiChrist, move over Hitler, YOUR BROTHER OBAMA IS HERE.

The prayers of the saints have risen up into the face of God Himself.

And the wife? i te watcha!!!!

AND HE WASN'T EVEN BORN IN AMERICA!

JOIN 2012 CONSERVATIVE RESISTANCE MOVEMENT

http://moniquemonicat.wordpress.com/2008/11/07/%E2%80%A2-2012-conservative-resistance-movement-1-we-do-not-acknowledge-barack-husein-obama-as-president/

Timeshare Jake said...

Texas Fred, how can Bush 43 go down as the worst president in history, you forget Jimmy Carter. I see Maggie beat me to that punch, so let's talk about what a horrible idea it is to close down GITMO. The prisoners on GITMO are a threat to no one when they are stationed in Cuba. Once they are brought over here, you are asking for chaos. Americans forget how orgnaized these terrorist are. They forget how well funded they are. It's sick enough they want to protect these non Americans with Constitutional rights, and now they want to allow them a chance to enter the United States legally as prisoners? If Maggie is right, then they will only be an hour or so away from my home. That's attention I really don't want here in the heartland. Why don't we send them to someplace flooded with liberal like Chicago. Statesville prision in Joliet (rhymes with toliet) is the perfect place for these desert warriors in the Chicago winter.