The United States military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been occupied by over 700 Middle Eastern men suspected of terrorism since 2002. It has been home to some of the most heinous suspected terrorist to ever walk on this Earth. What to do with this military base, has been a major source of conflict within our nation and with other nations for over a decade, with no real reasoning substantial enough to close the base. Although our government has come forward and declared that interrogation methods used on some of the detainees has been unethical and has broken some United States laws. But closing Guantanamo Bay is a task that should not be pursued, because it causes more problems to our countries people, our diplomatic and governmental relationships, and is not logical especially when the desire to close it is based on a false perception. Instead of the United States attempting to close Guantanamo Bay the government should get on one accord and combine their efforts in order to keep the base open for the protection of our country. The protection of our nation is the sole reasoning behind on this War on Terror that we are fighting against and by releasing the military combatants we are working in contradiction of everything that we have been fighting for over a decade. These known military combatants have been accused of executing the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001 and other similar attacks. Having a facility that is remote and is solely used for the holding of these individuals is essential in order to provide adequate prevention from future attacks and to bring peace of mind back to our nation’s people. Our Nation’s People The effects of September 11th 2001 has had a lasting imprint on this nation that ... ... middle of paper ... ...ational Debate Education Association, 2011. Print. Dina, Temple-Raston. “Guantanamo Bay Still Unresolved.” Tell Me More (NPR) (2013): Newspaper Source. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. Guantanamo Bay Detainees [Electronic Resources] : Facilities And Factors For Consideration If Detainees Were Brought To The United States : Report To The Chairman, Select Committee On Intelligence, U.S. Senate. n.p.: [Washington, D.C.] : U.S. Govt. Accountability Office, [2012]. Georgia Regents University GIL Catalog. Wed. 17 Feb. 2014. Joscelyn, Thomas. What President Obama Doesn't Know about Guantanamo. New York: Encounter, 2010. Print. Lobel, Jules. 2009. Adapted from: Preventive detention and preventive warfare: U.S. national security policies Obama should abandon, Journal of National Security Law and Policy 3: 351-359. Portillo, Michael. Closing Guantanamo. BBC. 30 Apr. 2012. Television
The day was September 11th, 2001, a moment in history that will never be forgotten by any American living at the time. It was in the early morning hours on this day that our nation experienced the single most devastating terrorist attack ever carried out on American soil. Images of planes crashing into the World Trade Center, news coverage of buildings on fire, and images of building rubble will forever be imprinted into the history of this great nation. However, it was on one of the darkest days for America that one of the most impassioned speeches ever given by a United States president was spoken. President George W. Bush’s speech addressing the nation after the “9/11” attacks was infused with pathos through his imagery of destruction and
On September 11, 2001, America was forever changed. On this day, America faced the biggest terrorist attack that had ever been carried out; thousands of people lost their lives that day. Throughout the sadness and mourning of this terrible event, George Bush addressed the nation with one of the most memorable speeches. When President Bush addressed the nation, he stated that America is strong and they could try to bring us down, but we will not be broken.This speech gave hope to many Americans and helped them remember to stay strong. This day will be forever remembered for all the souls that lost their lives and the brave people who threatened their own life to save others.
9/11 was one of the most devastating events in American History. Four hijacked passenger airplanes killed almost three thousand people. 9/11 changed millions of lives forever. American Citizens didn’t feel safe. This attack was a wake-up call to American security. 9/11 forced the country to acknowledge its shortcomings and fix them, before any more harm could come upon the United States of America. 9/11, as all acts of terror do, promoted the growth of technology, in this case, security in the United States. 9/11 also brought about feelings of hatred to the country. The United States soon became known as one of the most intolerable nations on this planet. Lastly, 9/11 butchered the economy and forced it down a long road to recovery.
In her essay Can U.S. Citizens Be Held as Enemy Combatants, Jennifer Vanklausen explores the ethical question of our government’s policy to hold American citizens suspected of terrorist activity against the United States as enemy combatants, withholding their constitutional rights as provided in the fifth and sixth amendments, during an undeclared war.
26. Glover Julian, “Guantanamo piled lie upon lie through the momentum of its own existence” in The Guardian, April 25, 2011
September 11th, 2001 is one of the worst days in the United States of America’s history by far. It all began at 8:45am when a stolen airplane crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. Many people believed that this was...
Guantanamo Bay is located at the southeastern tip of Cuba; it is a United States owned territory dating back to the Spanish American war. The territory contains a high security military detention center and a functional base. The detention center houses high priority Al Qaeda operatives and conspirators to the September 11th attacks on the world trade center. Guantanamo bay is an important asset to keeping the United States safe. In recent years the operation of the base has been slowed down due to the efforts of president Obama. He vowed to shut the base down and move the high risk targets to a high security prison in the United States main land. Without Guantanamo bay the United States wouldn’t be able to contain high risk detainees that the base currently holds. Guantanamo bay should stay open.
Friedman goes on to write that the United States has been very lax when it comes to punishing those United States officials and officers in charge during the time that prisoners of war have been tortured and killed. Friedman calls for President Bush and the United States government to “Just find out who were the cabinet, C.I.A. and military officers on whose watch these 26 homicides occurred and fire them. That will do more to improve America's image in the Arab-Muslim world than any ad campaign, which will be useless if this sort of prisoner abuse is shrugged off.”
Mortlock, D. (2010, July 1st). Definite Detention: The Scope of the President's Authority to Detain Enemy Combatants. Ebsco Host, pp. 375-404.
Adam Penenberg’s “The Surveillance Society” reminds Americans of the tragic events of September 11, 2001 and the instant effects the that attacks on the World Trade Center had on security in the United States. Penenberg discusses how the airports were shut down and federal officials began to plot a military response. Although those were necessary actions, they were not as long lasting as some of the other safety precautions that were taken. The Patriot Act, which makes it easier for the government to access cell phones and pagers and monitor email and web browsing, was proposed. Politicians agreed that during a war civil liberties are treated differently.
Throughout history into today, there have been many problems with our prison system. Prisons are overcrowded, underfunded, rape rates are off the charts, and we as Americans have no idea how to fix it. We need to have shorter sentences and try to rehabilitate prisoners back to where they can function in society. Many prisoners barely have a high school education and do not receive further education in jail. Guards need to pay more attention to the well being of the inmates and start to notice signs of abuse and address them. These are just a few of the many problems in our prison systems that need to be addressed.
The features of enhanced confinement that consistently draw the most profound condemnation revolve around: the often-brutal forms and compassionless deprivations in which these units or facilities operate, the harrowing living conditions that inmates are compelled to endure, the resulting physical and psychological damage to body and soul, and the questionable legality of such confinement. Leading human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are regularly outing the United States for operating torturous prisons that house convicted criminals in the most deplorable and extra-legal conditions. (Marion Experiment pgs.
The book’s title, with its dry allusion to the separation of powers, does not do it justice. “Guantánamo and the Abuse of Presidential Power” represents the best account yet of what Mr. Margulies calls “a human rights debacle that will eventually take its place alongside other wartime misadventures, including the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, the prosecutions under the Espionage and Sedition Acts during World War I, and the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus during the Civil War.”
America’s Use of Torture in Interrogations of Suspected Terrorists Violates Human Rights by Lisa Hajjar
Journalist interview re: Abu Ghraib prison abuses: Eleven answers to eleven questions. Unpublished manuscript, Stanford University.