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Trump Signs Order Keeping Gitmo Open Indefinitely

By Jeralyn, Section Terror Detainees
Posted on Wed Jan 31, 2018 at 08:32:00 AM EST
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Donald Trump signed an executive order yesterday keeping Guantanamo Bay open indefinitely.

You can read the Order here.

While Obama wasn't able to close Gitmo due to Congressional obstruction, there are only 41 detainees remaining there -- he was successful at transferring many to other countries.

One thing Trump does know how to do is waste money. The cost of Guantanamo is extravagant by any yardstick.

Guantánamo costs U.S. taxpayers more than $400 million per year to operate. The government spent $ ½ billion to renovate Guantánamo for the 780, now 41, detainees held there. Also, keeping detainees at Guantánamo instead of high security federal prison costs more than $10 million more per detainee.

By 2015, the U.S. spent $5 billion on Gitmo.

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    Trump Signs Order Keeping Gitmo Open Indefinitely | 12 comments (12 topical)

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    It's a shame (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by linea on Wed Jan 31, 2018 at 11:01:50 PM EST
    Obama wasn't able to close Gitmo due to -bipartisan- Congressional obstruction. However, his administration was able to convince other counties to accept prisoners from Guantánamo as refugees. I have no idea why Donald Trump wants to start the process all over again when it is so difficult to transfer people out from custody. I disagree with the SCOTUS decision on this too.

    The bill that forbade moving detainees to the U.S. passed with overwhelming bipartisan majorities.


    Why wasn't Obama able to close (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by Militarytracy on Thu Feb 01, 2018 at 10:48:30 AM EST
    Gitmo linea?

    Parent
    Is your point, MT, that Obama could indeed have (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by Peter G on Thu Feb 01, 2018 at 09:51:05 PM EST
    closed Gitmo unilaterally if only he hadn't insisted on keeping some of the "detainees" in custody and transferring them to U.S. mainland prisons, since it was only the latter feature that Congress blocked?

    Parent
    Really? (2.00 / 3) (#12)
    by linea on Fri Feb 02, 2018 at 07:41:24 PM EST
    You actually think "Why wasn't Obama able to close Gitmo linea?" has a point other than being a bratty pestering snide retort?

    I have consistently voiced my opposition to the military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. My post focused on two points I feel are noteworthy and included a link to an excellent article.

    Militarytracy's post was childish and served no purpose other than to irritate me and get High-5's from others for pestering me.

    Parent

    Are you confused? (2.75 / 4) (#6)
    by linea on Thu Feb 01, 2018 at 07:03:59 PM EST
    [ 1 ] I pointed out that the obstruction was BIPARTISAN and that other countries accepted many Guantánamo prisoners as REFUGEES -- i.e., given a monthly allowance, an apartment, language instruction, and work authorization rather than simply dumping them in another prison.

    [ 2 ] I provided a link to an article that details the issues. Do you need me to provide a synopsis or summary of the article? Or was your post simply intended to be snide? Snide means derogatory or mocking in an indirect way.

    Parent

    Oh please stop already. (5.00 / 6) (#8)
    by Chuck0 on Fri Feb 02, 2018 at 08:09:07 AM EST
    With the vocabulary lessons.

    Parent
    You mean (5.00 / 4) (#9)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Feb 02, 2018 at 09:21:05 AM EST
    The VOCABULARY LESSONS

    right?

    Parent

    You guys are cracking me up... (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by Anne on Fri Feb 02, 2018 at 09:32:53 AM EST
    although I feel kind of bad for laughing.

    But I'm all out of patience and have reached "whatever" stage.  We've all tried, repeatedly, but that effort seems generally wasted.

    So, whatever.  I think I'm going to laugh some more.

    Parent

    It is respectable (5.00 / 1) (#11)
    by leap on Fri Feb 02, 2018 at 09:54:37 AM EST
    to laugh at trolls.

    Parent
    This is just dreadful. (none / 0) (#1)
    by Anne on Wed Jan 31, 2018 at 11:28:17 AM EST
    Not that I'm surprised - he's always just seemed a little too interested in and excited by the idea of torture.

    What the over under (none / 0) (#2)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jan 31, 2018 at 11:31:20 AM EST
    On his sending Rosenstein?

    Parent
    Of course he's fascinated by it. (none / 0) (#3)
    by Peter G on Wed Jan 31, 2018 at 05:10:00 PM EST
    Torture is a kind of p*rn.

    Parent
    Trump Signs Order Keeping Gitmo Open Indefinitely | 12 comments (12 topical)

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