Diane Feinstein is Right about Gitmo

In a recent news article entitled, Feinstein Emerges as Top Defender for Bringing Gitmo Detainees to U.S., Dianne Feinstein, our long time Democratic Senator from California, presents a fine argument for bringing the Gitmo prisoners to American soil.

Her reasons are sound, and logical, and reasonable. She is right; I have to agree with her logic.

There is no question  that we can safely house, and maintain the prisoners, i.e., 'detainees'. Moving them will not be a danger to any American just because they are on American soil.

She makes the argument that simply moving the prisoners on to American soil will not change their legal status; that the Supreme court will not see any difference between "American soil, or elsewhere".

I am no attorney, but I've been around long enough to know that when those prisoners hit American soil, their status will change, and they will belong to our court system, and they will acquire the rights to a defense, and speedy trial, and humane treatment, and imprisonment, or exoneration, and release.

We extend all of our legal rights to illegal aliens, so it not a very big stretch to extend the same rights to the Gitmo prisoners.

Anyway, I am all for closing Gitmo, and moving the prisoners to American soil. I think we should do it NOW. Bring those rascals to American soil, let them use our court system to their full advantage, give them a fair trial, imprison, or execute the guilty, and release the innocent, and let the chips fall where they may.

And do it in public; I don't want to hear about secret trials, or national security issues. If President Obama is sincere about upholding American values, and principles, and re-establishing American credibility in the world, then, by gosh, the whole legal process needs to be in the public eye.

If it is not accomplished in public, then the Obama Administration is just blowing smoke when they talk about American principles, and American values.

It is not going to be easy for Obama to stick to those principles, and his promises. According to the FoxNews article, the Bush Administration estimated that, of 240 prisoners, there are 60-80 prisoners that could be prosecuted, i.e., there is credible evidence that would hold-up in court, leaving a difference of up to 180 prisoners who cannot be tried for various reasons. The 180 prisoners are a thorny issue because, according to reports, they are clearly a danger to the United States, yet by our rules, we have no way to give them a trial, and no legal basis to keep them incarcerated.

Today, I heard President Obama side-step the problem of what to do with prisoners who cannot be tried, but who are clearly a danger to the country.

He essentially described it as a "difficult problem", but he didn't offer any solutions.

That fact is, if we, as a country, are to live-up to the principles that have been  repeatedly enunciated by the President, then those who cannot be tried, must be released. This is not a 'problem' that needs to be solved by the President; the President does not get to decide; our laws decide.

So, let the legal process begin, let the trials begin. It will be good medicine for all of us.  We need to be witness to the truth; we need to see the truth about our enemies, and we need the World to see, too, because we have the same enemies.

I'm not afraid to know the truth, and President Obama should not be afraid, either.  It's not about justifying our past actions, it's about learning from the past, and applying that to the future.

The legal process, and trials will be in the news for years, and years, and they will belong to the Obama Administration. The Administration cannot continue to disown, and blame Bush, when they are the instigators of the trials.

The President is the victim of his own campaign promises, and he is currently in the uncomfortable position of trying to justify, and explain why Gitmo is still open, and why his own Democratic Congress voted not to give him the funds to close Gitmo. He is getting a lesson in reality.

Unfortunately, this issue will follow, and haunt, the President for his entire administration, and beyond. His credibility is on the line; and in this country credibility counts.

And that is just my opinion.

Spencer Holly, AngryCalifornian
www.angrycalifornian.com