GITMO
Here we go again. The Imperial, Tyrannical, President of the United States once again wants to exceed his authority and ignore the constitution. He drastically wants to close Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. This base has housed many of the worst of the worst criminals and terrorists captured in our war on terrorism.
Naval Station Guantanamo Bay consists of forty-five square miles of territory located on mainland Cuba. In 1903 the United States entered into a lease with Cuba for the land. The lease called for a payment of $2,000 in gold coins annually. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay was established as a fueling station for our military and coast guard, guarding and protecting the Caribbean area. In 1934 the lease was renewed for perpetuity and the United States was to pay the equivalent of $4,085 annually. Since the Cuban Revolution only one check has been cashed by Cuba, the rest are stored by Fidel Castro in his desk drawer. This base also supports Homeland Security in U.S. migrant operations for displaced migrants and helping in the control of illegal immigrants into the United States.
In 2002 Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfield established a prison camp at Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, also known as GITMO. This facility had the sole purpose of “housing extraordinarily dangerous people for interrogation of detainees in an optimal setting and prosecution of detainees for war crimes.” Attempts were made to keep the identity of detainees secret but Freedom of Information suits made this impossible. Much need and valuable information was obtained through this interrogation.
On January 7, 2011 President Obama signed the “2011 Defense Authorization Bill” which, in part, placed restrictions on the ability to transfer GITMO prisoners to the mainland or to foreign countries. Thus the possibility of closing GITMO was for all intents and purposes eliminated. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates stated in February of 2011 that the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility was unlikely to close, due to opposition in Congress. Congress fervently opposed the transfer of prisoners to the United States for detention or trial.
On November 4, 2015 President Obama revealed his plans to close the facility and move some of the detainees to U.S. soil. This action was to be done after previous transfers to other countries. Both acts were in violation of the 2011 Defense Authorization Bill. Locations that were considered for placement of the transferred detainees were Kansas, Colorado, South Carolina, California and Washington State.
On February 22, 2016 our President once again appeared in a televised speech outlining his illegal plans for shuttering GITMO. This action cannot be accomplished without the approval of Congress. Now is the time to contact every Representative and Senator you have representing you in Washington D.C. They are there to represent you, if they do not do that, they need to be replaced.
Every American needs to remember, the most important tool you have in your arsenal, is education. Become educated on who represents you and how to contact them. The more they are contacted, the faster and the more they will act. Contact them through phone calls, e-mails and letters. When they are in your area, visit them in person. They are your employees. If you do not get responses, fire them. The only way to fire them is to shoot them or vote them out of office. Shooting should not be considered or done, but voting should be.
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