Guantánamo Bay prison and a network of other offshore detention and interrogation centers established to be outside the law are both a black mark on the U.S. and a historic opportunity for the American people to right our country’s course.
by Josh McIntyre
Raleigh, NC - Nearly 50 concerned citizens attended "Guantánamo Bay: Beyond the Law's Reach?" a Nov. 14 event aimed at once to:
Au Gres City Council
WHEREAS, upon thoughtful consideration of all issues and circumstances relevant to the closing of Standish Maximum prison, including the economic affects that the loss of the prison will have on Arenac County and the City of Au Gres;
WHEREAS, upon further consideration of viable replacement alternatives for the Standish Maximum Prison, including the examination of the likelihood and/or viability of various alternatives; as well as the short and long term benefit of each alternative;
WHEREAS, President Obama has vowed to close the prison at Guantánamo Bay Naval Base by January 2010; and
WHEREAS, many detainees at Guantánamo have been cleared by our government of wrongdoing and have been determined to pose no threat to the United States; and
WHEREAS, many of these detainees cannot be repatriated because they are either stateless or fear the harm awaiting them if returned to their home country; and
(l-r) NMG Director Nancy Talanian, Select Board Member Gerry Weiss, and Lead Petitioner Ruth Hooke
4 November 2009
Our nation was founded by men and women who lit a torch of freedom for nations yet unborn. The cause of freedom has cost us dearly, most profoundly in the lives of our service men and women, who often paid with their physical and emotional health, if not with their lives. We dishonor their sacrifices when our country—out of fear and hatred, and without cause or due process of law—imprisons, tortures and otherwise diminishes the dignity of others.
Arenac County Board of Commissioners
Yeas: 4, Nays: 1
WHEREAS, upon further consideration of viable replacement alternatives for the Standish Maximum Prison, including the economic effects that the loss of the prison will have on this community, including but not limited to:
No More Guantánamos thanks Jeanne Herrick-Stare, creator of TorturesNotUs and now Policy Counsel for the Center for Victims of Torture, for her compilation and analysis of these materials. Reproduced with permission.