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28 Feb 2012 21:59

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Politics: President Obama exempts US citizens from indefinite detainment

  • then On the last day of 2011, President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act which, amongst other things, allowed for the indefinite detention of US citizens suspected of terrorism.
  • now Obama signed a policy directive today that exempts US citizens from that provision in the bill (Section 1022, if you’re keeping track). Here’s the fact sheet released by the White House. source
  • » Some nuance: Although the language in the bill as signed did permit for US citizens to be indefinitely detained, it did not mandate this. Obama actually said at the time that he wouldn’t implement the law such that US citizens would face this possibility, so his signing today of this directive is in line with what he’d pledged. Our take: While this development will surely please Obama’s base, we’re scratching our heads as to why the White House announced it on the day of what’s become the most important primary in the Republican nominating contest so far (Michigan). It’ll likely get completely lost in the news cycle amidst all the primary coverage, which would seem to blunt its political utility. Color us baffled.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Jan 2012 14:10

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U.S.: Guantanamo Bay has seen a decade as a detainee facility

  • A controversial anniversary: It was ten years ago to the day that the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba was turned into a prison facility, designed to house suspected terrorist detainees indefinitely, pending a process of oft-criticized military tribunals. For the Obama administration, this was an occasion they once hoped (and indeed promised) would not happen; the President’s first full day in office was marked with the signing of an order to close the facility within a year. Three years on, and the failure to fulfill this promise (as well as the absence of any earnest public explanation of it) does beg the question: was this truly a moral issue for the President, or simply a made-to-order, feel-good issue to stoke a liberal base? Check the link for a very thoughtful piece on the anniversary of Gitmo from The Atlantic’s Andrew Cohen. (photo by Paul J. Richards, AFP/Getty Images) source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Dec 2011 09:04

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Politics: Rand Paul kills detainee bill by simply asking for recorded vote

  • Suspicion of committing a crime should lead to your attempted prosecution. If the evidence does not support conviction, it would be against everything we believe in and fight for in America to still allow the government to imprison you at their whim. Tonight, a blow was struck to fight back against those who would take our liberty.
  • Sen. Rand Paul • In a statement about how he managed to kill an amendment that was likely to pass by voice vote — an amendment that would have clarified the ability for the U.S. government to hold detainees indefinitely while the War on Terror continued — by merely asking for a recorded vote on the matter. This was an awkward situation many in the Senate were trying to avoid, and as a result, the amendment lost resoundingly — with a 41-59 tally. If Paul hadn’t have spoken up, the bill would’ve received a voice vote and passed under the radar. Not bad,  Rand Paul. That’s a moment to put in the ‘ol resume. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Apr 2011 13:43

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U.S.: Parsing Wikileaks’ trove of Gitmo detainee files

  • The U.S. has a pretty low threshold for proof when it comes to tossing somebody in Guantanamo Bay, at least that’s what seems true when you read the latest files revealed by Wikileaks. As reported by The Guardian, the U.S. government targeted people wearing a certain type of Casio wristwatch (the F-91W) for detention, because that model of wristwatch was known for its use and distribution by al-Qaeda for training in bomb-making. More than fifty of the released detainee files list the cheap, digital timepiece as a point of interest.
  • No exception for age Two early detainees, an 89-year-old and 70-year-old, sound like they never should’ve been there. U.S. doctors described the former as suffering from major depression, senility and dementia, while the latter authorities internally assessed had no real reason for their detainment at Guantanamo Bay.
  • No exception for youth Naqib Ullah was one of the youngest detainees, at just 14 when he spent a year in confinement. Authorities ultimately decided he was telling the truth when he insisted he’d been kidnapped by the Taliban — his file claims to want to “afford him an opportunity to ‘grow out’ of the radical extremism he has been subject to.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Apr 2011 21:53

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World: Wikileaks: Former Gitmo detainee now key Libyan rebel figure

Abu Sufian Ibrahim Ahmed Hamuda bin Qumu spent nearly a year in Guantanamo on the belief he had ties to al-Qaeda. Now he’s a leader amongst Libyan rebels. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Feb 2011 00:26

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World: Defense Secretary puts the kibosh on closing Gitmo

  • Frankly, the prospects for closing Guantanamo, the best I can tell, are very, very low.
  • Secretary of Defense Robert Gates • At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. The problem, Gates says, is that just about nobody in Congress actually wants to close the controversial detainment facility, and Congressional approval would be required to shut it down. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Feb 2011 10:36

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World: Julian Assange’s extradition trial starts back up in the UK

The defense in the extradition trial suggested that there was real risk Assange could be sent to Guantanamo Bay. The prosecution pooh-poohed that. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

29 Oct 2010 12:04

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Politics: Noted Bush-haters Valerie Plame, Joe Wilson also dislike Obama

  • The idea that you can continue to keep human beings in detention offshore is an insult to us as a civil society and everything we stand for. I think the same thing can be said about the clandestine renditions. We need to shine a light on all of that and let it lead us where it may.
  • Former U.S. diplomat (and husband of Valerie Plame) Joe Wilson • Ripping on the Obama administration for not doing enough to stop Bush-era methods of security, including closing the base at Guantanamo Bay. Some of this is, of course, personal: Wilson’s wife was outed as a spy by members of the Bush Administration after Wilson publicly doubted the administration’s reasons for starting the Iraq war. Still interesting, though, that they’re ripping on Obama for this, too. In other news, the couple is about to get the Hollywood treatment – “Fair Game,” starring Naomi Watts and SEAN FREAKING PENN, sounds like an awards-season racehorse. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Aug 2010 11:33

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U.S.: Obama’s first Guantanamo prosecution on hold due to “lawyer collapse”

  • Which, of course, is always a good reason. The lawyer for Omar Khadr, a Canadian who was captured in Afghanistan by U.S. forces at age 15, is on hold for a month after Khadr’s military defense lawyer, Jon Jackson, collapsed in court yesterday. Jackson needs to head back to the U.S. for a month for further medical treatment, meaning the trial of the now-23-year-old Khadr is put on hold. Jackson recently had gall bladder surgery. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Dec 2009 00:56

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U.S.: Thomson, Illinois is looking a lot like Guantanamo Bay right now

The rural town, 150 miles south of Chicago, will reportedly house some of the detainees being vacated from Gitmo. People will complain … soon. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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