In the President's Own Words

It has been said that a society should be judged by how it treats its weakest members, and prisoners certainly fall in to that category. Before I go much further let me make it clear that I’m not advocating that those who are guilty beyond a reasonable doubt (whatever that is) get to play in meadows with unicorns and rainbows, but I also believe we should treat every human being with dignity and follow the rule of law in all cases. 

Prisoners in Guantánamo are so fed up with their situations that 100 of them are on a hunger strike! According to this document on Guantanamo:

• 86 detainees have been cleared for release since 2009. However, the US government refuses to allow them to return to their homes or otherwise release them. The most common theory on why that is: these detainees have been treated so badly they’ll certainly join the opposition, al-Qaeda, or somehow set out to harm us. Shouldn’t that be a lesson in itself on how we treat people?

• The US doesn’t have sufficient evidence to prosecute 46 prisoners, but those 46 are apparently too dangerous to release. How can we be certain enough to detain someone indefinitely, though, if we don’t have sufficient evidence to prosecute?

• Remember when Obama campaigned on closing Gitmo? Well, it appears he wasn’t incredibly serious about that: 532 prisoners were released by the Bush administration. 72 by the Obama administration. I understand there other powers and factors at work in that numbers game too. If only the President had the power to release prisoners and challenge the flawed system that put them there…

• Only 5% of the prisoners were even captured by American troops.

I’ll stop paraphrasing, but I highly recommend you read the whole thing. It’s an easy read.

Below is a small piece from a first hand account:

I could have been home years ago — no one seriously thinks I am a threat — but still I am here. Years ago the military said I was a “guard” for Osama bin Laden, but this was nonsense, like something out of the American movies I used to watch. They don’t even seem to believe it anymore. But they don’t seem to care how long I sit here, either.

I just hope that because of the pain we are suffering, the eyes of the world will once again look to Guantánamo before it is too late.

Again, I recommend you take the time to read the entire Op Ed.

Out of sign, out of mind. According to President Obama this is one of the reasons closing the prison at Guantánamo is “a hard case to make.” So let’s change that. Let’s put pressure on those in power to move on this ever important issue. Let’s pressure the media to report on the hunger strike and the apparently innocent people imprisoned there. Let’s get people talking about it. Our friends, our families. It has to start somewhere. Let us not continue to ignore the atrocities happening in our name. 

If you’re not convinced this is important simply because what is happening here is morally and ethically wrong, think about this: The 2012 NDAA (signed by Obama) allows for indefinite detention of anyone captured anywhere in the world without charge or trial. That could be you detained indefinitely without sufficient evidence to prosecute. Think that couldn’t possibly happen to an American citizen? Google Anwar al-Awlaki and/or Abdulrahman al-Awlaki. Both American citizens. Both killed by the CIA in targeted drone strikes in Yemen. No trial. No due process.

Guns & Other Stuff

After two shootings in the past two weeks I am forced to comment on the topic. I have heard multiple times, “Don’t politicize this right now. It’s inappropriate.” If we’re honest with ourselves we would recognize that the issue and incidents are already political. A number of politicians were elected to create policies and laws that influence every aspect of our daily lives; in other  cases policies were not enacted or bills drafted thanks to people saying “Don’t politicize this.” Voters and constituents may or may not have been paying attention in order to hold said policy makers accountable. Policies allowed the perpetrator in Aurora, CO to obtain 6,000 rounds of ammo in just a few months, and policies (or lack thereof, thanks in large part to the NRA) made it so that not even an eyebrow was raised over the fact that a 24 year old student who was unexplainably withdrawing from a doctoral program while simultaneously seeking psychiatric treatment was obtaining such weaponry.

When I even begin to breach the topic with people I’ve heard two other objections. Objection 1: People who want to commit violence will do so with or without guns. Objection 2: If our lawmakers outlaw the sale of semi-automatic ‘assault’ weapons, what’s next?

My response to Objection 1: 12 people wouldn’t be dead if the perpetrator had used a baseball bat or his fist. Period. That being said I am not advocating for removal of what we like to believe are our Second Amendment rights or overlooking the fact the Aurora, CO perpetrator also had homemade explosives. The fact that the Second Amendment was intended for something else entirely is for another argument. However, I recognize that as Americans, and more specifically as Montanans, we value our “right” to possess arms. I also recognize that the “bad guys” will get guns even if they’re ‘illegal.’ 

My response to Objection 2: I initially thought “Why do we need assault rifles in the first place?” And questions as to where we draw the line has made me consider the flaws in my own question. Sort of. I, personally, do not own a single gun, and I doubt I will ever own a semi-automatic ‘assault’ weapon. I can’t imagine ever having the need or desire to fire hundreds of rounds of ammunition in just a few moments. I, however, use many of the same “Where do we draw the line?” arguments when fighting for reproductive choice for women. So, basically, I get where this going. 

My thoughts for everyone everywhere: Saying that we can do nothing more to prevent massacres like those in Aurora, CO, Oak Creek, WI, and countless other incidents around the nation is defeatist and heartbreaking. Changing one policy isn’t the answer. It isn’t going to be easy. But I can’t believe we’ve done all we can do when the frequency of incidents such as these is increasing at alarming rate. I challenge you, myself, all of us to have open, honest discussions about possible solutions. I challenge us to hear people out, to open our hearts and minds to prevent things like this from happening. I challenge each of us to challenge ourselves.

Just as we should respect those who are mourning the loss of their loved ones and friends, and the loss of a sense of security in a movie theater or a place of worship, we should also use this time to unite to develop effective policy solutions to real world issues and to help all of us regain trust in our neighbors and work toward a true sense of community.