Guantanamo Bay

The question is, are we a nation of laws or are we not?

Long ago it was decided that our system of jurisprudence would lean toward protecting the innocent. That's the way Americans are used to thinking, whether we like it or not. Miranda rights, no search and seizure without a warrant, etc, these things are all to protect us, the vast majority of Americans who are innocent of any crime, from persecution. Most importantly, our system is designed to sometimes let guilty people go free, in order that no innocent person is ever wrongly imprisoned. Of course this happens anyway, and that is a tragedy in every case, and we should try to keep this from ever happening again. But that is the way it is.

So Gitmo. There we have lots of different types of people: as the recent Wikileaks documents reveal, some were held simply for their intel value, and without real regard for their guilt or innocence. This too is a tragedy and a black eye for America. A deep gash in the flesh of our core values.

That's why I say close Gitmo. Anyone who has committed crimes that can be proven in a court of law, try them. Those that haven't, let them go. I know this means some of them go back to being terrorists -- but this can't be helped. Obama et al would say they are enemy combatants in a war -- but if so, it's a war seemingly without end. Are we really going to hold these people without trial forever? That's not America. That's Soviet Russia. I don't want any part of it.

Close Gitmo, Obama. Like you promised.