Obama orders Guantanamo Bay closed, bans torture

Terrible Terrible Terrible. Did these people consider human rights before then tried to harm US citizens. Short answer, NO. I can agree with no water boarding, and interrorgating in a more humane way but closing the detention camp is foolish in my mind. Where now will they be tried, where will they be moved to.
The US is starting to look more and more like France to me, and I dont like it.

Bravo!

And you wonder why the terrorist are dancing in the street

For 7+ years under W, we have not had a terrorist attack on US soil. Now, with the liberals taking over 100% of the govt, I guess you can start counting down the days until the next one. Amazing........has everyone forgotton 9/11 or just the 2 million lemmings that showed up in D.C. on Tuesday?

America is less safe today because of these actions by Obama. Perhaps we should reverse the expression attributed to Benjamin Franklin about those wanting to trade a little freedom for a little security.

"Those that trade a little less security for a little more freedom deserve both."

Unfortunately those gaining freedom are not US citizens - they are terrorists. Future attacks are on the shoulders of Barack Hussein Obama with these actions.

Bravo! Can I visit Havana now?

Amen!

"It is a rallying cry for terrorist recruitment and harmful to our national security, so closing it is important for our national security," Blair said in prepared remarks.

Really? So what caused these people to be terrorists in the first place? What caused them to hate us so much that they would fly planes into buildings?

So let me see, somewhere in the world there is someone saying: "gee there are 245 people in Cuba, so I think I think it would be a good idea to strap a bomb on to myself and kill civilians".

So what happens when the certain ones are returned to different countries and are "really" tortured and executed? Will people still blame the US for releasing them to authorities that are looking for them?

Thank you, President Obama!

Well Done

At last! We are far past due to reclaim the moral high ground and promote human rights in the world. This marks the beginning of the right path for our country.

It is infuriating to hear the NeoCons and Bush Supporters throw out an abusrud accusation: "Nayh Nayh, we created a mess so big that you can't possibly clean it up". Obama's actions show he has the metle and strength to turn the tide on this darkest of blights on our national image.

President Obama signed a presidential order closing GITMO. As of tomorrow, all prisoners previously held at GITMO will be transferred to and live in the White House. They will share the room set up for Obama's mother-in-law : )

Ok is just me or does everyone else see that there is 245 TERRORIST in Guantanamo Bay?? If he shuts it down where are they going to go?

7 years of GITMO, 7 years of terrorist attack - free years in America... I'm sure that's just a coincidence. If, God-forbid there is another attack on America after this happens I would hope Obama would have the guts to won up to it. But of course he won't, and of course the left-wing, moonbat media will defend him until the end. Gentlemen, prepare to defend yourselves, because apparently our government no longer will.

Apparently the neocon war mongering nutcases on this message board are strong believers in the "guilty until proven innocent" doctrine of the Bush years, may they rest in peace. Good thing your messiah is no longer running things.

Is Obama banning torture or enhanced interrogations? The author of the article confuses the two. If the former, there's no need to ban it, since the United States doesn't use torture. If the latter, then Obama has placed the United States in serious jeopardy.

The Bush family is part of an organized crime plan to "pacify" this planet, reduce human freedoms and introduce a regime of mind control. Their narcotics, murder, and use of stooge mafia like the Sauds (also involved in slave traffic and narcotics via Khashoggi and their very own princes--see Wayne Madsen's book Jaded Tasks, and Cathy O'Brien's books)---Bush family rackets are closely coordinated with Rothschild subcultures. See Aaron Russo's report on how David Rockefeller's cousin, Nick Rockefeller, admitted that the plan is to microchip the human population. So, expect the criminal empire to strike back. Best to expose it.

"moral high ground"
But it's ok to use U.S. money to fund the killing of unborn children in other countries.
How high is that moral ground?

....WoW.....this is a great oppurtunity for Mrs Clinton to be instrumental in the relocation of these virulent enemy/prisoners vs America.....may I volunteer a few relocations to help out Mrs [VIP] Clinton: Siberia, Outer/Mongolia or North Korea??....I'm quite sure all these enemies will love the winter-wonderland perks [collectively] in all three Club-Meds.

Yeah, let's see if all you morons say "Thank You President Obama" when Al-Qaeda strikes with something larger than 9/11 !! What short memories you liberals have! It didn't take long for his Muslim background to shine through. Get out of jail free passes for all of his friends and much more. I can see it now, the CIA catches a potential terrorist and they say "Did you plan that attack" terrorist.."Nope"...CIA.."ok. Good enough for us. We can't go ay further per orders of President Osama Bin laden.

Now arrest Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld and try them for their war crimes.

Following World War II, the United States prosecuted members of the Japanese Military for war crimes- for doing the very things the Bush Administration has promoted, *including "waterboarding".*

Were we wrong to prosecute the Japanese for torturing prisoners- or should the Bush Administration be held to account for doing the exact same thing? It cannot be both.

Henceforth, the CIA may only gather intelligence through the promise of free lolli-pops for "good little terrorists". Super.

President Obama (eeewwwww!) is going to handcuff the intelligance agencies and then expect those agencies to still protect the American people. President Clinton did something similar and also did nothing to respond to terrorist attacks and look where that got us -- the worst terrorist attack in US history.

Mark my words, within 5 years we will have another attack on US soil only this next one will be far worse! And all of those morons who voted for Obama will be partly to blame!

Lets just pray for peace, sit in a circle and sing kumbaya. While we're at it, lets put in every single socialistic policy we can and hope that we end up like Europe. Sorry, but its time for Obama's honeymoon to be over. BTW, I don't know if anyone saw Romney last night on Hannity, but he said that studies show that the amount of GDP loss because of the current economic situation works out to be around $400B. Don't let them spend a penny more.

Criticism before it even happens.....
Relax people, our country is in good hands.
The only reason why people felt "safe" when Bush was in office was because he put so much hype out there about keeping the terrorists at bay, he made you think you had to be afraid....do we not remember the little red, orange and, yellow graphs to warn that a "possible" terrorist attack could happen on that particular day? And how it was always in the "red" and NOTHING ever happened? Propaganda....bush wanted you to feel fear and be afraid all the time and in turn it worked out to his advantage. He kept us all "safe".
I believe 9/11 was a inside job. I believe Bush new it was going to happen and did nothing to prevent it. He then went into Iraq, a country that had nothing to do with 9/11....Why Iraq? Oil. And an oil man he was.....werid how it all fits together, dosent it?
I believe in Barack Obama, hes going to make great changes to the nation and to the world.

In listening to replays of the event of the radio, it appears that Obama had no clue what he was signing plus he did not know that the process for dealing with the prisoners in Gitmo had not been worked out yet.

I think they have a few "kinks" to work out at the White House.

George Bush went seven years preventing another terrorist attack on US soil with his policies. Obama: 1 day and counting. We'll see.

President Obama is going to win America much international respect for this positive move. Guantanamo opposes all the high-minded principles that America stands for.

Forget "hope". What we've got is a DOPE.

Øbama bin Biden; as well as liberals in BOTH parties & the 'media'. The best allies a terrorist could ever have.

Thank you? Well done? Are you kidding me???
HAVE ANY OF YOU FORGOTTEN 9/11???
So, how do we get info from terrorists now.....coax it out of them? As someone else said...ask 'pretty please'???

10,000 children were either orphaned or left with only 1 parent on 9/11 and these prisoners probably had some hand in that. And, we are talking about their 'civil liberties'??? Amazing...political correctness is going to kill this nation.

I think the Presidents intentions were good but he may have made a HUGE mistake. Why is he going to let "wounded bulls" run wild? If they were indeed tortured they will more than likely retaliate. For every action there is a reaction and I hope we are ALL prepared for any possible reaction against the U.S. GOD HELP US ALL!!

It's nice to have a President in office that is at least smarter than me.
Harvest what you sow. I'd hate to be in Bush's shoes come judgment day.

Excellent policy decisions. It is obvious from some of these comments that the right has been short on moral values. From an ideological group which pretends to support the Constitution, the right has clearly been willing to disregard our sacred document at every turn.

Oh, and "shocked", note that 9/11 occurred during Bush's watch.

What is the average IQ of these rightwingnut torture lovers...19-25.? These detainees are SUSPECTED terrorists..they have not been charged, and only 2 have been tried in the kangaroo courts Bush setup. The military set free 500 of these guys ...without any charges, and after torturing them.So tell me GOPers..if they all are terrorists, why did the military set 500 free after years in custody???. Is GWBush a terrorist lover? Not all were caught in Afghanistan, and many were falsely turned in to the US by false accusers...thyese are the ones that were recently nturned free ny a judge(appointed by GW Bush)

The Geneva Convention is a treaty which should be adhered to by U.S. with respect to other countries that have signed on to it. Al Queda and other terrorist organizations whose members have been detained at the Guantanamo Bay facility are not party to the geneva Convention or any other treaty. They deserve neither the protections afforded under the Geneva Convention nor any other treaty entered into between sovereign goverments as long as they practice the murder of innocent persons anywhere.

Gotta love the loyal listeners to Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reily. Such trash, to polarize the electorate with pompous political conclusions, and engrandized patriotism. "Helping the terrorists", "hate America", "wanting to raise taxes", are just a few of the slogans pounded out daily over public airways with an FCC license. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but, daily, repetitive anti-USA bleating is unconscionable and rallies the lowest common denominator of ill will within the listeners. Wake up, think, read, form an opinon and break free.

You people make me laugh, although not in a funny way. If you really believe that a few nods in the direction of putting things right will give you back any moral high ground you are barking mad. That's gone, and it won't be coming back. Offering up the heads of the previous administration would be a big step in the right direction, but we all know that will never happen.

Apparently no one's read 1984. You can't believe in human rights and defend and stand by the constitution if you also believe in torture. It's pure hypocrisy.

It saddens me how many people in here keep calling them terrorists, and that they dont deserve equal treatment, when we are the ones invading their lands over the actions of a few, crazy idiots.
How are we going to call ourselves americans - ones that fight for freedom, if we dont give each citizen OF THE WORLD the same equal treatment that we would give our fellow citizen.
If Timothy McVeigh deserves a fair and equal trial, than so do these people that
we swept up off the street and accused them of terrorism when they might not have even been involved.
And I bet some of you guys have the outright gall to call yourselves "christians"... Ever heard of the line "What Would Jesus Do?"

Wonderful thinking - tell your enemy your weakness - when you tuen your head - they will slice your throat - all you are doing here is placating your morales but opening up the vast doors to get through. Do you think foir a moment a person whose greatest wishes in life is death is going go give a rats A about your morales.

I hear now there is a discussion, on where we will place the remaning prsioners. its a very easy answer, put them on a plane give them a parachute and drop them back in their country of origin

Thank you my dear leader. This is obviously part of His economic stimulus. These poor terrorists have been out of work for years now. W was preventing them from their normal work-a-day business of blowing people up. Listen, it's basic economics,the more people the terrorists kill, the lower unemployment will get!

i'm so sick of these confederate traitors and their hatred for the United States and our constitution. President Obama's next move must be to prosecute the treasonous bush administration. my advice to these Dixie rat republicans: if you don't like the united states...leave! get the hell out of our country. you are blight on our nation!

people are just so obsessed with obama that they can't see that he is just rusing head on into the dark abyss. He didn't take time to think this through. All you obama fanatics don't have to follow him into a bad move. Come on already, these people already were proven to lead full on attacks agaist americans in afgan and iraq and you want to give them a second chance to get free so that they can plan the next worst attack since pearl harbor? no thanks i can see how obama can do good for this country but i am not blind to see that this is an idiotic move! just to clear things up i am niether liberal or conservative im an american and i dont want mto be attacked again!!!

Complete lunacy.

It's all well and good but Congress has to take back some moral leadership to see that we don't live under the personal whim of either a "good" president or a "bad" president.

You people ned to do your research. they aren't going to set them "free"

The Bush administration negotiated for many months with countries whose nationals are still at Guantánamo, trying to get them to take in detainees.
Some governments have denied the Guantánamo prisoners are their citizens, while others have been reluctant to agree to US requests to imprison or monitor returnees.Some of those being held include Chinese Muslim Uighurs who, Washington says, would face persecution if they returned home. Libyans, Uzbeks and Algerians are also at risk.Some could be granted asylum by other nations if their own countries refuse to take them. Last month, Portugal's foreign minister urged other European countries to take in Guantánamo prisoners, saying such a move could make it easier for Obama to close the prison. Switzerland says it is open to taking in detainees.Moreover,About 245 detainees remain at Guantánamo, which,as we know was set up in to hold foreign terrorism suspects captured attacks on the United States that prompted George Bush's "war on terror". Most have been held for years without being charged and many have complained of abuse. At least 525 have been released and five died in custody – four hanged themselves and one died of cancer. so this argument about them being "set free" is nonsense,why hasnt anyone spoken up before when the 525 prisoners were being released? cause you weren't supposed to know.

did anyone else watch obama today. he had to keep asking people what he was signing? How can you make a decision this BIG and have no clue how it is going to happen, no clue where these people will end up and obviously no clue about the severe consequences that could follow. I honestly do not see one positive in closing GITMO. It feels like we are more concerned about how many hours of sleep the terrorists are allowed each day than the safety of the country. To even call it torture is ridiculous. In 8 ears 3 terrorists were water boarded. One of them being the mastermind of 9/11. Every navy seal and army ranger is water boarding in there basic trainig. Why do we care so much about people that would not hesitate if given the chance to kill us. WAkE UP PEOPLE

I support President Obama and praise him for his audacious decisions. We can not defend our constitution and believe it to be true to the word and contravene human rights, which is why it is not done on US soil. America needs to be seen in a different light by the world, we are not the people we were portrayed to be by the Bush administration and if Obama does nothing new but just the opposite of the Bush administration, he will reach great success.

Also, the guy who returned to Yemen also did so under Bush's watch, with a fully functioning Guantánamo in place. Time to get rid of it and send the detainees to the Hague.

Obama has done nothing about Gitmo. Why doesn't Obama sign an executive order that the budget is balanced. Or better still, an executive order that crime in America ends today.

All meaningless drivel intended for a willing media and a dumb-downed public. Bill Clinton played this game often. Taking credit for events that he knew would never occur or start programs that he knew would not succeed... all for the accolades of a fawning press and dimwitted public.

I hope that Americans are wiser today. I also hope that when Gitmo is not closed in a year and the 240 prisoners have not been moved, that journalism instincts kick in and question Obama's candor. Now that would be new.

Come on idiots! No one is going to let anyone "go free." That is why it will take a year. Each person, and they will be treated as a person, will be done on a case to case basis. It is called intelligence and fairness. First they have to be guilty.

We are part of a global community. Grow up little minds, we now have a President who thinks and is intelligent. Join the crowd.

excellent move mr president!
alot of us do not understand why it is that these people are being held for and that is why it should be shut down. if we can make these terrorist acountable for their action we can give them the death penalty we can hang them instead of just holding them and feeding them with taxpayer money. and if the president is truly on the tack he had laid out then the undoing of the " economic hit man " has begun and i personally commend him.

This was a bad idea what do you think is going to happen either the prisoners are going to perswaded other cell mates into there wrong-full doing or, there going to be killed in the prisons were they are put.

"Yeah, let's bring them to the U.S. so they can get real American Justice (a slap on the wrist, and sent home) They cut off our soldiers heads, hang them from bridges, and we can't put a pair of woman's panties on their heads, beacuse it violates their human rights? When did they become human ?"

So, you want to grab someone, anyone, off the streets of whatever fly-blown village in Afghanistan we can flatten, and beat the living crap out of them because someone else "cut off our soldiers heads"? So, when your boss fires you, do you go down to the bar and beat up the first sucker who looks at you wrong? Are you comfortable with the US being run by the SS?

Its seems to me that this story is somewhat inaccurate in that it leaves the impression that Obama has deemed torture as illegal.
If that were so he would have no choice but to pursue those in the outgoing administration for breaking the law.
The headline should read Obama orders Guantanamo Bay closed, bans torture ...for now.

I think that it is a great move that Obama is doing. The America we kow does NOT do that to people. Guantanamo Bay is a horrible place and it needs to be shut down. Thank You President Obama!!! He's proving that America is a bigger place then what everyone else thinks. He's bringing people back from Iraq..Thats good too beacuse we have been in war for 7 years or so....for WHAT?? Yahh they blew up the Twin Towers but..We killed Saddam Hussain or how ever his name is spelt.. It shouldve ended there.

"For 7+ years under W, we have not had a terrorist attack on US soil. Now, with the liberals taking over 100% of the govt, I guess you can start counting down the days until the next one. Amazing........has everyone forgotton 9/11 or just the 2 million lemmings that showed up in D.C. on Tuesday?"

This is forgetting the fact that the greatest single attack ever on US soil was committed eight months into Bush's presidency. Funny how one can spin numbers.

@23

you forgot the anthrax killer, that was on bush's watch.

Look, I am sorry people, but Bush was in on 911. Have you forgotten the day? The video of him calmly reading the rest of the book to the little kiddies? The fact that there was no plane debris outside the Pentagon? But I digress, I know that everyone of the detainees in Gitmo is guilty or they wouldn't be there, right? All of the men tortured are definitely guilty, right? They're Arabs, and therefore, terrorists, right? Now I understand why they have no rights......and deserve to rot in prison.
At least 500 detainee's were already released and there are almost 300 left, so that makes 800 terrorists, and no more attacks since Bush started the "War on Terror": a war that has gone on for 7 years, killing our soldiers and providing tons of collateral damage in the way of innocent civilians, and tons of money for those who have vested interests (Haliburton, anyone!!???)...Doesn't it make you WONDER? Hello! ............Why is the average American so stupid?
Bin Laden's family was flown out of the country by the Bush Administration right after 911. This last administration was demonic and irresponsible toward the American people and yet you still believe the swill......
Always ready to knock the People's Choice, and with racial epithets, no less..."work out the kinks"? It is you who gives this country a bad name.
Give the man a chance...Obama is Blessed.

Back to the status quo of torture by proxy. The School of America's has been around a lot longer than bush, and so has the US system of torture. Bush just had the balls to brand it American, which is always has been.

this is so stupid i think

so are arms dealers not terrorists?
are arms manufacturers not terrorists?
those who watch children, women and babies burn while their bank balances get bigger are not sick sociopaths?

people you are running blind and being manipulated.
you don't even have sufficient proof of who actually created 9/11.
maybe the terrorists are actually in your family, and not in some far distant land of people of darker skin. But yes, that's easier for you isn't it. You compartmentalize reality and cowardly blame the unknown living in fear of a fake enemy.
rise up and be noble. torture and war is for barbarians.
the superior set an example, and behave beyond the limit reductionised mind of the average monkey man.
follow the money. there you will find the real terrorists. Check the bank balances.- there are your criminals. They are both white men and dark: USA and Middle Eastern.
And they have you running all over each like lemmings, while they grin.

The assumption that torture has always been an acceptable tool of interrogation for the military is a fallacy. In fact, the Geneva Convention, and the UCMJ expressly forbid such tactics. Arguments that terrorism will increase if we stop such inhumane practices flies in the face of reality. Terrorists have been recruited, and terrorism has increased under the leadership of the Bush Administration, and simply because it has not touched our shores again, yet, does not mean that the kind of diligence necessary to prevent it lies in torture techniques which have long been considered unacceptable and un-American. Most of the negative comments have come from sources who backed the loser in the last election,

Time for a change, we got it. Free public housing for Obama's Mother in law and now terrorists from GITMO. The politicians have forgotten about the people of this country in return for greed, glutiny, and world popularity. We do need a change however a common man or woman cannot afford to run for office these days.

They should be treated as animals, because now in people eyes this is violating the human right, but the people that agree in closing guantanamo maybe didnt have a loss of a family member because of this stupid terrorists attacks i think they should be treaded with pain and treated as a if there were a scam bag. And i wonder they Mr president will be moving all this criminals to. Or maybe just make it easy poison gas or shooting then up in the head as they did to our troops.

if you'll all recall....OUR troops are in their countries wreaking far more havoc and destruction on their lives than a group of terrorists did in 9/11. torture is inhumane and disgusting and how does anyone know for certain whether or not the information obtained through this form of interrogation is legitimate? and as far as where we're moving these detainees, why would america try and pawn off these supposed terrorists on other countries when they're our problem in the first place. some idiot on a radio talk show called in to say he would not like them placed near his home in his state, but why not in somewhere more secluded, like alaska? "ohhh wait, alaska is really pretty that would be ashame, so why don't we just put them in the desert in nevada?" this is what's happening with all the nuclear waste being stored in nevada for this same reason. how do you think people in nevada feel about it? the same way you would if it was in your area.stop being ignorant assholes and support your country trying, as always, to set the bar for more enlightened ways of thinking. have you all forgotten this is how our 'great' country came to be in the first place? ughhh

Doing what we have done to them is the exact opposite of what americans is supposed to be. If we're americans were contradicting ourselves.

k.. that makes sense.

I can see how our integrigation methods of firm questions and shaky answers goes against human rights... Maybe we should try there's and just go ahead and chop off their heads on International Television so everyone and their families can see it. By God, close down Guantamino Bay, 14 detainees have been released if not more but those first 14 wnt straight back to Al Quida, good job Barrack (shmuck). Thanks for looking out for not only us soldiers because of what a few officer's say (which by the way, not a whole lot of officer's get thier mittens dirty in the battle field these days) but thank you for looking out for families, can't wait to see what next "Twin Towers" episode you've unleashed, Thank you Mr. President!
)

Enough with the Human rights crap... If you commit an act of terrorist, then you just handed over your damn rights. Let em' get tortured.

Obviously there are so many ignorant people in the U.S. and it's quite ridiculous reading the comments that people leave. To those of you that believe in Obama's decision, I am with you. To those of you who think otherwise, how can you be so inhumane? 9/11 was indeed an inside job. and there is so much evidence to support it. haven't you seen all the movies about 9/11 and the real truth regarding that day? Guantanamo Bay is located at a US Navy base in Cuba. But does that mean that the prisoners there can be detained and incarcerated indefinitely and furthermore deprived of their fundamental rights? NO. that is the whole purpose that Bush made the prison overseas. He did that so that he can argue that the Constitution does not apply to the proisoners in Cuba. However, if the prison was located in the US, he wouldn't have the freedom to torture the prisoners so freely. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Don't you see? 9/11 was merely an excuse for Bush and his redneck agenda to incarcerate innocent Muslims, and to invade Iraq and steel the oil there. After all, we never saw any weapons of mass destruction, did we? and The truth that no ignorant American wants to face is that these people should have a right to due process of the law. They have a right to be treated fairly under the law, and they have a right to Habeas Corpus. Where is the evidence against them? there is none. where is the trial with jury? none. where are their defense lawyers? none. Afterall, aren't these the rights that are supposed to be guaranteed by the Constitution? yes. but the laws of our Founders are being applied where we see is is "necessary", and being ignored where we feel is "necessary." Most of the general American public is ignorant and blind to the truth. they seem to believe that all Muslims are terrorists. Wake up. Stop generalizing. Look back to the Oklahoma City Bombing. Who was behind that? Some white guy, It is absolutely ridiculous the way people follow the media like a herd of blinded cattle. Can't you people think for yourselves? Decide for yourselves? Or do you just let Bush's "war on terror" crap deceive you. FACE THE FACTS. 9/11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB, and there is no denying that.

finally this place is closed. after the years of tourture and other cruel acts the employees put upon the inmates. it was cruel and unusual punishment and should have been stopped

FINALLY!

President Obamas' wife and precious children are taken captive by terrorist. We have a prisoner that knows where they are and how to free them. President Obama would go behind closed doors and tell the generals to water board the terrorist. I know I would. Wouldn't you? I hope this never happens but what about the rest of the American wives, and children. How about my child our your Children. Aloha from Hawaii. Home of Pearl Harbor. I pray we never forget Dec 7th or 9/11/01. YeHaaaaaaaaaaa! ! !

Number 90 is a racist and Jennifer there is absolutely no room for people like you in the world.

This is a brutal conflict with an enemy that has hated us for far longer than Bush was in office. Out of respect for the people who lost loved one's during the 9/11 attacks please stop posting garbage about it being an inside job. You do realize people died on the plane that hit the pentagon. I understand how closing gitmo may feel like the right thing to do, but all it does is remove one of the key factors that was dissuading many terrorists. The idea that they could be kidnapped in the middle of the night and brutally tortured for years if they were even suspected of being involved in terrorism was a strong deterrent. It may be wrong, it may make us just as bad as them, but Its hard to find the moral high ground when we are knee deep in the blood of our friends and family. The fact of the matter is, we were all raised believing the fantasy. There is this "white city on a hill" mentality that people think we have lost, we are all victims of the lie. During the American revolution our tactics by most of the worlds standards were considered war crimes. Lets not forget Slavery and the civil war, and yes, we used torture in both these conflicts, have you read about the prison camps during the civil war. Lets not forget about the complete suspension of civil rights during this conflict by Lincoln. We go on oppressing the native Americans until they are practically extinct and then we move on to the world war. We eventually stick our nose in European business and step in on Britain's side. This is WW1 mind you, the Germans weren't to blame here, the whole debacle was causing by entangling alliances, but we got involved and the balance of power shifted. After the war, the allies treated Germany so harshly that we pretty much opened the door for Hitler and WW2. The treatment of prisoners during this conflict, yeah...about that, during WW2 do you really think Nazi's were given rights? Yeah we had a nice show trial at Nuremberg right before we killed them all. Where is this fantasy society, we have had two drafts in about within 50 years. After this, we are catered to another 50 years of teaching our kids to hide from A-bombs. Along with korea and vietnam, which we still havent lived down everything we've done. Don't sit there and tell me we have got to get back our moral high ground. The only reason it looked like we had "moral superiority" is because we were screaming about freedom and democracy so loudly that people forget all the dead bodies.

The united states didn't become a moral authority after nuking Japan, we just solidified our spot as the country you don't cross. It only took thirty years though, and the world realized that Americans were just as kill able as everybody else. We went into vietnam, and we got the crap kicked out of us. 50,000 people killed by a country who's military was in the stone age compared to ours. The world saw this. The world saw us make peace with the soviets instead of destroying our enemy. More importantly the people who hated us for everything we had ever done saw this. Then Bush 1 goes into Iraq and demolishes Saddam and his army, BUT He doesn't remove him. Its like a doctor operating on a tumor, he cuts outs a little bit of it out and is hoping it wont keep growing. Our enemies saw this. So after more Americans die under Clinton in the failed attempt to reassert ourselves in the world, people are beginning to wonder why were we so scared of America. Enter terrorism. Starts with embassies and ships and world trade center. Clinton does nothing. Bush 2 is elected. 9/11. We are thoroughly pissed off, but we are fighting an idea, a world without America. These people are more dedicated than the Nazi SS, more violent than the Japanese and make the Viet Kong look like they were wearing uniforms. To fight a war against an enemy like this, you cannot use convential values. You cannot sit there and think that this country will prevail because it now has a moral high ground. This country on stolen ground was built on the backs of slaves. The ideas which we are only recently trying to adhere to did not create this country, the violent and brutal death of all who opposed manifest destiny built this country. I'm not saying its right, That's just the way it is.

If Obama can pull this off. If he can stop torture, end gitmo, and all the while still fighting terrorism effectively than he will truly change the world and America may be able to justly say it has a moral authority. I think it is too big a task, I believe if men were able to live in peace we would have figured out how to by now. At the end of the day, America will not be around forever, Rome, survived for 1000 years by killing everyone around them, the moment they stopped they had Gauls,Goths and Huns beating them into decadence. Civilization's have never endured long once the people have lost there taste for blood and no longer have the will to fight. When I say the people, I mean the people, you and me, the army slowly loses its drive, its numbers wane, the respect is gone. At the end of Rome the legions no longer existed, well I could sit here all day and draw conclusions and correlations, but the bottom line is we must be careful. We cannot allow our enemies to see how week and divided we are. America even if our allies start to like us again, we still have serious threats that would like nothing more than to kick a fallen superpower while its down. re China, Russia. These next years are gonna be fun thats for sure, were making history.

The basic comments here REALLY hate Obama's opinion of Guantanamo.
Where would all the people go? We don't want 7/11 to happen all over again.
But are all the people really guilty? What about the economic crises?
Like a month into the "coronation" of Obama and everything is already messed up. First the stimulus package, then Guantanamo. I don't want to end up paying taxes for the rest of my life.
-A 6th grader

I believe that Obama has the right intentions with this plan in closing Gitmo, but I also believe that it was built for a reason. He aspires to stop torturing the terrorists, and i believe that that is noble and the right thing to do, but closing the prison itself i just don't think is necessary. Also, i think that he needs to find out where he will put all of the prisoners. If the government choses to build a whole new prison for them then i think that's a waste of money because it would be doing nothing but relocating the terrorists to a newer and nicer home, while they could stay right where they are. If Obama can show me what the relavence of it all is then I will be happy, but untill then I will remain cynical.

this is pathetic. closing a place were all the idiotswho started this war are kept!? thats like saying okay bin lawden you can be president of the USA. unbelievably stupid moves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! obamas putting this country to hell. its pathetic how stupid him and his staff are. if hes not muslim why was his first move good for all the evil effing muslims? huh???
wow... democrats, great job on the election. your screwing this country sooo much. all of this could of been avoided if drunk bill clinton would of answered his effing phone when we had a perfect shot on bin lawden.
and hes back in the white house now!?
pathetic. pathetic. pathetic.
we elected a muslim that was born in KENYA and now hes friken killing our country. great job. and people say his mom was from kansas or kentucky(j forget which one) and his dad is from and lives in kenya??? how can that happen?? and they were supposebly born sooo poor, sooo how did he move to friken hawaii!? that i think would cost tones of money............................................... and he cant give us a birth certificate? what happened to america!? before if you tried running for president and refused to give the government a birth certificate they'd tell you to screw off, now they accept no for an answer!? another reason why americas going down the WRONG path.. when a REAL american citizen asks the government for help they tell you to screw off, now any spick from mexico can come and get everything from the government????????????? idk if its just me that thinks this, but thats just plain pathetic.
democrats are horriable! get it through your frikn heads.
VOTE REPUBPLICAN IN 2012.
obamas doing stuff that wont even be finished by the end of his first term.. WTF
does he know that you have to run again every 4 years if you wanna be president again... i cant believe you people voted for this guy?? well nevermind, it was all the hoodrats, so they cant see this cause they can barely afford to get a 25cent candy bar. lol there life consists of KFC and watermellon. lol black people cant even work a mcdonalds kitchen so how is one gonna run AMERICA. im done. lol bye

This is probably the dumbest thing Obama could do seriously these people killed HUNDREDS its not like the just killed one person and even killing one person is wrong but killing hundreds is completely unexceptable. These people kill simply because they don't like the way we live and we let them practically walk? the founding fathers must be rolling in their graves. We should go back to old times a tooth for a tooth see how much they wanna blow us up when they know we'll do it back to them. OBAMA SUCKS VOTE REPUBLICAN.

I think that it is a stupid decision to close it down I belive that when you take another persons rights that you give away yours

I think that it is a stupid decision to close it down I belive that when you take another persons rights that you give away yours

our military has sacrificed themselves to capture and imprison these terrorists and now this jackass becomes president and he wants to let some of them go and bring the really screwed up ones into america so they can be treated likes humans? have Their human rights protected? these people arent human they are TERRORISTS!!! who do nothing but use their women and children for walking bombs people! this closure just means that all of our military men and women who fought to bring these bastards down, who were killed in the line of duty, WILL HAVE DIED IN VEIN!!! iIT IS A SLAP IN THE FACE TO EVERY PROUD AMERICAN WHO GEARS UP AND LEAVES THEIR FAMILY BEHIND TO GO FIGHT OVER THERE!!! A STAB IN THE BACK TO ALL OUR MEN AND WOMAN WHO TAKE AN OATH TO PROTECT THE AMERICAN FLAG US ****PROUD AMERICANS**** FLY OUTSIDE OUR HOMES!!!!

Bad move. Unless, of course, Obama wants a terrorist walking in to his office and blowing his head off. When he lets these prisoners go, they'll just keep on fighting us. That means more Americans killed. Which would you rather have. Terrorists on the loose, killing innocents like crazy, or having them in a nice little cell?

did anyone actually read the whole thing????? cause everyone is bashing him for banning waterboarding and shutting down guantanamo bay.....if you read the whole thing, it says that it is not closing. it says that in one year of obama signing the bill they will meet again and consider closing it down....so that means....we are still torturing people!

i think this will be a threat to americas national security. thise prisioners will all be released in other thrid world countries

Ok...ok...this is making me sick to my stomach. I have pride for AMERICA! PRIDE FOR MY STATE OF NEW JERSEY! PRIDE FOR MY PRESIDENT.....SOMEWHAT! But this is just wrong. Why close down a place that is holding some of the most dangerous people in the world who would not think twice about having another 9/11 happen to us or slowly cutting our heads off on camera?? There are many comments on here that say we should stop torturing these quote "PEOPLE". A person, or people, act humanely and do not want to kill their fellow man. Sure you do hear about different crimes on the nightly news but not of a thousand or more people being killed in a day! This is a horrible move and I feel sorry and scared for the direction America is going in. Since when do we love terrorism? I guess we should just let those Somali pirates have the U.S. Ship they hijacked off the coast of Kenya since we seem to love terrorism and these "People" so much.

I think Barac Obama is diong a good thing.What you people could do is put them in jial but not torture them and no let them live in a poor cells like the ones in Guantanamo detencion camps. THANK YOU BARAC OBAMA!!!

Thank God that Bush is no longer President. Maybe now that someone not invested in oil can deal with the Iraqs and the Irans, and they will actually listen. I say if they are guilty in GITMO, then charge them. If they are just being held to be held, then let them go. Maybe since we are going to start doing what we are preaching, then the world will follow suit.

A note to the extremist republicans...stop using sarcasm and bashing of something which you don't understand. If you were being held against your will for absolutely nothing (just being in the wrong place at the wrong time), and you weren't given a day in court or any information on why you were even there or when you could speak with your family, I guess that when you could say, Thanks Bush for keeping me safe.

Josh the Moderate

Let's say the situation was reversed. The Iraqi government invades the US because the 19 members of the Green Party (just for example purposes) flew a plane into a building. Now they come into your country, kill tons of civilians and "bring peace to the region". Now when they come through, to avoid getting detained himself, your neighbor says that you were connected to terrorists. So now you are taken to a remote military base where THE GENEVA CONVENTION DOESN'T APPLY and are tortured. You did nothing wrong, yet you are tortured and held indefinitely. This can last up to SIX YEARS. I don't think you Conservatives could deal with that, but you are happy to deal it out to others aren't you? And how come only a few have actually been charged with anything? The rest of the 500 people who are there have not been charged with anything but not yet given the right of Habeas Corpus (which has been guaranteed since the Magna Carta in 1215). And do you think torture actually extracts REAL confessions. I mean if you were there for years and getting water boarded until you said that you were a terrorist, what would you do?

Our President is doing so well I hope this does not bite him in the butt. I completely disagree with this closure. They need to remember what they did and what the are capable of.

is it because of money?????
need to allocate money for afganistan??
its ok though..
starbucks closed 400 stores anyway and keep the rest open..
but i think its the time to think..to think and to think...
all in the name off peace..???
what peace do we bring to afganistan????????

this is bull crap why would you close this place.......
were do you think that these guys wil go back home and say o ooopppsseee
maybe i shouldnt have been a terrorist?
no...........
their just going to go back and do it again.

I am sorely disappointed in this action. It is clear that nobody wants these 245 prisoners released into their state max security or otherwise. Gitmo provides a location and service to hold "prisoners of war" unlike any other place. The chest pounding and posturing of due process and habeus corpus as is applied by our courts and guaranteed by our Bill of Rights and Constitution does not apply to these people as 1) they are not US citizens and 2) they are outright declared enemies of the state. I can agree that there are better means to extract the information we are looking for and we should endeavor to meet a level of integrity and humanity to ensure that we are above reroach in our action. That said I will not forget the young journalist who was beheaded on the web. I will not allow myself to forget teh ilot who crashed and instead of tending his wounds and imprisoning him, he was beaten to death and his body was dragged through the street stopping here and there to defile him further by throwing more rocks or beat his lifeless body all for the enjoyment of the crowd and this too was broadcast. I can't forget about the young Marines who were tried for murder as they acted in what they fest was self defense whild clearing a room and were presented with a scenario in which theyr buddys were killed the week prior. I feel sick that in actions that they would rather not be takin we attack targets with military significance and there is a terrible side effect of collateral damage of innocent people who get hurt. I am sickened furthere that at the end of the day, our own media makes us out to be the bad guys as they show how poorly things may have ended up or if there happened to be an unplanned injury it becomes the headline and not a word is mentioned of the heroics of the young men and women who are serving away from there families. Who are not well paid and are the ones who guarantee our ability to sit here and share our opinions freely without fear of reprisal. I hope that everyone here appreciates that fact and takes the time when you see a veteran to say thank you.

What is Obama thinking? Apparently, our government and half the people in our country think the rights of terrorists who want to kill us all are more important than the lives of Americans. What if it was Obama's family that was about to be killed by terrorists? I bet he wouldn't be so opposed to torture and Gitmo then, would he? I just don't understand why people think the rights of terrorists and murders are worth more than the lives of Americans, and essentially, their own lives.

It sickens me to hear all these liberals complaining about how we don't give all these terrorists the rights they think they deserve. Has everyone forgot 9/11 and 12/7? People overseas want to kill us, and America wants to charge the soldiers and people that protect us from them. If it takes torturing and places like Gitmo to keep America safe, I'm all for it. Because personally, I value the lives of Americans and my country more than those of terrorists. Obama's going to get our country blown up. I'm barely a legal adult, and I'm going to be paying for Obama's stimulus package until I die. Who care about the rights of Americans, lets save terrorists all their trouble and blow ourselves up!

Am so glad after Obama's action on closure of Guantanamo Bay ... Atleast the innocent suspects there will released (hopefully).. Tortures and inhumane behavior with them will end in this one year... Thanks Obama.. But yes, all the terrorist involved in 9/11 must be detained and given harsh treatment for there absurd work... racialism must be ruled out..

Anyone opposing this is absolutely ridiculous. For all of you Christian enthusiasts, have you not forgotten the Golden Rule? "Do unto others as you would have done unto you." Also, how about Christ's motto of "love thy enemy" or "turn the other cheek?" Just because something is done to us DOES NOT make it right for us to sink to the lower levels of morality that they exhibit. How bout you idiots let the intelligent people run this country because you obviously have no clue what you are saying.

This is an act of stupidity, the people that are incarcerated at Guantanamo Bay are there for a reason...and as far as Obama's "torture"...do you really think they willl voulenteer information willingly?

Terrorism isn't a joke, nor is it a game. Why is it that no one takes it seriously until they loose a friend or loved one, how many more people have to die for nothing until the american population get serious about stopping these atrocities?

This closing for the Guantanamo Bay is ridiculous, and the american people who stand by this "justice" so you say, must think that this is for The United States of America. President Obama believes that the closing of secret prisons and Guantanamo Bay will help beef up american security and the image of America, but the effect of it will do the opposited. In certain circumstances we must set a side the image we're trying to achieve and just protect the citizens of the United States. if we dont learn to protect ourselves sooner or later there will be no one else to do it for us.....especially who evers making moronic descisions

Torturing the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay was useless, since outside of a few "high value" prisoners, they didn't know anything! They were fodder. They were people the Taliban and Al Qaeda pulled from the street, gave a gun to, and said, "shoot the Americans." What are they going to know? Torturing them won't magically reveal the next terrorist plot. And many of them were sold to the Americans by Pakistanis. There was no screening process, so if you were accused, you were a terrorist, and that was that. Plus, much of the intelligence out of Guantanamo was considered "suspect at best" (according to the FBI). When you're tortured, you'll make up stories and admit to anything to make it end. The supposed Al Qaeda/Iraq link was established as the result of the threat of torture, and that turned out to be completely false. Believe it or not, avoiding torture actually produces good intelligence. And since I know you want a good example: non-coercive interrogation methods led to the killing of Al Zarqawi, leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq.