It never ceases to amaze me at how so many people
can get so confused about so many things, and never get back to
the truth or reality of those things. Let's look at Guantanamo
Bay, commonly called Gitmo, for example. To listen to the MSM and
the left, this is something new. The reality is that the U.S.
Naval Base Guantanamo Bay is the oldest U.S. base overseas and
the only one in a Communist country. Located on the southeast
corner of Cuba, in the Oriente Province, the base is about 400
air miles from Miami, Florida, or roughly the same distance from
one end of Nebraska to the other. In December 1903, the United
States leased the 45 square miles of land and water for use as a
coaling station. A treaty reaffirmed the lease in 1934 granting
Cuba and her trading partners free access through the bay,
payment of $2,000 in gold per year, equating to $5,000 today, and
a requirement that both the U.S. and Cuba must mutually consent
to terminate the lease. Diplomatic relations with Cuba were cut
in 1961 by President Dwight Eisenhower. At this time, many Cubans
sought refuge on the base. U.S. Marines and Cuban militiamen
began patrolling opposite sides of the base's 17.4 mile
fenceline. Today, U.S. Marines and Cuba's "Frontier Brigade"
still man fenceline posts 24 hours a day.
The base is divided into two distinct areas by the
2 1/2 mile-wide Guantanamo Bay. The airfield is located on the
Leeward side and the main base is on the Windward side. Ferry
service provides transportation across the bay. The primary
mission of Gitmo is to serve as a strategic logistics base for
the Navy's Atlantic Fleet and to support counter drug operations
in the Caribbean, not as a detention center. In 1991, the
naval base's mission expanded as some 34,000 Haitian refugees
passed through Guantanamo Bay. The refugees fled Haiti after a
violent coup brought on by political and social upheaval in their
country. The naval base received the Navy Unit Commendation and
Joint Meritorious Unit Award for its effort.
Added in 2002 was Camp Delta, when it became
necessary to enlarge the detention facilities already there.
Detention facilities at Camp X-Ray were temporary. As a result of
the single occupancy capacity at Camp X-Ray being limited to 320,
and with Gitmo preparing to receive up to 2,000 Al-Qaeda and
Taliban detainees, the need arose for the construction of larger,
enclosed, long-term detention facilities. Camp Delta was first
occupied on April 28, 2002, when 300 detainees previously held at
Camp X-Ray were transferred to Camp Delta. The rest of the
detainees were moved on April 29. Camp X-Ray closed down on that
same day. Camp Delta was initially a 612-unit detention facility.
It is built on the site of a former facility made up of
cinder-block buildings used years before during a Haitian refugee
operation. Each detention units is 8 feet long, 6 feet 8 inches
wide and 8 feet tall and constructed with metal mesh material on
a solid steel frame. Approximately 24 units make up a detention
block. The facility has indoor plumbing with each unit having its
own floor style flush toilet, metal bed-frame raised off the
floor, and a sink with running water; none of which was available
at Camp X-Ray where portable toilets were used instead. Areas at
Camp Delta are also better controlled than Camp X-Ray and
detainees are out of the sun more. There are also two
recreation/exercise areas per detention block at Camp Delta. The
maximum security portion of Camp Delta is made up of three
detention blocks.
The Detention Hospital is a 20 bed facility
located inside Camp Delta and is dedicated to providing expert
medical care to the detainees. The Detention hospital is
comparable to a full-service, medical facility with
state-of-the-art equipment and professional medical staff. It has
an outpatient clinic, two operating tables, a dental clinic, a
physical rehabilitation area, and quarantine chambers for
contagious arrivals. When detainees arrive at Camp Delta, they
are immediately taken to the in-processing building. The inside
of the building resembles an unfinished home. It is divided into
various rooms for all the different processes. For a group of
about thirty detainees, the in-processing session takes about two
to three hours. Detainees take showers, are deloused, and are
issued their comfort items. They also undergo a medical
examination which includes a chest X-ray. The chest X-ray is to
check for tuberculosis (TB). Detainees keep a medical mask on
during the processing to prevent to spread of TB, at least two
detainees have had positive cases of TB. Detainees are
fingerprinted, photographed, and given ID bracelets, and also
given the option to send a short post card to their families to
say where they are and that they are safe.
Who gets sent to Gitmo, and how are they treated?
To qualify for transfer and detention at Camp Delta, Guantanamo,
prisoners taken in Afghanistan must meet any one of the following
criteria: Be a foreign national; Have received training from
Al-Qaeda; or Be in command of 300 or more personnel. Camp Delta
is broken into eight distinct facilities, Camps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
Echo and Iguana.
Camp 3 is the highest level maximum-security
facility at Camp Delta. When an enemy combatant first arrives, he
is held at Camp 3. Cells are 6 ft. 8 in. by 8 ft., with a
squat-style toilet, a metal sink and a sleeping berth affixed to
green steel-mesh walls. Detainees in Camp 3 wear orange uniforms.
Detainees are allowed to exercise for about 30 minutes, three
times a week, in a small exercise area. They are not allowed to
exercise with others.
Detainees that cooperate with JTF GTMO staff and
help to develop intelligence are moved from Camp 3 to Camp 2.
Detainees here still wear the orange uniforms. Cells are 6 ft. 8
in. by 8 ft., with a squat-style toilet, a metal sink and a
sleeping berth affixed to green steel-mesh walls. Detainees are
allowed to exercise for about 30 minutes, three times a week, in
a small exercise area. Detainees at Camp 2 are given some comfort
items that are not allowed at Camp 3. Examples of these items
include anti-dandruff shampoo and soft plastic pens-which have
been bent so that they cannot be used as weapons. Camp 2 holds
about 9% of the total detainees held at Camp Delta.
Further additional cooperation by detainees allow
them to be transferred to Camp 1 where the detainee receives
additional privileges and are one step away from Camp 4. There
are 10 cellblocks with 48 cells each in Camp 1. Each cell is an
individual mesh cell measuring 6 feet eight inches wide by eight
feet deep. Each cell has a squat down toilet and a small metallic
sink. Movement into and within the camp is funneled through
"sally ports," entrances and passageways with two gates. One gate
must be closed before the next can be opened. Lights are kept on
24 hours a day and there is no air-conditioning. Exhaust fans are
employed to give some partial relief.
Detainees are given tan uniforms to wear instead
of the orange ones worn at Camps 2 and 3. They are also given
canvas sneakers. Each detainee gets basic items such as a "finger
toothbrush" -- short and stubby so it can't be used as a weapon
-- toothpaste (it is given in a clear container, so guards don't
have to squeeze out the contents during a search), soap, shampoo,
plastic flip flops, and cotton underwear, shorts, pants and a
shirt. Detainees that are well behaved are allowed to have an
empty paper cup to drink water from. The cup is taken away if
they use it for some other purpose than drinking water. Detainees
are allowed to have thirty minutes of exercise time, in one of
two exercise yards, three times a week. Pairs of detainees are
allowed to kick around a soccer ball. Meals are delivered through
a small window of the cell. It can only be opened from the
outside by a guard. They are allowed showers in outdoor shower
stalls after their exercise period. 31% of the total detainees
are held in Camp 1.
Camp 4 is a medium security facility built inside
the limits of Camp Delta. With dormitories able to hold up to 20
detainees in each unit, Camp 4 is aimed at enabling a limited
number of captives the opportunity to interact with one another.
There, detainees are able to eat, sleep and pray together.
Admission to the facility will be conditional on each detainee's
good behavior and cooperation with the interrogation process.
Detainees held at Camp 4 wear white colored uniforms rather than
the orange-colored ones, in addition to a locker for personal
storage and access to writing material. Detainees are housed in
building complexes where each complex consists of communal living
rooms, each with a private toilet and sink, as well as a larger
shower and toilet room that serve the entire complex. There are
four communal living rooms that can house up to 10 detainees each
(though it was initially reported each could house up to 12
detainees). Each detainee has a bed with a mattress, locker for
storing personal comfort items and other items like writing
material and books. There are also electric fans in the cell
bays, and ice water is available around the clock.
Camp 4 also has small, common recreational areas
for playing board games and team sports. The most requested games
include chess, checkers, and playing cards. Detainees are allowed
out into the exercise areas attached to their living areas for
about seven to nine hours a day. These areas include covered
picnic tables and a ping-pong table. They also have access to a
soccer area and a volleyball court. Detainees eat together in
their cell block. The food is brought by food-service personnel
and the detainees are allowed to serve themselves. A guard
watches to make sure that each detainee obtains an equal portion
of food. Detainees are given ice cream every Sunday. They are
allowed to have supplemental food items, such as yellow cheese,
cream cheese, Fig Newtons, pound cake, figs, honey, peanut
butter, single-serving cereal boxes, Kool-Aid and fruit cocktail.
Detainees are also responsible for keeping their own area clean.
A librarian periodically visits the detainees and gives them
access to reading materials. Many request copies of National
Geographic. They can also, occasionally, watch some Arabic family
TV shows, and soccer highlights. Doors in Camp 4 are normally
opened up with keys, but there can be a mechanical override
issued from the command tower, known as Liberty Tower, if there
is an emergency. 34% of all detainees are held in Camp 4.
Camp 5 differs from other camps at Camp Delta in
that it is a two-story maximum-security multi-winged complex made
of concrete and steel. It cost $31 million to build (although
another source referred to the facility as being a $16 million
one), is designed to hold 100 detainees and was completed in May
2004. It was modeled after the Miami Correctional Facility in
Bunker Hill, Indiana. It is surrounded by barbed wire for
security purposes and green sheets in order to restrict the view.
Those that are considered the most dangerous and those deemed to
have the most valuable intelligence are housed there. It is
composed of four wings with 12-14 individual cells in each wing.
Each cell is about 10 feet by 20 feet. All cells have a small
toilet and sink. Some cells have overhanging sinks, and grab bars
on the toilets for those detainees with a physical disability.
The doors of the cells have two small openings. One is used to
deliver food to the detainee and for the detainee to stick his
hands out to be handcuffed before he emerges from his cell. The
other opening is near the foot of the door and it is for the
detainee to stick his feet out to be cuffed before he emerges
from his cell.
The camp is run from a raised, glass-enclosed
centralized control center that sits in the middle of the
facility, giving the MPs a clear line of sight into both stories
of each wing. The facility is completely computer controlled.
Movement of the detainees are controlled and monitored by touch
screens in that control center. Even the showers are controlled
by the touch screens in the control center. Guards tell the
computer to turn the showers on for a few minutes with a mild
water temperature. All the rooms in the facility are monitored by
cameras 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Camp 5 is centrally air
conditioned. Detainees are allowed access to one of eight 12 feet
by 24 feet outdoor exercise area for about an hour a day. About
16% of all detainees are held in Camp 5. .
Camp Echo is located just outside the main
facility. It is the detention facility where pre-commissions
detainees are held. Detainees whom the President of the United
States has selected for the Military Commissions are separated
from the general population and moved there. The location allows
access by detainees to their lawyers and to hold private
conversations with them. Detainees are also allowed to keep pen,
paper, legal documents, and other such materials that they would
not be allowed to have in Camp Delta. Camp Echo is composed of
more than a dozen single-story concrete-block buildings. Each
building is divided in half. Inside is a steel cage, a restroom,
and a table for interviews and interrogations. This allows
detainees to meet with their lawyer in an area of their own cell,
but also to be guarded by MPs 24 hours a day. Detainees in Camp
Echo are not in solitary confinement. Besides meeting with their
lawyers, they receive regular visits from medical staff and
numerous visits from the International Committee of the Red
Cross.
Camp Iguana is a lower-security detention facility
initially dedicated to juvenile detainees aged between 13 to 15
years and brought to Guantanamo Bay. Detainees 16 years and older
were housed with the other detainees in Camp Delta. According to
media reports, the facility consists of at least one-story
blockhouse, surrounded by a a patch of grass and a high
green-mesh fence. Detainees there are able to overlook the sea
through a 30 by 7 feet gap that is protected by chicken wire.
They are allowed to throw a football around or play soccer in the
outside exercise area. According to an article in the London
Sunday Times on June 26, 2003, the living quarters are
air-conditioned and consist of "a bedroom with twin beds, a small
living room with two armchairs, sofa and television, and a
bathroom and kitchenette", with an oven present for aesthetic
reasons, and a refrigerator whose fruit and desserts contents are
reportedly handed as part of a reward system. A line of black
tape on the floor separates the living room and kitchen areas
while privacy in the bathroom is handled by a blue curtain.
Pictures of Gitmo are available for viewing at Boston.com.
Now that we've determined that Gitmo isn't
something new, "enemy combatants" are reasonably well treated,
that it actually has a defined mission other than detention, that
the cost of the lease to keep it there is next to nothing, and we
have a great deal of money invested there in buildings and
security measures, the question becomes, why even consider
closing it? Why let something go that has so many other useful
purposes besides detention? Politics, nothing more, nothing less.
Terms like "torture" and "denial of human rights", along with
ideas that Gitmo causes more terrorists to move to jihad, are
bandied around like they are factual, while the truth is lost in
the shuffle. "Water boarding", the prime example of "torture"
used by the left, has NOT been used at Gitmo 2006, the Red Cross
regularly visits the facility, and reports of human rights
violations have yet to be proven, only accusations exist, most
based on "water boarding". In reality, "water boarding" is used
in our own SERE training, and not a single person, prisoner or
military personnel, has ever died or been severely injured from
the method. It merely creates the "sensation" of drowning, unlike
the fingernail pulling, beating, flogging and beheading
consistently used by our enemies. In fact, flogging is commonly
used as a form of punishment on Muslims who violate Shariah Law,
and is far more severe than "water boarding" could ever be, all
in the name of religion.
The "closing of Gitmo" is an inappropriate term to
begin with, when it should be the closing of the detention center
at Gitmo, or even more specifically, closing the Camp Delta
detention center at Gitmo, but that's not what we are hearing.
The people have spoken, and Congress finally listened, they don't
want it closed, mainly because no one wants "enemy combatants"
transferred to US soil. One other fact remains, it isn't legal to
bring them here, but that apparently hasn't dawned on anyone,
including most members of Congress, or the President. In fact, 27
of our states have passed resolutions to their state legislatures
not to allow them to come in to their particular states in
addition to US Code prohibiting it. According to Senator Inhofe,
"The other problem I have with that is that if somehow they come
in to our country and we can't use tribunals because we don't
have facilities for that, they go into the court system, they
could very well be turned loose because the rules of evidence are
different with tribunals… with detainees than they are with
criminals. So that's a serious problem. I go one step further
though. I don't want to close Gitmo. It's a great resource. Every
team that's gone there including Eric Holder has come back with
glowing reports - how well people are treated, one doctor for
every two detainees. There's no place where they can be treated
as well as Gitmo. It's a great resource."
"And those people who are critical of that should
realize the only other choices are they can either turn them
loose, because their countries won't take them back - these
people will be back as terrorists trying to kill people in
Afghanistan and that type of thing - or they can shoot 'em. You
know, the most humane thing to do is to keep that facility open
where we can conduct those tribunals. We have a special
courthouse there that complies with the rules of evidence that
we're actually prepared to do… There's just not an
alternative."
Is transferring these detainees to US prison
facilities going to change the view of people from around the
world? No, they'll next complain the detainees aren't being
fairly treated in our prisons or courts, even if we had courts
capable of trying them. Even if they are transferred to
"Super-Max" facilities, we still don't have a system for trying
them. Not to mention that they become a magnet to any other
prisoner who feels the system is against them, and will create
more home grown terrorists as a result. These are not US
citizens, they are US enemies, and don't deserve the same
considerations for justice as our citizen prisoners receive. It
is definitely best to continue using the system best suited for
dealing with them, Military Tribunals. And the facilities (Camp
Justice) are in place at Gitmo for those tribunals to operate.
Why fix what ain't broke?
There is some concern that a few of the detainees
are not dangerous to us, and never were, but I see that as just
another excuse to forgive them for being anti-American to begin
with. Some 14% of detainees released have returned to fight
against us in one arena or another, do we want to more of that?
For all his talk of earning respect and softening our image in
the world, Obama fails to recognize that our enemies don't give a
hoot, and being soft is not going to change a thing. If that were
the case, why has al Qaeda continued to attack us since 1979,
long before there was a Camp Delta? Did those attacks end when
Clinton was President and presented a softer image than Bush II
did? No. And they won't stop, ever, no matter what we do. Will
things change if we close Camp Delta? No, they'll still keep
coming after us, and will just have another set of excuses for
doing it. The last "global" jihad lasted over six hundred years,
so what makes anyone believe that this one will be over simply by
closing Gitmo or pulling all our troops out of the Middle East.
"History repeats itself." "If we fail to learn from history, we
are doomed to repeat it." It's time to accept the fact, and stop
sugarcoating them or twisting them to one agenda or another, it's
time for everyone to stand tall for America, while we still
can.
WAKE UP, AMERICA!!
WE'RE BEING SOLD DOWN THE RIVER!!
We need to stop worrying about how well our
enemies are treated, and start worrying about how to survive as a
nation of freedom, liberty, and prosperity.
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