al Qaeda

al Qaeda, Barack Obama, detainees, Gitmo, Guantanamo, indefinite detention, Supermax

Supermax beds being cleared for Gitmo detainees; Sen. Inhofe asks ‘what kind of threat does this present to the American population?’

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Since June 30, President Barack Obama has cleared two dozen beds at Supermax for Gitmo detainees and today Senate Democrats will attempt to block a vote on Senator Jim Inhofe’s amendment [S.Amdt.1559] to the Defense Authorization bill (S.1390) for FY 2010. The amendment would prohibit the transfer of detainees from Guantanamo to any facility in the United States. (A final vote on the Defense authorization may come as early as this evening.) In addition, Senator Inhofe is also sponsoring the ‘Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility Safe Closure Act of 2009’ (S.370). We join Sen. Inhofe in asking you to call your Senators [(202) 224-3121] today and demand that they go on record, to vote ‘yea’ or ‘nay’ to keep terrorists out of America.

Previously, there was always a long waiting list to move infamous criminals, prisoners who had repeatedly assaulted guards or fellow prisoners, and high-security prisoners in grave danger in general population into Supermax. When President Obama took office there was one free bed. On June 30, 2009, Supermax inmate Eric Rudolph wrote Fox News saying it is already at capacity, “So even if they decide to move the detainees here I do not know where they would put them.”

Click on image to view the Bureau of Prison’s inmate population page

9/11 Families for a Safe & Strong America asked Senator Inhofe for his reaction to the suddenly available space at Supermax:

9/11, al Qaeda, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Gitmo, Guantanamo, Military Commissions, swift and certain justice alert

‘Swift and certain justice’ alert: Obama delaying Military Commissions for 66 but its all the ‘status quo’s’ fault

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On February 6, 2009, President Barack Obama promised 9/11 and U.S.S. Cole bombing families “swift and certain justice” for those who murdered their loved ones. A few mistakenly placed their faith in his words.

The Washington Times reported this morning on who the Obama administration blames for the delay:

Military lawyers at Guantanamo are prepared to go to trial with at least 66 terrorism suspects now held in extrajudicial detention on the U.S. Navy base, but Mr. Obama’s executive order two days after taking office has tied their hands, suspending all proceedings pending a detainee review that nearly seven months later is half-finished.

Proceedings last week for the five Sept. 11 suspects were mired in legalistic wrangling.

Still, the senior administration officials who briefed reporters pushed the blame back toward former President George W. Bush. “The status quo, incidentally, is not acceptable. Seven years, three prosecutions, endless litigation — that’s not what — that’s not the swift and certain justice that [Mr. Obama is] interested in making sure that we have.”

So, military lawyers were ready when President Obama took office to bring to trial those 66 detainees this year. Instead of concentrating on the future (what to do with those who could not be prosecuted by Military Commission and who need to be detained until they no longer are a threat to civil society), Obama is spewing platitudes and delaying trials. He continues to believe he can placate family members by blaming the “status quo” for why it might take years longer to bring al Qaeda’a killers to justice.

This has been a ‘Swift and certain justice’ alert. Expect many more similar alerts between now and January 20, 2013.