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Posts tagged ‘GITMO’

Law Firms That Raced To Defend Terrorists In Gitmo Leave Jan. 6 Defendants Out To Dry


Reported By Allison Schuster | OCTOBER 26, 2021

Read more at https://thefederalist.com/2021/10/26/law-firms-that-raced-to-defend-terrorists-in-gitmo-leave-j6-defendants-out-to-dry/

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At least 50 high-powered law firms that went out of their way to defend foreign terrorists in Guantanamo Bay free of charge are nowhere to be found as hundreds of American citizens languish in prison for charges related to entering the U.S. Capitol building during the January 6 riot.

When foreign terrorists, including the accused mastermind who helped plan the 9/11 attack, were being held in the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp, law firms from across the country volunteered to represent them pro bono. Now, nearly 600 Americans face an intense legal battle over their participation in the events of January 6, and these same firms are leaving them defenseless. Not one of the legal firms that assisted Gitmo terrorists have helped any of those charged with ties to January 6.

In 2009, the American Civil Liberties Union went so far as to create an entire group of lawyers ready to defend Gitmo detainees under the John Adams Project, to show their dedication to ensuring all have a top-notch defense.

John Adams, whose patriotism was proven in his instrumental legal role in helping found the American republic, defended British soldiers after the Boston Massacre in an American courtroom. Although undoubtedly a revolutionary hero, Adams felt convicted that the judicial system cannot be just if everyone doesn’t receive a quality defense. With popular opinion so staunchly against the soldiers, Adams risked his reputation to uphold this principle.

Attorney Steve Schaefer explained to me that a strong legal defense for all accused of crimes is necessary, as it is the only way to reveal the truth of what occurred before the court. If the facts don’t come to light, the American justice system is in jeopardy, as people are at the will of an arbitrary power. Schaefer said, that causes Americans to lose trust in the American experiment, so the importance of quality representation prior to adjudication in court can’t be overstated.

“It’s indispensable to have to have a strong advocacy on behalf of criminal defendants — even if the allegations are unsavory — because our entire process hinges on a protection of the citizen and that the government has to meet the highest burden, which is beyond a reasonable doubt, in order to convict them of a crime,” Schaefer said.

Without a strong criminal defense, the government can take away individual rights without a clear demonstration of the guilt of the accused. The firms who trumpeted the right to a strong defense for everyone charged in the American legal system when it came to Guantanamo Bay are well aware of the need for a competent defense for citizens today, yet they have not allocated any resources to an equal defense for some accused of crimes.

The law firm Wilmer and Hale told The New York Times in 2008 that establishing a proper defense for Gitmo detainees “was about as important as anything we could take on.”

Despite widespread allegations of prosecutorial zealotry and differing standards of prosecution for the January 6 rioters compared to the thousands of rioters across the nation in 2020 who besieged the White House, federal courthouses, police precincts, national symbols, and small businesses, no similar defense fund or coordination has been provided for those charged in the January 6 riot.

Julie Kelly, a reporter covering dozens of January 6 defendants since their cases began, said the majority of those who have been charged have no prior experience navigating the legal system. Few have been charged with any crime before in their lives and now must rely on government-provided public defenders because they can’t afford anyone else.

“We have a Gitmo in Washington D.C.,” Kelly told me. “We have a prison that has been used solely to house and detain men arrested and charged — not convicted, just charged with offenses — related to January 6.”

Some of the nonviolent defendants were so misinformed by the FBI that they thought they were being questioned to help them find violent offenders, all while the FBI was gathering evidence against those being questioned, she said.

“These people are being treated in court as domestic terrorists. Dozens of them are held under pre-trial detention orders, which means they don’t even have a chance to make bail,” Kelly noted. “They are considered too dangerous to be let out of jail, awaiting trials which won’t start until the middle of next year at the earliest.”

Capitol rioter Paul Hodgkins’ prosecutor referred to him as a domestic terrorist in his sentencing, and FBI Director Christopher Wray has designated January 6 an act of domestic terrorism. Many who didn’t even know they were doing anything wrong, entering the Capitol as police opened doors for them, face detrimental charges threatening to turn them into convicted felons, revoking their right to vote and to own a gun for the rest of their lives.

While corporate media and other establishment institutions have long encouraged pro-bono legal representation of those held at Gitmo, they have discouraged it for those charged in the January 6 riot. Media and political figures argue those charged in the riot were violent insurrectionists seeking to overthrow the government. However, not a single person at the riot has been charged with inciting insurrection. They have instead been charged with obstruction of an official proceeding, which is the felony charge that the government is adding to mostly misdemeanor cases of trespassing.

The vast majority of those charged with ties to January 6 carried no weapons, harmed no one, vandalized nothing, and stole nothing, according to Kelly. Most walked through the capitol against no resistance at 2:40 p.m., took a selfie, and were out by 3 p.m. These defendants are also being tried in front of a jury in Washington, D.C., a city where more than 92 percent of the voters voted to elect Joe Biden last November.

Civil liberties advocates say the treatment of January 6 defendants reveals an alarming threat to American jurisprudence. Some blame intimidation from well-funded leftist groups for the lack of a competent defense. Lawyers who do exert effort in providing such a defense have been harrassed.

According to NPR, attorney Nabeel Kibria represented one of the first defendants in the investigation to plead guilty, after which point Kibria began facing attacks and death threats 48 hours after her client’s plea deal “from people … who you would think were on a whole different spectrum than what the Bustles [a married couple on trial] are in terms of political ideology or the people of the January 6 riots.”

Firms that consider themselves advocates for the least among us fail to uphold their convictions by abandoning people like Hodgkins. The system of justice that exists in this country, outlined in the Constitution in no uncertain terms, requires a strong defense.

“It is extremely frustrating and heartbreaking to see the Beltway’s legal and judicial system so heavily stacked against these people who have no means to defend themselves,” Kelly said. “And you have no lawyers on the right willing to step up and take these cases either pro bono, or even low bono, to help these people.”

One thing is clear: Those on the left put a lot of work into defending Afghan terrorists a decade ago, touting the need for providing a quality legal defense to those who were least likely to have quality, willing representation. Now, in the hour of need for Americans charged with much lesser crimes than mass murder, the same firms remain silent.

Allison Schuster is a research assistant for Hillsdale College in DC and a 2021 Hillsdale graduate, as well as a former intern for The Federalist. Follow her on Twitter @allisonshoestor.

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9/11 Mastermind, 4 Co-Conspirators Still Awaiting Trial 18 Years Since Attacks


Reported by Edwin Mora | 

URL of the original posting site: https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2019/09/11/9-11-mastermind-4-co-conspirators-still-awaiting-trial-18-years-since-attacks/

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, 911 mastermind, was allowed to build a vacuum will in a secret CIA prison in Romania keep him from going nuts. / HO/AFP/Getty Images

The death penalty trial of the self-proclaimed 9/11 mastermind and his four co-conspirators held at the U.S. military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, is still pending nearly two decades after the jihadis executed the attack, the deadliest on American soil.

In an unprecedented move, however, the judge overseeing the military tribunal at Gitmo finally set a date at the end of last month for the start of the trial for the five defendants.

On August 30, U.S. Air Force Col. Shane Cohen, who took over as the judge overseeing the case in June, said the trial would begin January 11, 2021, as the nation approaches the 20th anniversary of the day that triggered the longest war in American history.

The United States invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 to remove the Taliban from power for harboring the late al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in the days leading to the attack and prevent the South Asian country from again becoming a haven for terrorists seeking to attack America.

Afghanistan is now home to the “highest regional concentration” of terrorist groups in the world, including the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), the Pentagon reported in July.

Pre-trial hearings for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) and the four other men alleged to have played vital roles in helping carry out the massacre on September 11, 2001, resumed Monday.

As the U.S. holds another memorial service Wednesday for the nearly 3,000 people killed by al-Qaeda 18 years ago, the five defendants will still be awaiting trial.

KSM and his co-conspirators — Walid Muhammad Bin Attash, Ramzi Bin Al Shibh, Ali Abdul-Aziz Ali, and Mustafa Ahmed Al Hawsawi — could face the death penalty.

The U.S. is still holding the five terrorists at the detention facility in Guantánamo, commonly known as Gitmo.

U.S. authorities did not arraign KSM and his four co-conspirators until May 2012, more than a decade after the attacks. American service-members captured KSM in 2003 and transferee him to Gitmo in 2006.

The military commission at Gitmo has repeatedly delayed the prospective trial of the 9/11 perpetrators in U.S. custody.

In setting the trial date, Judge Cohen acknowledged that the U.S. military base at Guantánamo “will face a host of administrative and logistics challenges,” the Military Times reported.

National Public Radio (NPR) added:

[A] number of other deadlines would need to be met for the long-delayed trial to begin.
That includes the U.S. government turning over all evidence it is required to give to defense attorneys. Lawyers for the five defendants say prosecutors have not been forthcoming.
Several defense attorneys told NPR they think the scheduled trial date is unrealistic, and they say Guantánamo isn’t physically ready for a trial of that magnitude. But prosecutors have been asking for a trial date for several years and say that finally having one will motivate all parties to meet the deadline.

The tribunal overseeing the case of the 9/11 attackers is a hybrid of the federal and military justice system.

This week, the German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) revealed:

Crucial pre-trial hearings for the accused mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks and four other men alleged to have played key roles in helping carry out the passenger plane hijackings will resume on Monday (September 9) in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
…
[KSM], who confessed to being involved in the capture and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, was subjected to extensive torture and was waterboarded 183 times.
The procedure simulates a drowning experience.
Lawyers for the defense are arguing that any confessions or other material should be invalidated because of the torture and are likely to file motions to have the entire trial set aside.

Gitmo is still housing 40 jihadis, the majority of whom are considered “forever prisoners,” or too dangerous to release.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has only transferred one detainee out of the facility. Former U.S. President Barack Obama had approved the prisoner for release.

The Trump administration is considering sending newly captured terrorists to the prison, particularly the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) jihadis.

Citing the slow-moving pace of the military commissions and the cost of operating Gitmo, critics continue to argue in favor of allowing civilian courts on U.S. soil to handle the remaining cases.

U.S. law approved under the Obama administration, however, makes it impossible to transfer any Guantánamo prisoner to the United States.

Gitmo’s military tribunals have only produced eight convictions, including four overturned completely and one partially.

KSM and the other four defendants are among the only seven prisoners still held at Gitmo who face charges before a “military commission.”

Of the four overturned convictions, the military commission will have to deal with three. The other prisoner has appealed his life sentence to the U.S. Supreme Court.

U.S. authorities only charged 16 detainees held at G with criminal offenses, Human Rights Watch reported.

Yemenis make up the single largest national group at the prison, followed by Saudis.

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Prisoner Paid for Time Served at Gitmo


waving flag disclaimerFebruary 23, 2017 | Authored By

URL of the original posting site: http://commonconstitutionalist.com/current-events/prisoner-paid-for-time-served-at-gitmo/#more-34066

For years many of us right-wingers complained that former president Obama (that is nice to say – former) was soft on terrorism. We showed incredulity at the naïveté of the president for releasing prisoners from the Detention Facility at Guantanimo Bay, Cuba.

“Does he not realize that a good many of these ‘detainees’ will just end up right back on the battlefield, looking to kill Americans,?” we said. And for some that did indeed occur.

Yet we do, or did, have something going for us – something we can hang our hat on. We can at least say we’re not Great Britain. As ill-advised as Obama’s Gitmo policy was, his judgment was still not as bad as England’s former Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

In 1994, British citizen, Ronald Fiddler, converted to Islam and changed his name to Jamal Udeen al-Harith, writes the Daily Mail.

In 2002, al-Harith was discovered in Afghanistan. After American forces captured him, “he denied being a terrorist and claimed to have been taken prisoner by the Taliban after visiting the Middle East as part of a ‘religious holiday.’” That’s where I always take my “religious holidays.”

The Americans didn’t buy his line of bull crap and shipped him off to another religious holiday at sunny Gitmo. Then the British government got involved. Prime Minister Blair charged his Home Secretary, David Blunkett with the task of lobbying the Americans hard for al-Harith’s release. The Bush White House relented and Jamal was freed two years later.

Oh, we haven’t got to the good part yet. Ready for it?

Upon his return to England, he was released without charge, and the Blair government paid him £1million ($1.25 million by today’s exchange), for time served in Gitmo. Yes – you read that right – $1.25 million for spending just two years in Gitmo. For all the times the left mocked George W. Bush for being just so stupid, he never paid a terrorist for being detained at Gitmo. Frankly, neither did Obama. He only paid over $1 billion in ransom to Iran.definetly

There were claims that it was hush money, so that he remain quiet about the “abuse” he suffered at the hands of Brits and Americans. Maybe they made him wear girl’s undies.

Al-Harith then married and had five children. Nothing much more is known of him, that is until he left the U.K. in 2014 and moved to ISIS controlled Syrian territory. In 2015, his wife and children travelled to Syria to join up with him – she claims to try to talk him out of the terrorist lifestyle and come home. She says she could not convince him to leave.

Although we don’t know where the wife and children are – the Daily Mail reports there last location is somewhere along the Syrian-Turkish border – we definitely know what came of al-Harith.

On Tuesday a photo was released of al-Harith, who had changed his name to, or rather ISIS had given him the name Abu Zakariya al-Britani. He was photographed inside an SUV, with wires hanging down and red detonator button beside him.

He and another suicide bomber drove their vehicles to a military facility outside Tal Kisum, Iraq and detonated them. A statement released by the ISIS Tuesday said: “The martyrdom-seeking brother Abu Zakariya al-Britani – may Allah accept him – detonated his explosives-laden vehicle on a headquarters of the Rafidhi army and its militias in Tal Kisum village, southwest of Mosul.” Rest in pieces Jamal.

A million pounds for that. Money well spent by Tony Blair and the British taxpayer. Congrats!

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Report: Obama to Free Gitmo Detainees Who Have Vowed to Behead Americans


waving flagAuthored by Edwin Mora / 5 Jan 2017

URL of the original posting site: http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2017/01/05/report-obama-mass-transfer-gitmo-detainees-threatened-behead-bomb-americans/

Islamic

Getty Images

President Barack Obama plans to transfer out at least 22 of the 59 detainees who remain at the U.S. military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, by the time he leaves the White House, a move that will liberate jihadists who have threatened to behead and bomb Americans, the Daily Mail has learned.

In recent weeks, the number of detainees who are expected to be set free by the end of Obama’s tenure on January 20 has varied by news agencies from 17 to 19. Earlier this week, the White House responded to incoming President Donald Trump’s urging to stop transferring prisoners out of Guantánamo, saying it plans to liberate more detainees before Obama leaves office.

The Obama administration reportedly told Congress last month that the sitting president would reduce the population of Guantánamo, also known as Gitmo, by 19 to 40 detainees.

Now, the Daily Mail reports:

muslim-obama

Image added by WjhatDidYouSay.org

President Obama is planning to transfer at least 22 additional Guantanamo Bay detainees out of the military detention center before he leaves office later this month, DailyMail.com has learned.

The group being released will be drawn from those held at Guantanamo – who include an accused senior al Qaeda bomb-maker, the terror group’s top financial manager, and two intended 9/11 hijackers, who have all been held in the Cuba-based U.S. detention facility for more than a decade

U.S. transfers 15 Guantanamo detainees to United Arab Emirates

obama-muslim-2-610x400

Image added by WhatDidYouSay.org

Of the 59 prisoners still held at Gitmo, 22 have been cleared for release by Obama’s multi-agency parole-style board known as the Periodic Review Board (PRB) and nearly half (27) are considered “forever prisoners,” or too dangerous to release.

However, the PRB has made the decision to liberate prisoners who had already been designated too dangerous to release, which means the “forever prisoner” designation has not prevented the Obama administration from transferring out detainees.

According to the Miami Herald, the remaining 10 prisoners are still undergoing war crimes proceedings at military commissions, including six who are facing death penalty tribunals.

The Daily Mail reports:

The list of “recommended for transfer” prisoners includes a number of top al Qaeda operatives and commanders

[…]

obama-defending-muslims-two

Image added by WhatDidYouSay.org

Some of the recommended transfers have also vowed to return to jihad if they are ever released, according to reports from US military officials. They have also threatened to assassinate the U.S. president, kill American citizens, and attack other world leaders who are allied with the West.

At least four countries — including Italy, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia — are expected to take in some of the 19 prisoners who are expected to be transferred by January 20.

On Wednesday, Reuters reports that Obama will transfer four prisoners to Saudi Arabia in the next 24 hours.

The Daily Mail notes:

Fifty-nine enemy combatants in total still remain at Guantanamo, including terror “mastermind” Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, two of the “20th hijackers” for the 9/11 attacks, and the strategists behind the USS Cole bombing of 2000.

The group includes al Qaeda henchmen from around the world who are trained in lethal military tactics – ranging from sniper assassins and rocket-propelled grenade operators, to explosives and chemical weapons experts.

against America

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According to the latest estimate by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), three out of every 10 Guantánamo detainees who have been released under both Presidents Obama and George W. Bush are suspected or confirmed to have re-engaged in terrorist activities. Some of the liberated prisoners are believed to have American blood on their hands.

The Daily Mail points out, “Some released detainees have gone back into terrorism. Four of the senior leaders in al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) are former Guantanamo Bay detainees that were transferred to Saudi Arabia or Sudan.”Oh good

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Today’s Politically INCORRECT Cartoons


By WhatDidYouSay.org

Fork in the road

Posted on January 5, 2015

URL of the Original Posting Site: http://conservativebyte.com/2015/01/fork-road/

Fork in NRD 600 w logo

save the day

By WhatDidYouSay.org

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Today’s Politically INCORRECT Cartoon


Gitmo

Posted on January 3, 2015

URL of the Original Posting Site: http://conservativebyte.com/2015/01/gitmo/

Gitmo

Dupe and Chains

Imperial Islamic President Obama

By WhatDidYouSay.org

By WhatDidYouSay.org

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Pelosi: More Terrorism to Come from Guantanamo Anger than Released Taliban


http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2014/06/04/Pelosi-More-Terrorism-Comes-From-Anger-Over-Guantanamo-The-Released-Taliban-Will-Cause##ixzz33t8TLXzr

Breitbart TV 4 Jun 2014

pelosieTuesday after a rally called “When women succeed, America succeeds,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) answered reporters questions outside the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. A reporter asked for her opinion on the prisoner exchange of five top Taliban terrorist for the release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, Pelosi said she has confidence in President Barack Obama’s handling of the situation.

Pelosi then linked the swap to Guantanamo saying the President was within his rights to release the five because Republicans have been blocking solutions. Pelosi said the five will be monitored by Qatar “so they don’t pose a big danger to our country.”

“Let put it this way, there is more terrorism that is invoked by keeping the people concern about the imprisonment over a long period of time,” she said. “There was a, very much, a bigger picture, should Guantanamo go now we are almost thirteen years later. So I support the president. I trust his judgment.”

Never Argue

 

Complete MessageVOTE 02

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CNN: Intercepted Radio Chatter Indicated Bergdahl Sought Contact With Taliban


http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2014/06/04/cnn-radio-chatter-indicates-bergdahl-sought-contract-with-the-taliban-n1847233

Guy Benson | Jun 04, 2014

Guy Benson

CNN landed the interview, but the dramatic allegation comes from Sgt. Evan Buetow — Bowe Bergdahl’s team leader. To briefly recap what we’ve learned today, according to Fox News, “many” US intelligence officials have harbored concerns that Bergdahl may have “actively collaborated” with the Taliban enemy. The New York Times and Fox both published scoops regarding Bergdahl’s desertion note, which may have suggested (whatever that means) a desire to abandon his American citizenship. And now this:

Within days of his disappearance, says Buetow, teams monitoring radio chatter and cell phone communications intercepted an alarming message: The American is in Yahya Khel (a village two miles away). He’s looking for someone who speaks English so he can talk to the Taliban. “I heard it straight from the interpreter’s lips as he heard it over the radio,” said Buetow. “There’s a lot more to this story than a soldier walking away.” … “For 60 days or more, I remember, just straight, all we did was search for Bergdahl,” said Buetow, “essentially chasing a ghost because we never came up with anything.” At least six soldiers were killed in subsequent searches for him, according to soldiers involved in those operations…Many soldiers in Bergdahl’s platoon said attacks seemed to increase against the United States in Paktika province in the days and weeks following his disappearance. “Following his disappearance, IEDs started going off directly under the trucks. They were getting perfect hits every time. Their ambushes were very calculated, very methodical,” said Buetow. It was “very suspicious,” says Buetow, noting that Bergdahl knew sensitive information about the movement of U.S. trucks, the weaponry on those trucks, and how soldiers would react to attacks. “We were incredibly worried” that Bergdahl was giving up information, either under torture, or otherwise, says Buetow.

“Honor and distinction.” This is deadly serious stuff, literally. Bergdahl’s unit leader on the night he evidently deserted claims that intercepted communications from shortly after Bergdahl’s disappearance indicated that he may have been proactively seeking out the Taliban. The kindest explanation is that Bergdahl was already being held against his will in some fashion and was desperate to communicate with his captors as a means of self-preservation. But it’s pretty clear that Buetow doesn’t believe that. He takes things a step further, theorizing that Bergdahl may have lent his expertise to the enemy in order to improve the effectiveness of their ambushes and IEDs. If your instinct is to wave that theory away as extreme, consider two factors: (1) Wikileaks cables appear to corroborate a major part of Buetow’s account, and (2) the UK Daily Mail printed this all the way back in 2010:

A captured American soldier is training Taliban fighters bomb-making and ambush skills, according to one of his captors and Afghan intelligence officials. Private Bowe Bergdahl disappeared in June 2009 while based in eastern Afghanistan and is thought to be the only U.S. serviceman in captivity. The 24-year-old has converted to Islam and now has the Muslim name Abdullah, one of his captors told The Sunday Times.

In a vacuum, I wouldn’t necessarily put too much stock in the word of the Taliban, or Afghan intelligence officials. But now we have Buetow’s accusations to add into the equation, and people on both sides of this conflict have told a hauntingly similar story. These fears look more realistic than ever. The president must have known Bergdahl’s case was a minefield, but some combination of arrogance and tone-deafness led him to disregard internal concerns from the defense and intel communities, and to convince himself that this news would be met with euphoric celebrations. In case you were curious, Obama is “unapologetic” over the decision, of course. The same can’t be said of many Senate Democrats who’ve suddenly gone, well, AWOL on this story. I wonder why. Could it be that unlawfully releasing five hardened Taliban commanders from US custody with loose (if any) security precautions in place in exchange for an apparent deserter and alleged enemy collaborator might be…politically toxic? As you know, I’ve been scratching my head over this whole thing for days now. Finally, some pieces seem to be falling into place. Between the “expected euphoria” report, the Guantanamo Bay closure experiment angle, and the crucial detail that Team Obama was reportedly itching to relieve themselves of these particular jihadists for some reason before Bergdahl became a hostage, I suspectAllahpunditmay be right on the money:

allah“Could this be President’s Obama attempt at empting GITMO in order to shut it down? Could he be depending on his Muslim buddies kidnapping Americans (anywhere) and holding them for GITMO detainees exchange? Sounds credible given President Obama’s conduct over the last 6 years. SORRY YET?” JB

The simple calculation came to a halt when the public, press, and Bergdahl’s former brothers didn’t react the way the White House anticipated.

Sorry YetRemember

HeartVOTE 02

 

 

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Obama Appeases Taliban – Releases 5 High Profile Gitmo Detainees


by http://freedomoutpost.com/2013/07/obama-appeases-taliban-releases-5-high-profile-gitmo-detainees/#ixzz2agNdXFjI

While the media remains obsessed with Weiner’s sexcapades, there is actually some serious news happening around the world. Though it is not being reported in very many places, the U.S. has apparently released 5 inmates from Guantanamo Bay in order to get those peaceful negotiations with Afghanistan and The Taliban off to a roaring start. Don’t worry though. The U.S. has made all 5 released inmates promise to be good boys.

YNet News Reports:

Without much publicity or official announcements, the United States released five Guantanamo Bay detainees as a nod of willingness to open peace talks in Afghanistan. After officials in Kabul expressed desire for negotiations, the Obama administration released five members of the Taliban who were detained at the US detention center.

A top US official said that the prisoners were released under the condition that they will not engage in any violent activity. While it is clear that they are guilty of crime, the benefit in releasing them—the potential withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan by the summer of 2014—is greater than the risk. The US announced it will attempt to negotiate peace talks with the Taliban and Afghanistan government officials some months ago.

This gesture from the US government was a departure from the Obama administration’s policy of zero tolerance to negotiations with terrorists and releasing prisoners; thus, in preparation for talks with Afghan officials, the US state department redefined the Taliban as an organization that is no longer included in the US enemy list.

Releasing the detainees from Guantanamo Bay serves another purpose for President Obama: The more prisoners released from the camp, the likelier it is for Congress to approve shutting down the facility altogether—a campaign promise which Obama he has been trying to realize since first being elected in 2008.

It appears that we have absolutely no reason to worry. They have been released under the condition that they engage in no violent activity. That’s a relief. I realize that they are former terrorists but they have surely been rehabilitated. They will probably all go to work in the private sector now and be fine upstanding citizens.

And furthermore, Obama does not negotiate with terrorists. He has a zero-tolerance policy for that. Since our government no longer sees The Taliban as a terrorist group then I should not worry about that at all. They are the good guys.

Is anyone else buying this load of crap? Come on YNet, I know you are journalists, but tell it like it is. We can’t get this news in our own country so we are counting on you. I will tell it like it is.

I for one do want to see Guantanamo closed but it’s not for the same reasons as many. The place is basically a country club for alleged Muslim terrorists. Do some research. It is not a corrections facility as much as it is a “political correctness” facility.

Obama can claim that he doesn’t negotiate with terrorists because he doesn’t view any of the radical Islamic groups as terrorists. But let’s look at some facts:

These are just the first several things that popped into my head and I could literally list dozens more. If this story was really anything positive then the mainstream media would be all over it. Obama knows that this story will cause controversy and has purposely tried to keep it out of the media. My guess is that they have been told to ignore it. The Obama administration is trying to hide it and was hoping that no one would notice.

Well we noticed.

But honestly we already know that you negotiate with terrorists.

I am continually embarrassed by our foreign policy. Between Horseface and The Dictator we will be very lucky not to trigger World War III before we get to the 2016 elections.

I realize that this was a gesture of good faith but when talking to terrorists I find that another gesture tends to work much better…

I am not someone that most Americans would want in The White House. I have anger issues. I don’t know why but when terrorists want to bring America to its knees I tend to take offense to that.

But if you want to compare my policy to Obama’s it is pretty simple. If my finger was on the button that he controls…Allah would have long run out of virgins. He’d be passing out sheep by now.

Negotiating with terrorists is a sign of weakness and the world laughs at our president while planning more jihad in America.

I happened to notice a comment on one of my blog posts today. The guy was basically calling me a drama queen and saying that I was overreacting in my article. I can’t help it. I am angry. My opinion is that someone needs to start doing a little overreacting and we need a lot less of this “let’s just see how it plays out” attitude.

This country is in trouble and you have to pick sides now. That “sit back and wait” attitude is exactly why we are at this point and it’s time to show some fight America. There is no more time for apathy. Primetime TV can wait. Your country needs you now.

Like most of my rants, this one is likely destined for internet obscurity but I can’t reach the heart of Americans by coddling them and telling them it’s OK.

Because it’s not OK.

It’s not OK to negotiate with terrorists and it’s OK to be angry about it.

If you don’t think that the Taliban is about terrorism and don’t think they are still very much our enemy you need to talk to one of our young Marines who has been fortunate enough to come home.

Obama spits in the face of everything that this country was built on and everything that this country hopes to someday return to.

We have not yet begun to fight.

UPDATE: Other outlets are carrying the story. Reuters has this piece. Breitbart published this article. The Taliban has previously offered to free U.S. soldier Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl, who has been held captive since 2009, in exchange for five Gitmo Prisoners.

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