TresSugar

Front Page: Palin Says Letterman Joke About Statutory Rape

TresSugar — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 07:24:09 -0700

Governor Sarah Palin ripped into Matt Lauer on the Today show, saying David Letterman's joke was "about the statutory rape of my 14-year-old daughter" and that Lauer was "extremely naive" if he believed otherwise. - Entertainment Weekly
Record turnout is expected today for Iran's presidential elections, as three candidates try to oust President Ahmadinejad. - New York Times
Obama gives up on bringing Gitmo detainees to US. - Washington Post
Alleged Holocaust museum gunman left note at the museum, saying Jews "created Obama." - CNN
April's Mom blogger, who captivated the pro-life community with her determination to keep a terminally ill baby, made the whole thing up. - Chicago Tribune
Anne Frank would have turned 80 today. To commemorate, the Anne Frank House museum in Amsterdam will permanently display her actual diary. - Los Angeles Times

Director Goes Inside Gitmo and Shares Experience With Us, Part II

CitizenSugar — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 09:30:47 -0700

Last night National Geographic broadcasted the new documentary Explorer: Inside Guantanamo. I got a chance to interview the director Bonni Cohen, who spent three weeks inside the camp filming. In part one of the interview yesterday, she shared her thoughts on whether the detainees will make it to US soil, the professional nature of the camp, and how Guantanamo is different than a typical prison. Bellow, see what she had to say about former detainees, the misconceptions about the military prison, and whether the treatment of enemy combatants will make US soldiers less safe in the future.

What did you learn interviewing former detainees? I don't think we've done ourselves any good locking these guys up and subsequently letting them go for reasons they don't understand only to go back to their lives, and not necessarily return to the battle, still some of them have - having really intense feelings toward the United States for how they were treated.

Could not applying the Geneva Convention at Guantanamo make US soldiers less safe? Yes, I think so. . . Somebody in the film does say, "Well if I ever find myself taken captive, I would expect to be treated firm, fairly, and impartially." And I think that the soldiers at Guantanamo feel that that's how these guys at Guantanamo are being treated. I can confirm that that's what we witnessed as well. There were definitely two Guantanamos. That of the early years of the war, and the one that we witnessed.

What do you make of the accusations of torture expressed in the film?

To read her answer, and to see a clip of from last night's show, read more.

What do you make of the accusations of torture expressed in the film? The military acts on what they are told to do. So it's really the leadership. No individual soldier.

Are there misconceptions about Guantanamo? The biggest mistake the Pentagon made was not letting people in sooner. Because secrecy and mystery breeds doubt. I think all anybody sees in their head when they think of Gitmo are those early images of the guys in the orange jumpsuits with the goggles and the ear muffs on, in the outdoor cages and they assume that's still the case. We went down there without an idea of what we would find there and we found this very professionally run prison. And instead of prison guards we have our own US military down there all these young people doing this really grueling work. But we certainly didn't find the conditions of the old Gitmo.

What are your hopes for Obama? I'm hoping he finds a way to fix this legal limbo these guys find themselves in.

Director Goes Inside Gitmo and Shares Experience With Us

CitizenSugar — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 12:00:37 -0700

Since the beginning of the War on Terror the US prison at Guantanamo Bay has sat under a cloud of controversy and in the middle of legal limbo. Suspected terrorists and innocent alike have been kept in the wire-enclosed camp in Cuba, outside the reach of American courts. National Geographic captured the day-to-day life in the prison for the film Explorer: Inside Guantanamo which airs tonight at 9 p.m. on the National Geographic Channel.

The documentary highlights hardworking military guards, former detainees, and the depressing reality of men being held for years without charges. The director Bonni Cohen took time to answer some of my questions. Check out her thoughts on whether the detainees will make it to US soil, the professional nature of the camp, and how Guantanamo is different than a typical prison. And stop by tomorrow for the second part of my interview.

Will detainees make it to US soil? Interestingly some of the more liberal habeas attorneys are saying now, "Well God, if they have to stay in detention, Guantanamo is better than being moved somewhere in the United States. At least they have each other." I think that even the detainees would think they're in a better position where they are now, than if they would be moved to the United States. I don't think moving them to the US is really going to happen. . . The idea now is returning as many of these men back home many of them have been cleared to go home. . . There are certain number of them, these hardcore guys, and we know who they are, that are never going to get out.

On the professional nature of the camp: Of course everybody thinks it was staged for us. But that just was not the case. For some reason American journalists would rather just continue to believe whatever it is that they have believed for the last seven years without any gradation of changes, it's just bizarre for me. You can't go into a place for three weeks and have the entire thing be staged for you.

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To see what Bonni thinks about the conditions at Gitmo, and for a preview from the film, read more.

How is Guantanamo different than other high security prisons? The big difference between a max prison and Guantanamo is that the guys (in the US) know why they're there, and they know how long they're going to be there. They know when they're getting out and they've had a chance to defend themselves. That's the biggest difference. In terms of the overall conditions, I think they're probably a little bit better at Guantanamo. I think the psychological conditions are much more grueling at Gitmo.

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Front Page: Guantanamo Abuses May Be Worse Under Obama

CitizenSugar — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 07:54:10 -0800

Abuse at Guantanamo Bay prison has worsened since Obama took office because guards want to "get their kicks in" before the camp closes, according to a lawyer representing detainees. - Reuters
President Obama is set to unveil his $3 trillion budget to the public today. - ABC News
General Motors reported a $9.6 billion loss for the fourth quarter. Its executives will lobby the US government for more aid. - CNN
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will promise more than $900 million in aid to Gaza as she prepares to dive into the Arab-Israeli conflict. - Reuters

The governor of Afghanistan's troubled Helmand province believes reconciliation with the Taliban is possible. - BBC News
Senator Roland Burris's son got a job from ex Gov. Rod Blagojevich, according to new revelations. - Chicago Sun Times

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Send Them to Rehab? Program Could Answer Gitmo Problem

LibertySugar — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 03:00:14 -0800

Following President Obama's order to close Guantanamo Bay prison within a year, the US is looking for responsible ways to relocate prisoners. Since one suggested location - Alcatraz - won't do, US lawmakers might consider "jihad rehab."

CNN reports that a Saudi rehab program, which uses religious teachers to re-educate Islamic radicals, could solve the US's dilemma of closing the prison while also keeping Americans safe. Saudi officials say that of the 218 participants that were arrested for engaging in terrorist activities only nine have been rearrested. That's less than .05 percent, and much better than the 11 percent re-engagement rate for prisoners released from Guantanamo. The program tries to neutralize dangerous ideology, explaining that killing goes against Muslim teachings, and also helps prisoners lead a normal life once they leave. One participant described his life before the program: "They told me Americans kill Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan. . . and they brainwash me. . . They said it's the honorable thing to do to go fight Americans."

Since keeping detainees at Guantanamo Bay with limited rights could have increased anti-American sentiment among many prisoners, a more enlightened approach might serve everyone's interests.

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Congressman Suggests Home For Gitmo Prisoners: Alcatraz

CitizenSugar — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 03:00:30 -0800

Figuring out where to place prisoners now being held at Guantanamo Bay could be a legal nightmare when Gitmo closes; but the political obstacles could be even more tricky. Thanks to the high profile nature of the prisoners, as well as their characterizations (exaggerated or not) as the most dangerous people in the world, it will be hard to convince cities or towns to keep the prisoners within their limits.

One Republican, Florida Congressman Bill Young, came up with a creative location - Alcatraz! Unfortunately, the island in the San Francisco Bay, which was once an infamous US prison, is now a money-making tourist destination.

When it comes to actual functioning maximum security prisons on US soil, Democratic Pennsylvania Representative John Murtha pointed out last week that “there are thousands of dangerous prisoners being held securely behind bars in supermax prisons across the United States." In fact, Murtha said he would be willing to accept the suspected terrorists in his district. The invitation has some local officials excited about the job and revenue potential, since a maximum security prison would have to be built first.

Would you protest if Guantanamo Bay prisoners came to a prison near you?

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Day Two: Obama Tackles Gitmo, Military Trials, & Interrogation

CitizenSugar — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 11:05:05 -0800

An executive order signed by Barack Obama today orders the closing of Guantanamo Bay within a year. The order, along with two others calling for the reviewing of military trials of terror suspects and the banning of harsh interrogation methods, mark a sharp break from Bush administration policies unpopular around the world and among many Americans.

After the signing, the president said:

The message we are sending around the world is that the US intends to prosecute the ongoing struggle against violence and terrorism and we are going to do so vigilantly, we are going to do so effectively, and we are going to do so in a manner that is consistent with our values and our ideals . . . We intend to win this fight, and we intend to win it on our terms.

The Guantanamo Bay order requires the closure of the prison no later than one year from today, but also sets up a review process for figuring out what to do with the prisoners. The order on military trials creates a task force to review detainee policy. The interrogation order revokes a previous Bush order and forbids harsh tactics, while requiring all agencies to grant the Red Cross access to detainees. It also creates a special task force to look into rendition policies, and CIA interrogation practices. Are you happy with these executive orders?

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Pentagon: More Ex-Gitmo Inmates Returning to Terrorism

CitizenSugar — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:30:30 -0800

News broke yesterday that President-elect Obama plans on signing an order to close Guantanamo Bay perhaps as early as his first day on the job. Well today, the Pentagon cast a potential shadow on the plan, announcing that 61 ex-Gitmo prisoners have "returned to the fight." The Pentagon's spokesperson said: "The overall known terrorist re-engagement rate has increased to 11 percent" from 7 percent.

The Pentagon's assessment previews the challenges Obama will face while trying to close the controversial prison. While some detainees present a clear danger, the US admits that others, such as 17 dissidents kept at Gitmo because they could face death back in China, should be released.

Last night on the Rachel Maddow Show an Air Force major who defends detainees in Gitmo's US military tribunals said: "Americans would expect that the military commission would focus on high-level terrorists, people responsible for 9/11 and other serious terrorist attacks against the United States. In fact the early focus of the commissions has been on child soldiers, drivers, foot soldiers."

Do you think the Pentagon's 11 percent terrorist recidivism rate for those released from Guantanamo is enough to justify the prison, or should the US close it ASAP? And, to see the clip from last night's Rachel Maddow Show, read more.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

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Front Page: 9/11 "Mastermind" to Plead Guilty Without Trial

CitizenSugar — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0800

The alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and his four codefendants have asked to plead guilty to the attacks, meaning the current trial would never go ahead. The defendants told a military judge at Guantanamo Bay that they want to confess. - BBC News
Pakistani security forces have arrested Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the suspected mastermind of the Mumbai massacre, after a raid on a militant camp. - AP

Tight government control of the auto industry, including a provision for a "car czar," will be part of legislation drafted by Congressional Democrats. With details still unclear, it's almost certain that the US car industry will have to submit to substantial government supervision if it wants taxpayer money. - NY Times
Riots continued in Greece today for the third day in a row. After police shot a teenage boy to death, protesters took to the streets throughout the major cities, clashing with police. - CNN

Barack Obama Plans to Close Guantanamo Bay

LibertySugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 09:40:45 -0800

Behind the scenes, President-elect Obama is creating a plan to close Guantanamo Bay, and move numerous terrorist suspects to the United States. The detainees, currently in legal limbo, will most likely face trial in the US criminal justice system or be released.

A review of military tribunal files recently revealed that a good amount of the 255 detainees have significant terrorism credentials, such as connections to al Qaeda leaders, assassination experience, and training in the use of poison and disguises. Under Obama's plan, detainees whose cases involve classified and extremely sensitive evidence will most likely go to new courtrooms designed to handle national security cases. Military tribunals would no longer prosecute detainees outside of the US.

Are you happy to see that most detainees will be tried publicly in the United States, or do you think Guantanamo is necessary to win the war on terror?

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