Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

  • Shop
  • Subscribe to BMG
  • Contact
  • Log In
  • Front Page
  • All Posts
  • About
  • Rules
  • Events
  • Register on BMG

Powell: Close Guantanamo today, we’re better than that

June 10, 2007 By Charley on the MTA

Again, not feeling interesting today, so I’ll just parrot the national blogs because this needs to be repeated: Here’s Colin Powell on Meet the Press today:

Guantanamo has become a major, major problem for America?s perception as it?s seen, the way the world perceives America.  And if it was up to me, I would close Guantanamo not tomorrow, but this afternoon. I?d close it.  And I would not let any of those people go.  I would simply move them to the United States and put them into our federal legal system. The concern was, ?Well, then they?ll have access to lawyers, then they?ll have access to writs of habeas corpus.? So what?  Let them.  Isn?t that what our system?s all about?  And, by the way, America, unfortunately, has two million people in jail all of whom had lawyers and access to writs of habeas corpus. And so we can handle bad people in our system.  And so I would get rid of Guantanamo and I?d get rid of the military commission system and use established procedures in federal law or in the manual for courts-martial.  I would do that because I think it?s a more equitable way to do it and it?s more understandable in constitutional terms.  I would always?I would also do it because every morning I pick up a paper and some authoritarian figure, some person somewhere is using Guantanamo to hide their own misdeeds.  And so, essentially, we have shaken the belief that the world had in America?s justice system by keeping a place like Guantanamo open and creating things like the military commission.  We don?t need it, and it?s causing us far damage than any good we get for it.  But, remember what I started in this discussion saying, ?Don?t let any of them go.? Put them into a different system, a system that is experienced, that knows how to handle people like this.

Of course, doing the sensible thing is beyond the stuff of the small minds and hearts of the men currently in power. So pleased with their own power, and so fearful of the rule of law which inhibits them, they purposely whip up hysteria to bolster their own power — and become captive to it themselves.

Guantanamo is a sign of weakness and cowardice; I look forward to more leaders saying so loudly.

Please share widely!
fb-share-icon
Tweet
0
0

Filed Under: User Tagged With: gitmo, guantanamo, habeas-corpus, national, powell

Comments

  1. laurel says

    June 10, 2007 at 11:46 pm

    Powell can still disappoint.  Don’t get me wrong.  I agree that it is important to get as many people as possible calling for the closure of Guantanamo.  But it is disappointing that his reasoning is based on how it make the US look to outsiders, not on the utter brutality and injustice of the system that Guantanamo is part of.  Maybe I’m being too hard on the guy, who may be just trying another tact with the part of the American public that doesn’t care about justice.  But wouldn’t it be nice for one highly placed figure in the administration, even if one who retired in disgrace several years ago, to make a clear call for ethics and justice being dandy reasons for change all by themselves?  But no, it’s more important what the Joneses think.

    • syphax says

      June 11, 2007 at 1:31 am

      It’s very easy to criticize Colin Powell’s performance in the Bush Administration.  He chose to be a good soldier rather than a good citizen, and in doing so failed to try to stop a war that he knew was a really bad idea.

      <

      p>
      Obviously I don’t really know the guy, but I really think Colin Powell is/was an earnest person. I think his comment “Isn’t that what our system’s all about?” pretty much covers him on the rightness/wrongness issue of Guantanamo.

      <

      p>
      I feel bad for Colin Powell.  He made his own bed, of course, but he still strikes me as a stand-up, earnest person (as much as is possible with a national political figure) who fell in with the wrong crowd. A tragedy for him and the rest of us.

Recommended Posts

  • No posts liked yet.

Recent User Posts

Predictions Open Thread

December 22, 2022 By jconway

This is why I love Joe Biden

December 21, 2022 By fredrichlariccia

Garland’s Word

December 19, 2022 By terrymcginty

Some Parting Thoughts

December 19, 2022 By jconway

Beware the latest grift

December 16, 2022 By fredrichlariccia

Thank you, Blue Mass Group!

December 15, 2022 By methuenprogressive

Recent Comments

  • blueeyes on Beware the latest griftSo where to, then??
  • Christopher on Some Parting ThoughtsI've enjoyed our discussions as well (but we have yet to…
  • Christopher on Beware the latest griftI can't imagine anyone of our ilk not already on Twitter…
  • blueeyes on Beware the latest griftI will miss this site. Where are people going? Twitter?…
  • chrismatth on This site (will be disabled on) December 31, 2022I joined BMG late - 13 years ago next month and three da…
  • SomervilleTom on Geopolitics of FusionEVERY un-designed, un-built, and un-tested technology is…
  • Charley on the MTA on This site (will be disabled on) December 31, 2022That’s a great idea, and I’ll be there on Sunday. It’s a…

Archive

@bluemassgroup on Twitter

#mapoli

mysteriousrook Ed Lyons @mysteriousrook ·
2h

Does reputation matter? Paul’s a known #mapoli sock puppet for people who don’t believe in climate change, He doesn’t support government regulating the environment. Ever. He wrote “green” in in the lede here. He attacked climate goals in the last sentence! https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/is-mining-lithium-in-maine-a-cost-of-going-electric/

Reply on Twitter 1622886215518134273 Retweet on Twitter 1622886215518134273 Like on Twitter 1622886215518134273 Twitter 1622886215518134273
valleypatriot Tommy Duggan @valleypatriot ·
3h

https://www.valleypatriot.com/pdf-of-the-february-2023-valley-patriot-democrats-steal-house-seat/

#mapoli @TuckerCarlson @FoxNews #StolenElection #Massachusetts #Georgetown @LennyMirra @massgop

Reply on Twitter 1622876971897159680 Retweet on Twitter 1622876971897159680 Like on Twitter 1622876971897159680 Twitter 1622876971897159680
legislataapp Legislata @legislataapp ·
3h

Tweet summary for MA State House for 2023-02-06: 129 tweets from 49 legislators. Top words: school, caucus, votesteveowens, jeffroy, act, rep, ma4earlycollege, mannycruz_ma, jamieeldridgema, center. #mapoli

Reply on Twitter 1622869502173106178 Retweet on Twitter 1622869502173106178 Like on Twitter 1622869502173106178 Twitter 1622869502173106178
notoriousvog Notorious VOG @notoriousvog ·
6h

Oh! My Bad, it's @MayorWu's office who signs off on the hush money to make beatdowns go away. Money well spent to keep folks like @AttorneyCrump away. He doesn’t care about RACIST @TheDemocrats anyways — only @GOP.🙄🤦🏾‍♂️ #BOSpoli #MApoli

Notorious VOG @NotoriousVOG

I suspect @bostonpolice will be on "high alert" tomorrow. A cop dies of indigestion in Alaska, and BPD goes on “high Alert. Yet, they don’t go on “high alert” when they kill Black people in Boston or payout millions in hush money to make a beatdown go away.🙄🤦🏾‍♂️ #BOSpoli #MApoli https://twitter.com/BostonGlobe/status/1622817060798746624

Reply on Twitter 1622823862546362370 Retweet on Twitter 1622823862546362370 Like on Twitter 1622823862546362370 Twitter 1622823862546362370
notoriousvog Notorious VOG @notoriousvog ·
7h

I suspect @bostonpolice will be on "high alert" tomorrow. A cop dies of indigestion in Alaska, and BPD goes on “high Alert. Yet, they don’t go on “high alert” when they kill Black people in Boston or payout millions in hush money to make a beatdown go away.🙄🤦🏾‍♂️ #BOSpoli #MApoli

The Boston Globe @BostonGlobe

Officer killed, second wounded in western Pennsylvania shootout https://trib.al/YZoma7z

Reply on Twitter 1622822748753137664 Retweet on Twitter 1622822748753137664 1 Like on Twitter 1622822748753137664 1 Twitter 1622822748753137664
b87fm Boston 87.7 FM @b87fm ·
7h

👁‍🗨Wake🆙WOKE
& gET BlackK
w/ Boston's
UNAPOLOGETIC
Urban VOICE⤵
@NotoriousVOG

🖤WEEKDAYS
🕖7 to 11a
📲Call/Text⤵
(617) 440-8777

📻Listen 87.7FM | http://b87fm.com/player
http://bit.ly/2nilQR3

🔖#NITM☕
#UrbanAgenda
#BOSpoli #MApoli

Only BLACK-Eyed 👁‍🗨VIEW

Notorious VOG @NotoriousVOG

I'm not going to do your jobs for you'll, but I do know the details. It’s what happens when you actually talk to Black and brown people who lives in Boston. Btw, no one hates electeds more that their family members. And guess who they all call in the mornings!🙄🤦🏾‍♂️#BOSpoli #MApoli https://twitter.com/NotoriousVOG/status/1622816449051103232

Reply on Twitter 1622820111970365441 Retweet on Twitter 1622820111970365441 Like on Twitter 1622820111970365441 Twitter 1622820111970365441
Load More

From our sponsors




Google Calendar







Search

Archives

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter




Copyright © 2023 Owned and operated by BMG Media Empire LLC. Read the terms of use. Some rights reserved.