Graham calls Guantanamo terror suspects "crazy bastards"
Reminding his colleagues on the Senate floor "what 9/11 is all about," Sen. Lindsey Graham on Thursday night argued that Americans are against closing Guantanamo Bay to terror suspects because they do not want "these crazy bastards that want to kill us all" brought to the United States.
"Simply stated," the South Carolina Republican said during a Senate debate about the prison, "the American people don't want to close Guantanamo Bay, which is an isolated, military-controlled facility, to bring these crazy bastards that want to kill us all to the United States. Most Americans believe that the people at Guantanamo Bay are not some kind of burglar or bank robber; they are bent on our destruction."
Lawmakers voted 54-41 in favor of an amendment to the defense authorization bill that would prevent the transfer of detainees held at the Cuba facility to United States prisons. But President Obama, objecting to a provision limiting his authority to move terror suspects from Guantanamo Bay to foreign countries, has threatened to veto the legislation. Currently, the facility is holding 166 terror suspects, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind behind the September 11, 2001, attacks.
"Some of my colleagues in this body have forgotten what 9/11 is all about," Graham said. "The people who attacked us on 9/11, in that prison, want to destroy our way of life. They don't want to steal your car. They don't want to break in your house. And we've got a military prison being well run, so I think the American people are telling everybody in this body, 'Have you lost your mind? We're at war. Act like you're at war.'"
But another Republican senator - Rand Paul of Kentucky, the son of libertarian hero Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas - challenged Graham's assessment, based on the current law's denial of suspected terrorists' right to trial.
"I will tell you, since I know this record of this debate will be widely read, that I want to make formal objection to the 'crazy bastards standard,'" Paul said during his time on the floor. "I don't really think that if we're going to have a 'crazy bastards' standard that we shouldn't have a right to trial by jury, because if we're going to lock up all the crazy bastards, for goodness sakes, would you not want, if you're a crazy bastard, to have a right to trial by jury?"
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According to the Guantanamo Task Force Report, there are four types of detainees: 1)one or two convicts. 2)detainees declared impossible to prosecute but too dangerous to release for whatever reason. 3)detainees still under investigation after up to a decade in prison. 4)the majority, detainees declared eligible for release by the courts and/or both Bush and Obama.
This seems to mean authorities not only couldn't come up with a reason to charge most Gtmo detainees with a crime, they couldn't even find a reason to investigate them for one, or to deem them too dangerous to release for whatever reason, or to justify holding them indefinitely as combatants in the war against Al Qaeda, the Taliban or related groups which only requires evidence of a link to such groups, based on other cases.
Most detainees are still in Gtmo because of a situation in their home country, e.g. the existence of an active AQ related group in Yemen, human rights issues and concerns for detainee safety in China, etc. The US tries to convince other more suitable countries to take in detainees, but it's difficult because the US refuses to allow them in the US, even in a prison or for a trial, let alone release, and they have all been branded as dangerous terrorists, or "crazy bastards who want to kill people".
Given the above, Senator Graham's comments may only make any sense in relation to a minority of detainees, but moving the detainees to some other US prison doesn't make any obvious sense. What is the point? To eliminate the negative symbol of Gtmo that has tarnished the reputation of the US? The only way to do that is by ending the injustice at Gtmo, not by shuffling the victims of injustice to another building.
Republicans continue to thumb their nose at the rest of America and prove they have more allegiance to Grover Norquist and his anti tax pledge than to America and our constitution. Unpatriotic republican cretins unworthy of holding any office in American government.
Before it is too late I'm going to learn to be a democrat. I'm going on welfair and food stamps. Throw out all my American belongings and buy China goods as long as the money last. I will go out and buy some Citgo gas for my truck and a copy of the quran so I can fit in.
After I get myself hidden in the masses I can complain that the welfair checks are not big enough and call on everyone to help start a peoples union . We can strike for more food stamps and a big screen tv.
It is over Republicans ! November was the last of the honest man and the American dream. When 2014 gets here it will be follow the leader. We all knew this would happen in time. But now that I will be one of the takers I will act like it was a good idea .
Good By USA
It is well past time to prosecute those held at Guantanamo and quit fiddle-farting around.
To continue to assume that the tribunal process is working is a farce.
You're a whole hell of a lot of bluster. sort of like a noisy flatulence yourself.
Gosh, I was thinking the same thing about Graham, McCain and the rest of the GOP republicans.
So what remains is a mixed bag of dangerous and not so, but with no access to any final resolution.
The whole effort is to use the emotionally visceral to prevent any practical solution from being approached.
You're being played.