Republican Congressman Mark Kirk contends that if Gitmo detainees are moved to a maximum security facility in rural Illinois, it will become “ground zero for Jihadist terrorist plots” and other nefarious activities. Moreover, it could result in up to 2,000 al Qaeda members visiting Illinois! Gawd, what a moronic tool.
Meanwhile, in a joint statement issued today, David Keene, founder of American Conservative Union, Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, and former representative and presidential candidate Bob Barr say moving suspected terrorists to the Thomson, Illinois prison facility, “makes good sense.” Here’s their statement in full:
As it moves to close Guantanamo and develop policies for handling terrorism suspects going forward, the government should rely upon our established, traditional system of justice. This includes our system of federal prisons, which have repeatedly proven they can safely hold persons convicted of terrorism offenses.
We are confident that the government can preserve national security without resorting to sweeping and radical departures from an American constitutional tradition that has served us effectively for over two centuries.
Civilian federal courts are the proper forum for terrorism cases. Civilian prisons are the safe, cost effective and appropriate venue to hold persons convicted in federal courts. Over the last two decades, federal courts constituted under Article III of the U.S. Constitution have proven capable of trying a wide array of terrorism cases, without sacrificing either national security or fair trial standards.
Likewise the federal prison system has proven itself fully capable of safely holding literally hundreds of convicted terrorists with no threat or danger to the surrounding community.
Take that, right-wing bedwetters!
3 Comments
November 16, 2009 at 3:20 pm
“Take that, right-wing bedwetters! ”
I am very impressed by your bravery.
November 16, 2009 at 7:44 pm
“I am very impressed by your bravery.”
no, it’s kirk’s bravery that should impress you. he’s a modern-day rat catcher, a manuipulative cynic, breeding fear, then riding in to fight that thing you fear. whatta hero.
KEvron
November 16, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Interesting that the CIA estimates there may only be a few hundred al Qaeda and yet this Kirk fellow seems to think that ten times that number are going to fly into O’Hare, hit the Avis and then drive all the way out to the Supermax in Thomson, Illinois. Yeah… that sounds plausible.
That really is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.