Or is Obama being overly aggressive with his moves right now? Seriously- I want to know. I don't know much about politics, so I don't know if this is the norm for a new president. A couple actions I am wondering about is shutting down Gitmo within a year, and putting a hold on terrorist trials. Don't get me wrong- I am against torture, but I also don't want another terrorist attack on our land. Help me out here- are these moves smart? Where are prisoners going after Gitmo closes? Is he allowing enough time to make these transitions? I could do more research- I've only read a couple articles- but I know everyone has an opinon. That being said, I am aware I am opening up what could be a heated discussion, but I think it's important. So please, share your opinions, but be respectful.
Also, I will delete anonymous posts that are not signed.
12 comments:
Really, the whole Gitmo thing was something Bush wanted to close, also. It's not going to be able to be done as quickly as he hopes, for many different reasons.
I was impressed with his pay freeze thing. I have to hand it to him on that. And I think that he really does want to be ambitious and also send a message to Washington and the American people. However, I don't necessarily believe that it'll continue consistently at this pace.
We'll see. People have very high expectations of him.
Good post, Laura. I think that you bring up interesting questions.
Anony- Please don't attack Laura. She just wants you to share your opinion. She never said she doesn't disagree with his actions.
Thanks, Mindi. It wasn't signed, so I deleted it. I simply asked a question. I would rather hear answers and opinions than hear people tell me how dumb I am. :P Of course I think it's a good idea- it's the timeline that scares me. I talked to Leanne about this, and maybe she'll have a better way to explain herself, but she thinks that Obama is making a statement to the world- that we're not going to stand for what's going on. That's awesome. I just don't want us, or more likely, our men and women overseas, to face repercussions for sudden changes.
I am excited about the Gitmo closure. It will take a year to close it in order to figure out where to transfer/release the current occupants. President Obama also just changed the rules so that the CIA has to follow the Army regulations regarding interrogation, which is terrific. I do agree that he is trying to send a message that the US will be taking a different stance with the current administration.. and he is just taking swift action on certain issues which he had expressed throughout his campaign..
I believe in protecting our country, but not by compromising our ideals... tiptoeing around whether or not torture was torture and how much torture is acceptable but then expecting our enemies to live up to the Geneva convention was very hypocritical on the part of the US.
So, I am thrilled about these initial actions. And the pay freezes.... and limiting lobbyists... all excellent moves.
Yes, that's basically what I said. America is not in the best opinion the world over for a lot of reasons. Torture at Guantanamo is one of them. So I think the president is being strong and authoritative and saying that this administration and the United States will no longer participate in that activity. I, for one, want to see the US remain as a world leader, so I support this action.
I think the fear is that it's sending a signal to our enemies that we will let them get away with international crimes, no? I think it's just the opposite.
This was part of his speech: "We will not apologise for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defence, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."
He's proving to be a man of his word, so I wouldn't feel like I had an ally in Obama were I a terrorist.
Interesting discussion!
See? Other's opinions and views on it allow me to see it another way! I still have my reservations- I worry about anything of such magnitude being accomplished too quickly. I remember early in the presidential race when there was the talk about pulling out our troops from overseas. Because Obama was so for bringing them home, I immediately imagined flight after flight of troops coming home literally overnight. Once I saw his actual plan, I was more at ease. I had the same reaction with closing Gitmo so quickly. I have no doubt that Obama is a smart man who is surrounded by smart people. I hope it all works out well for our country!
When are we going to talk about important stuff like the TDHNG? ;)
Bring it! I so plan on winning TDHNG this time around!!!
Laura,
This was a really good post! It brought about good discussion and educated me in some things that I was not aware of. Very cool. :)
Julie
For Laura it's too fast...For many it's not fast enough
Thanks for putting your concerns out there, as I also have some of the same. I will raise this question: is it better for the prisoners at Gitmo to be living in their current situation or to be in solitary confinement? which is the reality if they are transferred to US prisons. People like that do not survive in the justice system that rules the prisons.
I disagree with the torture also, but does that mean that the whole place needs to be shut down? Just my perspective.
Amy L~ I could be wrong, but I believe that the long term solution isn't to necessarily bring them to the U.S. If they do, I guess my opinion is that, yes, solitary confinement is better than torture. I have been trying to research on this, and I've seen different valid points. I know the president is- for the moment- stalling trials, which I don't completely understand. If glitches need to be fixed in the trial system that's fine, but I think the trials need to resume as soon as possible. If the justice system worked correctly, this would convict the guilty, and weed out the innocent. The question is, how the heck do you gaurantee a truly fair trial???
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