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| Schock: Leave Gitmo Open |
U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Peoria) recently returned from a trip to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba that he took with several other lawmakers. Before leaving, he said he wasn't sure whether he agreed with President Obama's order to close the prison and wanted to see the facilities for himself.
Well, the verdict is in: Schock was impressed with the facilities, and thinks it should remain open.
The freshman Republican congressman, whose district covers a portion of Knox County, explained that the newer facilities at Guantanamo are air conditioned and provide prisoners with access to the internet, cable TV, and four hours of free time outside. He also says they're served three meals a day, which comes to about 6,000 calories.
But more importantly, Schock says no "enhanced interrogation" or torture practices ever took place at the facility. He blames the media for helping to create a false association between Abu Ghraib, a prison in Iraq commandeered by the U.S. Military to house prisoners, and Guantanamo Bay.
Schock says there's no reason to close the detention facility in Cuba. He says he doesn't feel American prisons can handle the "worst of the worst" terrorists currently housed there due to the need for enhanced security measures, and the potential for Al Qaida infiltration into the American prison system. Plus, he says it's going to cost nearly $1 billion to transfer the prisoners to other countries and close the facility.
That counters sentiments of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), who says he visited the federal prison in Marion, which he says would be eager to take in the prisoners.
(Illinois Radio Network) |
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| 06 21 09 by Newsroom |
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