>Not "impossible," not even difficult. Actually the easiest thing in
>the world. There are plenty of military bases in the US with all
>the space and resources needed to set up a Prisoner-of-War Camp
>fully compliant with the Geneva Conventions. No logistic reason
>that could not be done in a day or two. No logistic reason why the
>prisoners couldn't be flown there in less time than that. If they're
>still--illegally--at the--illegal--Guantanamo base, its because
>Obama prefers to keep them there. His reason to prefer so may stem
>from cowardice much more than from malice--but its *his* prison now.
The problem is that most of the prisoners can't be legally detained. But they can't be released either, unless the US is willing to accept them as refugees. Because no other country will take them, or in some case because the countries that will take them will persecute/torture/kill them.
The US is desperately looking for other countries to accept these people as refugees, to avoid having to accept them itself.
Some of these refugees are actually murderous lunatics. But they can't be prosecuted (at least not in any civilised jurisdiction) because they have been tortured and the evidence is hopelessly tainted now. Some were probably harmless before they were tortured and send raving mad by the sadistic treatment they have been subjected to for years at guantanamo. Now they are dangerously unpredictable, and will require lifelong surveillance. Almost all are at least mentally deranged and incapable of living independently, they are so damaged. So will require lifelong institutional care. For instance both Australians who have been repatriated from Guantanomo, are not right in the head anymore. Hicks has been found a job (in a garden centre) by Australian millionaire philanthropist Dick Smith, but his mental state is quite fragile. Habib is on a disable pension I gather, he speaks to the press every now and then but comes across as rabidly paranoid. I would assume he is under 24 hour surveillance by the spooks. As well as he and his family being supported by the welfare system more or less permanently.
Some, like the chinese muslim prisoners, simply can't be sent back to China, because China will mistreat them and no other country will ever accept them because China is leaning on them diplomatically.
Eventually, the US will have to accept some of them as refugees, if only a token number. So that the other countries it is leaning on to take some (like Australia) won't look like complete arse-lickers for doing so.
What goes around, comes around. I think they should set up some kind of half-way house for them. In Crawford Texas preferably. Next door to a gun shop.
Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas