Standish Makes New York Headlines With Desire to Host Gitmo Prisoners
|
||||||||||||
| Printer Friendly Story View |
When folks in a little town in Michigan actually express a desire to have terrorists in their community, that's big news in the Big Apple.
Standish made a splash in The New York Daily News today when the word spread that local folks apparently welcome the 229 suspect Al Qaeda, Taliban and foreign terrorists now housed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
"To the men and women who work at the Standish Maximum Correctional Facility, they could be a meal ticket," the NYDN proclaimed.
"We'll take the most dangerous prisoners the world has to offer if we have to," corrections officer Paul Piche reportedly said Monday.
Other residents of the so-called Great Lakes Bay (GLB) area are not so happy about the potential of having terrorists in the neighborhood.
And, if a U.S. Senator's opinion is worth anything, folks in Kansas don't want the Gitmo prisoners at their famed Ft. Leavenworth Federal Prison. Leavenworth, you may recall if you are old enough, was the successor to DeHoCo, the Detroit House of Correction, where bad guys from the West were sent until the fort was opened as a prison in 1875.
Unemployment is about 17 percent in Standish where some residents say they would welcome relocation of detainees from the about to be closed Guantanamo Bay prison to the U.S.
However, reports were the prison may have to be staffed by federal employees, leaving out the former Standish guards who are state employees.
One local blogger complained: "Prisoners stateside changes all the laws and their rights. It will only cost taxpayers more and will turn them loose on our soil."
Standish Maximum Correctional Facility and the military penitentiary at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., said the New York newspaper, are possible locations for a site to house the 229 terrorists.
"This is a bad idea on a hurry-up, artificial timeline," said Sen. Sam Brownback, Kansas Republican. "They should be treated with dignity and humanely, but not here."
The Associated Press reported the Obama administration is considering creating a courtroom-within-a-prison complex in the U.S. to house suspected terrorists.
Latest efforts to meet President Barack Obama's timeline to close Gitmo by Jan. 22, 2010, remain cloaked in mystery because the options are under review.
White House spokesman Ben LaBolt said the White House considers the courtroom-prison complex the best among a mix of bad options.
Congress has delayed $80 million earmarked to bring the detainees to the U.S. until the administration details plans to make the moves without putting Americans at risk.
The facility would be jointly operated by the Justice Department, the military and the Department of Homeland Security.
###
| Printer Friendly Story View |
"The BUZZ" - Read Feedback From Readers! |
|
mombi53 Says:
On August 19, 2009
at 11:04 PM
Thank you Dave, for stating the facts about the employment opportunities for the Standish prison guards if the Gitmo prisoners are relocated up the freeway from Bay City.
There is no employment opportunity. The prison will become a Federal prison manned by Federal Marshals and Guards. It can't be discounted that Standish will get some kind of economic windfall from this transition of prisoners to the Standish community. Housing needs; groceries; entertainment, etc. will follow the paid staff assigned to the prison. Guess we can hope the Standish prison guards will find employment within the community serving the very people who replaced them. |
|
|
Dave Rogers |
|
|
|
Printer-Friendly Story View
0200 Nd: 04-21-2024 d 4 cpr 0
12/31/2020 P3v3-0200-Ad.cfm
SPONSORED LINKS
12/31/2020 drop ads P3v3-0200-Ad.cfm