Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp

[ultimatenoob]

What do you people think about the camp? I'm writing an essay for my A-Levels on the camp, and I was wondering what different people thought about it. Should it be shut down? Is it just? What do you think of the methods used by US forces? It would be great if you stated your nationality aswell so we see what different nations think. ------------ UltimateNoob

[PeterHilton]

I'm American and I served four years and a half years in the US Navy, out of Norfolk, VA, on the USS Nassau. I'm writing an essay for my A-Levels on the camp, and I was wondering what different people thought about it. Should it be shut down? no. That would be moronic. From a strategic sense the base is a vital launching point for US operations in the area. If yo mean just the military detention center: no. But even if it were, it wouldn;t mattter. The US would just hold political prisoners somewhere else. Is it just? No. Not one bit. We are violating our own laws and the laws of the Geneva convention by detaining prisoners indefinitely and w/o any charges or hope of a trial to give them opportunity ro refute the charges or be sentenced. Holding people in perpetuity is the kind of thing that third world dictators do. What do you think of the methods used by US forces? torture is stupid and pointless. most studies have shown that information found through physical force is almost worthless. But even worse, by physically abusing the prisoners there we've pretty much guaranteed that any American operatives taken prisoner will be tortured and killed as well. War lends itself to a certain bending of moral concepts. But even War has rules. I think that we've gone too far in the way we've treated the prisoners of Guantanamo Bay.

[Guest The Aussie]

Most definetly, We have all heard of rumours of torture from former inmates. The infamous prison is even one of the causes of fractured relations between Australia and the US. They held an Australian citizen in there for 5 years without him even being charged. 1) It wuld be foolish to shut down the base, even with it closed down then they'd just be held somewhere else. 2) Hell no is it just, read what I've written above 3) Anything that is done at the base only serves to damage US-World relations. Torture only causes anger

[shamelessposer]

The methods used at Guantanamo Bay are ineffective at best and actively detrimental to the way of life of every American citizen at worst. Most of the people who advocate torture, "enhanced interrogation techniques," or anything similar always seem to be people who have never been under the influence of those procedures themselves. Ask John McCain what he thinks of torture and I think you'll get an awfully different answer from people who otherwise share his political beliefs.

[Guest loves2spooge]

[QUOTE=The Aussie;255241]Most definetly, We have all heard of rumours of torture from former inmates. The infamous prison is even one of the causes of fractured relations between Australia and the US. They held an Australian citizen in there for 5 years without him even being charged. 1) It wuld be foolish to shut down the base, even with it closed down then they'd just be held somewhere else. 2) Hell no is it just, read what I've written above 3) Anything that is done at the base only serves to damage US-World relations. Torture only causes anger[/QUOTE] As an aussie im with you keeping david hicks there without charge for five years then to charge him try him and he only gets a year in an australian prison shows that most people in there arent what the americans say they

[BlizzardVeers]

I don't have a problem with the base being active. War doesn't have rules, it never will, and never should. The side that holds the moralistic integirity will almost always suffer the greater defeat - even if they do win the physical victory. I don't agree with the torturing of random grunts, especially not in this case, most of the people the US obtains are raised from birth to have a certain mindset about the United States, and the other 'Western' cultures. If you're going to torture anyone, torture their higher ups, easier to crack - because they're not conditioned for torture like their grunts are. US Marines are conditioned not to crack under torture, why wouldn't their enemies be? Grab a General, you'll get a better result, and more worthwhile information then a simple grunt can give you. The base shouldn't shut down, but the priorities on the quality of the detainees should change a little. Torturing the 'common' soldier is not only costly, morally straining, but is strategically ineffective.