Thursday, January 22, 2009

Not In My Backyard

Per Jennifer Rubin:

If the Republicans are looking for a good issue, here is one: promise to filibuster (with the help of Democrats from affected states) any attempt (and the required funding) to put terror suspects within the confines of the U.S. Why should Democrats’ acute sensitivity about world opinion (emanating from that bastion of human rights, the UN) take priority over the peace of mind of our own citizens? It is baffling.


I frankly don't get this fear of having suspected terrorists being housed in federal prision on American soil. And what's with this manufactured fear about having to pay for these prisoner's upkeep? I mean, aren't we doing that already at Gitmo? Does Rubin really think our government would house these guys in some county lockup and not in some federal prison?

My own take is that we have housed bad men accused of terror in federal prisons before with no fear that somehow they would breakout or something. The thing is, most of these communities that have federal prisons have at times welcomed these facilities for their business and they already house the worst or the worst without these communities fearing they are on the run. If they aren't that worried that these people aren't going get out and rape and pillage, then maybe it' okay to house suspected terrorists in federal prisons.

There might be some legitimate questions concerning the closing of Guantanamo, but this is just a silly smokescreen.

1 comment:

Paul W said...

From what I'm seeing elsewhere, there's this huge right-wing fear that if the terruhists came onto American soil, they will promptly escape to cause havoc on our poor American streets.

Which is ascribing too much skill and brainpower to a bunch of illiterate foreigners who a) will not make a lot of friends in jail to effect any coordinated escape attempts, b) won't go very far if they do try to escape, because again who here will help them outside?, and c) will be housed in high-security Supermax-type prisons from which there are few if any successful attempts made anyway.

Honestly. Every windbag wailing about bringing alleged terrorists to American jails, I think they've watched too many episodes of A-Team, Prison Break, and Perfect Strangers...