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Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building, Washington, DC USA. Image via Wikipedia
Government reform orgs. deliver news on major events within their areas of expertise. From: Judicial Watch
Obama Administration Drops Phrase "Enemy Combatants," May Release Gitmo Prisoners into U.S.
Two recent decisions by the Obama administration significantly reduced the power of the President of the United States to prosecute the war on terror and, in my view, left the United States vulnerable to future terrorist attacks.
First off, the Obama administration ditched the term "enemy combatant," a descriptive category that has a long history and was used to describe captured terrorists after the 9/11 attacks. Here's the story according to Reuters:
"The Obama administration stopped calling Guantanamo inmates 'enemy combatants' on Friday and incorporated international law as its basis for holding the prisoners while it works to close the facility.
"The U.S. Justice Department filed court papers outlining a further legal and linguistic shift from the anti-terrorism policies of Republican President George W. Bush, which drew worldwide condemnation as violations of human rights and international law."
(It should be noted that the "worldwide condemnation" referenced by Reuters was expressed most enthusiastically by terrorist advocates and sympathizers.)
According to the Obama Justice Department "the legal structure for holding the Guantanamo prisoners will now be based on laws passed by Congress and, by extension, international law including the Geneva conventions..." You can read the Justice brief here.
So in other words, it is no longer the Commander in Chief calling the shots on defending the nation from terrorists. Now, it's Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, guided by international law.
The Obama administration, meanwhile, continues to move forward with plans to shut the Guantanamo facility down. And where will the U.S. government release these enemy combatants – or should we call now them "homeless detainees?"
How about the United States? Check this out from Thursday's Wall Street Journal.
"Attorney General Eric Holder said some detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, may end up being released in the U.S. as the Obama administration works with foreign allies to resettle some of the prisoners....For 'people who can be released there are a variety of options that we have and among them is the possibility is that we would release them into this country,' Mr. Holder said."
So here we are -- Guantanamo Bay prisoners may no longer be labeled "enemy combatants." The Obama administration will now rely chiefly on the "authority" of Congress and international law (rather than the constitutional powers of the president) to detain terrorists. Plans to shutdown Guantanamo Bay due to pressure from terrorist advocates are moving forward. And some of these terrorist prisoners will be released into the United States, presumably taking their position in line for some "stimulus" money.
Feel any safer? I don't.
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