As Conservatives Fear-Monger Over Gitmo Closure, Illinois Town Says It Would Welcome Detainees
As Conservatives Fear-Monger Over Gitmo Closure, Illinois Town Says It Would Welcome Detainees
As part of the new administration’s efforts to shut down the “lawless enclave” at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, there is discussion of possibly moving detainees from the island prison to be incarcerated stateside (just like many other terrorism suspects). One possible site being considered to house these detainees is the mostly-empty Thomson Correctional Center in the rural town of Thomson, Illinois.
The right has exploited this possible move by fear-mongering to score political points. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) started circulating a letter among state officials telling President Obama, “If your Administration brings Al Qaeda terrorists to Illinois, our state and the Chicago Metropolitan Area will become ground zero for Jihadist terrorist plots, recruitment and radicalization.” Rep. Don Manzullo (R-IL) claimed that moving detainees to Thomson would make the city a “target for future terrorist activity.”
One group of people, however, that is not afraid of bringing detainees to Thomson is the residents of the city themselves. As the Chicago Tribune reports, a transfer of Guantanamo detainees to Thomson Correctional Center would be “greeted warmly” by the city’s residents, who would welcome the jobs created by such a move:
News that the federal government seems interested in transferring detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the Thomson Correctional Center was greeted warmly in this small, rural farm town along the Iowa border.
After holding out hope that the sprawling $145 million prison might improve the economic conditions in this remote area of the state, residents say any prisoners would be a welcomed sight.
“It would help the businesses here, and God knows we could use that,” said Kay Lawton, 59, a Thomson resident. “It doesn’t matter to me who they bring here.”
“A murderer is a murderer no matter where he’s from,” [Thomson Village President Jerry] Hebeler said. “That’s the way I look at it.” [...]
“As long as it’s safe and we’re protected, I’m comfortable with it,” Hebeler said. “Maybe this is something that will put us on the map.”
CNN’s Gary Tuchman traveled to Thomson and interviewed its residents about their feelings about a possible transfer of Guantanamo detainees. He concluded that “for economic reasons, people are very much in support” of the transfer. Watch it:
In opposing the transfer of detainees to Thomson, Kirk and Manzullo are putting themselves at odds not only with job-seeking residents, but also fellow conservatives. In a joint statement prepared by the Constitution Project, David Keene, founder of American Conservative Union, Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, and former representative and presidential candidate Bob Barr write, “We are confident that the government can preserve national security without resorting to sweeping and radical departures from an American constitutional tradition that has served us effectively for over two centuries. … The scare-mongering about these issues should stop.”
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Illinois has 9 nuclear power plants with spent rods laying all over the place. Yeah, terrorist are our big worry. /snark
November 16th, 2009 at 12:51 pmGOP/Tea Bagger cries of Illinois being Terrorist Sympathizers” in 5……4…….3……..2……1……….
November 16th, 2009 at 12:52 pmKirk and Manzullo have just demonstrated their cowardice and lack of faith in the Constitution and the American judicial system to the entire world.
November 16th, 2009 at 12:56 pmHold your friends close, and your enemies closer.
Wouldn’t the white-wingers want to have the “terrorists” right where they can keep a close eye on them?
Why do the white-wingers hate the possibility of Americans getting custodial prison work?
November 16th, 2009 at 12:56 pmAndy McKenna, GOP front runner for the Gov race, actually hit Pat Quinn on not providing jobs…and for providing jobs by bringing Guantanamo detainees to the state.
How does the Earth maintain its gravitational pull, with so many right-wing heads spinning?
November 16th, 2009 at 12:57 pmHell yeah bring those cowardly lil’ terra-sits’s’s here to IL.
We’re blue and bad *ssed, without the fear so prevalent in teabagger land.
You want torture? Let them suckers stare at plowed cornfields for hour upon hour!
November 16th, 2009 at 1:02 pmYou want torture? Let them suckers stare at plowed cornfields for hour upon hour!
November 16th, 2009 at 1:04 pmI love it! LAMO!
How does the Earth maintain its gravitational pull, with so many right-wing heads spinning?
My hypothesis would be that there is relatively little mass involved, despite the quantity of right wingers, and thus little actual energy. The Earth is pretty resilient to such low levels of energy output.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:04 pmShayne says:
November 16th, 2009 at 1:13 pm@1. Don’t forget Shayne, Illinois also has the great lakes too, so those dirty canadian commies could come over and steal them too. come to think of it, I’m surprised trolls haven’t latched onto that one yet.
Let’s review.
Hardin, MT
Standish, MI
Thomson, IL
3 small towns with the capabilities and desire to housing detainees.
Gee, when does someone point out this trend?
November 16th, 2009 at 1:14 pmSo if our prisons aren’t strong enough to hold terrorists, shouldn’t we be scared of the native-born criminals housed there too?
November 16th, 2009 at 1:15 pmThe Illinois Republicans are grandstanding for their audience. Regardless of the town’s wishes, the Republicans are playing to the rest of the state. Here in Chicago, it is pretty much a non-issue. Personally, I would like the terrorists to be jailed in DuPage County to scared the hell out of all those Republicans. We need some giggles.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:18 pmSomehow the Reichwinger Morons are going to link this to Obama, you know, the whole Illinois-Chicago-Politican thing.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:20 pmOr they could run away to Chicago. The director of public schools that took Arnie Duncan’s job was found floating in a river today. I think he wandered into the wrong neighborhood.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:21 pmI find it pretty damn amazing that the Republicans are frightened for our prisons. What, oh what will become of them?
November 16th, 2009 at 1:22 pmpags2, I live in DuPage County and I think that’s a fabulous idea. If we want to scare the terrorist though we should send them to Cook County. They’d be crying to go back to Gitmo.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:24 pmPfft, everyone knows the prison walls in Illinois are made from corn husks.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:24 pmIt’s almost like the Republicans believe everybody housed is our prisons is an unjustly detained pot smoker. Oh wait …
November 16th, 2009 at 1:25 pmMark Kirk is an opportunist – a political hack.
Illinois Repugs aren’t too pleased with him and llinois Democrats despise him.
I continue to remind people that he went to China this summer and told them that the USA lies.
The arguments made against high value prisoners being held in high-security prisons is based on unfounded ideas and is basically fear-mongering.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:30 pmThere are already hundreds of such prisoners in the nation – but the fear-baiters are making as big deal out of this proposal because they can, and the media is allowing it.
Shayne says:
pags2, I live in DuPage County and I think that’s a fabulous idea. If we want to scare the terrorist though we should send them to Cook County. They’d be crying to go back to Gitmo.
A couple days in Cook County Jail and then send them back to their home country. That is sure way to end terrorism.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:33 pmPags2 and Shayne — We all live in the same county!
November 16th, 2009 at 1:33 pmIt’s good to know there are fine liberals in this repugniscum stronghold – we are gaining ground on them, and they are fighting us fiercely at every opportunity.
.
… Because nothing says “Bringing them to Justice” like denying them that Justice Process, yes?
.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:34 pm.
… Because nothing says “High Security Prison” like fearing terrorists in a High Security Prison.
You’d think that what these people are going to bat for is that the prison system is not that secure.
.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:38 pmThese Repug leaders are acting like a bunch of Wussies!!!! Ask the average New Yorker what they think. They are strong people. These guys are making us look like a bunch of wimps.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:38 pmI live in Ohio. In Ohio we are desperate for jobs, any kind of jobs. (This is why Casino gambling passed. So what they don’t pay well? Anything is better than nothing.) I suspect the folks in Illinois, just one state over from us, feel the same way we do. We need jobs! What DC lacks is any empathy for the suffering here in the Midwest. People want to work and support their families. At this point, any job is better than no job at all. They are more afraid of starving or being homeless than any terrorist!
November 16th, 2009 at 1:38 pmPeople are mostly not as stupid as republicans think.
And plowed fields under a November sky have their own stark beauty…
November 16th, 2009 at 1:39 pmI hear the oatmeal there is the real torture.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:39 pmMarie says:
Pags2 and Shayne — We all live in the same county!
Sorry but I moved from Naperville back to Morton Grove in Cook County. The city is within spitting distance. However, I have never voted Republican in my life and I have been voting since 1972. I am and always will be a Daley Dem. It really aggravates my brother in DuPage.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:41 pmMaybe the teabaggers think that when terrorists bleed, their blood dissolves steel walls, like in Alien.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:41 pmlarkohio says:
What DC lacks is any empathy for the suffering here in the Midwest…..
That is not true. We live in the Rust Belt and have watched many manufacturing jobs be sent overseas. This is because of our tax policies that allow corporations to ship the jobs overseas without any repercussion. The corporate tax laws need to be overhauled but I doubt it will happen since they have large lobbies and influence.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:46 pmYeah, Shayne, I heard about that poor soul. His family must be devastated.
BTW, I’m also glad to see so many of you fine Americans setting the record straight in DuPage Country. They could use more people like ya’ll up there.
That makes my day!
November 16th, 2009 at 1:47 pmtheladyorthetiger says:
And plowed fields under a November sky have their own stark beauty
Ya got me there – there can be no denying that (he says with Greg Brown’s “Iowa Waltz” playing in the background).
November 16th, 2009 at 1:50 pmPags I agree
I think any corporation taking a factory overseas should be taxed at 95% of the value of the factory. Or they could cede ownership of it including all machinery. Then the Fed could give a low interest loan for say 10% ownership of the NEW company, retool, and let the workers run and own the factory and go into competition with the weasels that ran to another country to exploit their labor and environment. Then we should change our tarrif structure entirely. If a widget costs 20 dollars to make here in labor costs and 2 in Indonesia then Indonesia should face an 18$ tarrif on the widget to START. Then add 1% if the country has no environmental policies like clean air or water laws, another 1% if they havent got adequate worker safety laws and so on. Then the tarrifs on goods from Japan or Europe would change little but it would erase the incentive for corporations to rush to third world countries to exploit their workers and their environment
November 16th, 2009 at 1:59 pmWelcome terrorists, welcome…may we use you for a little while to bring jobs to our community? We know the money will come from Washington so its actually FREE. We know you terrorist guys won’t mind helping out a brother now will you? PLEASE?
November 16th, 2009 at 2:01 pmMaybe we could have a prison with enhanced guarding to hold the more dangerous criminals.
Maybe call it Maximum Security ?
If we can put the worst of our home-grown criminals there, it seems that putting the persons accused of terrorism (and not even tried yet) should be possible.
November 16th, 2009 at 2:03 pmwtf slappy?
really aired that one out, bud – nice work.
November 16th, 2009 at 2:04 pm33. Thats the stupidest thing I have ever read. You truly live in a world of insanity. If you think for one moment in time that any such a thing will ever happen you are even stupider than I thought. Why don’t you do all of us a favor and stand under the space shuttle when it fires off today.
November 16th, 2009 at 2:04 pmsure slap-diddy,
you get to say what’s stupid.
hot-dang buddy – you do a-maze.
November 16th, 2009 at 2:08 pmYou want torture? Let them suckers stare at plowed cornfields for hour upon hour!
nah I would torture them by putting them in front of a TV and running bush speeches 24/7 with there eyes held open.
November 16th, 2009 at 2:09 pmSlappy, if that’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever read, try reading some of the nonsense you post on here.
November 16th, 2009 at 2:12 pmWelcome terrorists, welcome…may we use you for a little while to bring jobs to our community? We know the money will come from Washington so its actually FREE. We know you terrorist guys won’t mind helping out a brother now will you? PLEASE?
Kind of puts stupid in perspective.
As an addendum, even if you’re just trying to come off as snarky, you still just sound dumb.
November 16th, 2009 at 2:13 pmEugeneDebs says:
I think any corporation taking a factory overseas should be taxed at 95% of the value of the factory.
It would be simpler to take away or reduce the deduction for payment of foreign taxes when the company is shipping jobs overseas. That would make it uneconomical to close US plants while expanding overseas. And it would add to the cost of goods sold making those cheaper foreign products more expensive.
November 16th, 2009 at 2:13 pmUSNc…..which is more likely to actually happen?
November 16th, 2009 at 2:13 pmThe founding fathers funded the federal government almost entirely through tarriffs. Why do you think they were stupid?
November 16th, 2009 at 2:13 pmSlappyBeggerino is back. Begging us for our pity as usual. Not only is Beggerino ignorant beyond belief he is so delusional he actually thinks he is clever instead of just stupid and pathetic. His posts will go to the sewer where they belong and he will shortly be back begging us again. Always the constant begging from Beggerino
Oh SlappyBeggerino. You are stupid. You are stupider than using a cheese grader as a condom. The fact you are FAR too stupid to understand the simplest concepts really renders you unqualified to judge actual CONCEPTS. Higher brain function is as far beyond you as quantum mechanics is beyond a cockroach. So the fact you dont GET it is no suprise. You were born a moron and you will die a moron and everyone who has ever met you knows this. Oh I doubt we could fight the entrenched interests of money and power to get that done but I didnt SAY it WOULD happen. I said I think it SHOULD happen. Only someone as profoundly, staggeringly stupid as YOU wouldnt understand the difference between the two. It really is time for you to stupid your constant begging for our pity. We KNOW you are stupid and pathetic. We just dont CARE anymore. No pity for YOU
November 16th, 2009 at 2:13 pmericrazar says:
nah I would torture them by putting them in front of a TV and running bush speeches 24/7 with there eyes held open.
I think that would qualify as cruel and unusual punishment.
November 16th, 2009 at 2:14 pmSlappyBeggerino
Why are you so PROUD to be so STUPID? Feeding every hungry child in the WORLD. Starting another war. Which of those two are more LIKELY to happen and which would be BETTER. Only someone as bone chillingly stupid as YOU would fail to see the difference between the two.
November 16th, 2009 at 2:16 pmShuttle is ready for launch…..DEBBI……where are you?
November 16th, 2009 at 2:16 pm@42. What do I think is more likely to happen? Well, looking at the odds of total trade reform versus the odds of something intlligent coming out of your mouth…… I’m going with trade reform. You can’t fix stupid.
November 16th, 2009 at 2:18 pmRoom full of people sick to death of your constant BEGGING Beggerino what are you doing and why in the world would you think I or any other breathing carbon based lifeform is a stupid as YOU?
November 16th, 2009 at 2:18 pmIn WWII, we housed German POWs on US Soil by hiring them out as farm workers.
Oddly enough, many of the POWs established strong ties to the folks they worked for.
Considering that many of the “terrorists” in Gitmo are only labelled as such as they took up arms against the US in the Afganistan region, this is an idea to consider.
After all, in WWII we had all the spies, etc. too. and we even had a declared war.
November 16th, 2009 at 2:23 pmpags2 says:
——————————————————————————–
ericrazar says:
nah I would torture them by putting them in front of a TV and running bush speeches 24/7 with there eyes held open.
I think that would qualify as cruel and unusual punishment.
November 16th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
pags2, I was raised in that vicinity so I can relate. If you’d move back to DuPage County maybe we could get rid of Judy Biggert, that a$$hole.
November 16th, 2009 at 2:30 pmpags
That would be simpler AND easier to sell. It wouldnt strike STRAIGHT to the heart of the matter though. My idea, farfetched as it is, would go RIGHT to the heart of corporate exploitation. Another thing we COULD do and it would be an easier sell is that ANY corporation that moves its factory overseas would be ineligable for government contracts. They want to bend the taxpayer over they shouldnt expect any taxpayer money
November 16th, 2009 at 2:32 pmFrom tough-talking neo-con chicken-hawks to whiny little Chicken Littles… In just a few months, a complete transformation. These right-wing fear-mongers just hate constitutional democracy and the rule of law; they much prefer tyranny and tyrants, like in the eight years of torture, treason and tyranny under the Bush gangster regime…
November 16th, 2009 at 2:57 pmEugeneDebs says:
You can’t make taxes confiscatory. However, you can make it less profitable to send jobs overseas by taking away the indirect subsidy by disallowing tax deductions. That would cause the companies to pass along the costs of that loss of the deduction to the consumers. The product becomes more expensive in the US without adding any import tariffs that would create trade tensions. At the same time, we can expand tax credits for hiring American workers. These credits must go directly to job creation and not be passed along as a subsidy for keeping current workers or to management. Businesses will lobby to stop these changes so it will be a tough uphill battle to get Congress to approve. But Republicans will be hard pressed to publicly oppose these sort of bills because they are somewhat pro-business.
November 16th, 2009 at 3:25 pmlokidog – I drove from Des Moines to Dubuque and back again this weekend. It’s a lot more subdued than it was a month ago, but the beauty is definitely there.
November 16th, 2009 at 3:58 pmpags. I dont understand the concept of not making taxes confiscatory. They are by definition. Especially for bad behavior. Have you seen cigarette taxes lately? No matter WHAT you propose that aims at the protection of priveledge or wealth it will be an uphill battle but power conceded NOTHING without a demand NOTHING. The debate itself would be helpful no matter how it came out. Pointing out that the very NATURE of outsourcing is exploitation. Both of those whose sweat and tax base MADE them their money in the first place AND the workers and environments it is their GOAL to exploit. I dont think you only fight the fights you can win. You fight the fights that need FIGHTING.
November 16th, 2009 at 4:03 pmEugeneDebs says:
pags. I dont understand the concept of not making taxes confiscatory. They are by definition. Especially for bad behavior. Have you seen cigarette taxes lately?
A 95% tax would not be held constitutional. It is too punitive. The loss of tax breaks and deductions will make companies think twice about shipping jobs overseas and bringing the products to sell in the US. They will get a double whammy with the loss of their deductions and loss of tax breaks that are not localized to the US which will result in those products becoming too costly to sell here. Even if those costs are passed along, the product becomes less competitive with US products. You have to use the stick to make them want to expand jobs here. A large hammer is not the way to go.
November 16th, 2009 at 4:56 pmYou want torture? Let them suckers stare at plowed cornfields for hour upon hour!
Actually, that correctional center is down in the Middle Mississippi bottomlands surrounded by a beautifully landscaped forest of spruce trees. The inmates wouldn’t be able to gaze out across the river towards Iowa, but they will have a wonderful view of the forested bluffs to the east and west. It’s a pretty choice setting.
November 16th, 2009 at 5:26 pm“The right has exploited this possible move by fear-mongering to score political points. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) started circulating a letter among state officials telling President Obama, “If your Administration brings Al Qaeda terrorists to Illinois, our state and the Chicago Metropolitan Area will become ground zero for Jihadist terrorist plots, recruitment and radicalization.” Rep. Don Manzullo (R-IL) claimed that moving detainees to Thomson would make the city a “target for future terrorist activity.”
Let’s place these comments in perspective. During WW II America housed 500,000 German POWs in the states. What a bunch of cowards the GOP has become.
November 17th, 2009 at 10:23 am