Guantanamo gulag a bitter legacy of US Cuban takeover 121 years ago

Most Americans remain oblivious the US still maintains a gulag for suspected bad guys at Cuba's GITMO (Guantanamo Bay Naval Base) prison, opened in 2002. Some were tortured there; some died from ill treatment; some committed suicide. None got US justice they were entitled to. Of nearly 800 sent there only 39 remain, none newer to America's concentration camp than 2008. That precludes any providing actionable intelligence about current terrorist activities.  

 

The hapless, aging souls swept up in the hysteria following 911 are turning Gitmo into a wasteful nursing home. Congress has been sitting on an $89 million request for upgrades needed for these old-timers fearful voters might revolt if their congressperson spends a penny to aid the folks long demonized as monsters.  

 

Obama made closing the GITMO detention center an early goal, reducing its population by nearly 200 detainees. But he was thwarted on closing by congressional Islamophobia. Trump, reversing every decent Obama policy, has applauded GITMO incarceration as an "enduring mission." 

 

In a bitter irony we're housing these aging detainees in an area swiped from Cuba after we pushed Spain out in 1898. We set up a naval base at Guantanamo's harbor to prosecute the war and maintained it during our four year occupation.  

 

In 1902 we granted Cuba their independence with the caveat we could intervene militarily anytime for any reason. We did that three times in the next eight years with GITMO a vital resource. We also forced Cuba to grant the US a permanent lease to the 45 square miles needed for our military presence.  

 

In 1949, the UN, it its Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Nations, declared such unilateral land grabs illegal. The US, claiming grandfather rights to GITMO, has told Cuba and the UN to take a hike. We dutifully send Cuba a $4,085 check every year to pay our self-imposed rental. Every year Cuba rips up the check in protest. 

 

Biden campaigned on a pledge to close Guantanamo. Alas, in 8 months has released just 1 detainee, matching Trump’s single release there in 4 years.   

But a ray of hope. Seventy-house Dems just sent Joe a letter demanding our Guantanamo gulag be closed saying, “The prison is a fundamental betrayal of our values and our commitment as a country to the rule of law.” 

Come on Mr. President, channel Spike Lee and ‘do the right thing.’