Close gitmo? Bad idea!

By Doug Hagin

One of the pressing questions being asked these days regards closing the United States prison for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. So should we close it, as some Democrats are suggesting? Would closing this prison improve our image in the eyes of the rest of the world? Would it help us fight the war against terrorism in a more efficient manner? Would closing Gitmo, as Guantanamo is called, engender better feelings towards us in the Middle East?

These are very important and serious questions to consider indeed. Certainly if closing Gitmo would result in all of these tremendously positive ends, we should absolutely take that course. The problem is this, however. Closing Gitmo will do none of the things Democrats are claiming.

Before we tackle and refute the claims, Democrats are making let us set one thing very straight. All of this talk of shutting Gitmo down has been born out of the alleged Quran abuse scandal. The media has made a mockery out of objective reporting on these "abuses."

Ever since the Newsweek story claiming the Islamic holy book had been flushed down a toilet by US troops was retracted, the media has gone into Quran abuse overdrive. Instead of calming down after they were shown to have falsely reported the flushing incident, it was a detainee who attempted to flush a Quran, the media acted like spoiled children.

They set out to find evidence of American troops, guards, or interrogators committing abuses of the Quran at Gitmo. So instead of reporting the news the media, as they do increasingly every year, began trying to make the news.

Instead of explaining what abuses were alleged they simply kept shouting about Quran abuses. Most of the incidents were simple mishandlings by US troops but we would not know this if we only read the headlines. Some examples of abuse include guards touching the Quran without gloves on, or accidentally getting it wet. Hardly crimes deserving of the media scrutiny that ensued. Even the cases where interrogators did intentionally mishandle the book the perpetrators were disciplined, apologies were made and new Qurans were given the detainees. Yet the media conveniently glossed over those key facts.

The Democrats naturally fell all over themselves when they saw an opportunity to discredit the Bush administration. They picked up the Quran abuse ball and ran with it. Groups like Amnesty International added their illogic to the mix by comparing Gitmo to Soviet Gulags and a full-scale leftist feeding frenzy ensued.

So now, we have the drumbeat of discontent against Gitmo, and increasing demands that we close it down. So let us return to the reasons being given for shutting Gitmo down. Would the results from such action be as Democrats are predicting?

First, would the rest of the world break down in tears of joy and embrace America? Of course not! As recent history suggests the "rest of the world," meaning of course those countries that hate America, always bash us no matter what course we take. To these nations, America can do no right. Closing Gitmo would not improve our image with them; it would only increase their criticisms of us.

As to the question of the war of terrorism being more efficient without Gitmo in operation, let me say that is ludicrous. Certainly, our enemies are still going to be our enemies. They are not going to change their opinion of America because we show weakness and jump every time a terrorist or prisoner yells abuse. These miscreants are taught to claim abuse to discredit America. It is part of their propaganda campaign. Liberals certainly should have figured this out by now shouldn't they?

Giving in to these claims gives them credibility they almost assuredly do not merit. Further, such a reaction would display uncertainty and weakness on our part. That is the last thing we need to do in this war. The Democrats who are currently screeching for Gitmo's demise should know better than to think we can win by trying to appease terrorists.

That lesson, of course, is one the left never seem to learn. During the Cold War, they ranted and raved about getting along with Communism, and disarming, and showing them how we were willing to get along. That is a strategy that will never succeed against evil. You cannot appease evil, or get along with it. Either your will destroy it or it will destroy you.

That is how we defeated Hitler and his evil. We did not seek to have lemonade with Germany, Italy and Japan. Instead, we crushed them and Nazism died instead of freedom. Liberals will gladly stand up and applaud our actions in World War II. Yet they refused to stand up to Communism and insisted on a strategy of appeasement instead. They are showing this same strategically blindness with Islamic terrorists.

This brings us to the final result Democrats claim will come from closing Gitmo. The very idea that better feelings towards us from Islamo-Fascists if we shut down Gitmo is so clueless as to deserve nothing but ridicule. Are they serious? Do they or anyone of sound mind think the people who indiscriminately slaughter innocents will care if we close Gitmo? Do they seriously entertain the delusional fantasy that we can win the enemy over by giving into their demands?

Such a strategy will not only fail miserably but also ensure our ultimate defeat in this war for civilization. Close Gitmo tomorrow and our enemies will say the next prison camp we open is inhumane. Naturally, the terrorist apologists from Amnesty International will be all too happy to add their voice of selective outrage to the anti-American chorus.

If we close Gitmo because of the claims against it, then we will soon close every prison camp we are keeping terrorists and suspected terrorists. Then what will the enemy do? Will they embrace us, accept peace, and become our friends?

No indeed, they will demand all those prisoners be released to end any abuses, or misdeeds by the evil American military. Then what will the Democrats have us do? How about just end the war altogether? Withdraw our troops; let the terrorists win in Iraq. Recall how that strategy worked in Vietnam. Liberals yielded to evil and millions paid for their moral cowardice.

© Doug Hagin