Supporters, Opponents Square Off Over Terrorist Prison Plans
By aaroncynic in News on Nov 16, 2009 9:40PM
The plan to house and put some Guantanamo Bay detainees on trial on the U.S. mainland has predictably generated a flurry of debate, both nationally and locally. On the national level, politicians and pundits alike are up in arms over the decision to bring accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four accomplices to trial. Right here in Illinois, the controversy surrounds the potential transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees to the Thomson Correctional Center in Thompson, Illinois.
Over the weekend, Republicans including senate candidate Mark Kirk, criticized the plan to house detainees in Illinois. In a letter drafted to President Obama, Kirk wrote “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 radicalizatio," adding, "As home to America's tallest building, we should not invite Al Qaeda to make Illinois its number one target.” Not all conservatives echoed this sentiment however. A statement prepared by three notable conservative figures defends the prison plan, touting the financial benefits and the traditional U.S. justice system. It goes on to say that “the scaremongering about these issues should stop.”
Governor Quinn and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin defended the plan as well (as did Sen. Burris). Quinn called it a, “once in a lifetime opportunity” economically while Durbin called out Republican critics, saying, “There are those who will try to exploit fear if they have a chance.” Supporters on both sides of the political aisle have pointed out that the United States already houses 340 convicted terrorists in Supermax prisons and none have ever escaped. These include Oklahoma City bomber Terry Nichols, Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, “American Taliban” John Walker Lindh, and Omar Abdel-Rahman who was convicted for involvement in the 1993 World Trade Center bombings.
Since President Bush signed an executive order allowing the indefinite detention of suspected terrorists, Gitmo has become the most noted legal black hole where suspects designated “enemy combatants” end up. Early this year, President Obama signed another executive order, pledging to shut the facility in a year’s time. Many have criticized this move, either citing NIMBY type security concerns over potential prisoner locations on the U.S. mainland or human rights concerns over the potential transfer of detainees to CIA black sites, even though Obama has ordered those closed as well.
Whatever the outcome, residents of Thompson seem to be trying to look on the bright side. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, one resident said “it seems like that prison has the potential to bring a lot of them (jobs).” Village president Jerry Hebeler is also hopeful, saying "As long as it's safe and we're protected, I'm comfortable with it…Maybe this is something that will put us on the map.”