No Honorable Way Out

Guantanamo Bay.  Ugly situation.  89 of the 160 prisoners there have been cleared for release by the military.  This of course does not mean they are innocent, because in the military system you are guilty until you're proven innocent -- except of course you don't ever get your day in court to prove your innocence.  So basically, once picked up you always guilty.  So, some of the guilty ones have been cleared for release ... perhaps a form of less guilty.

Ignore the 100 prisoners whose hopelessness has turned into a hunger strike, or the 27 that are being forced fed to keep them alive.   Let's just think about the 89 that have been cleared for release, some of which are on the hunger strike.

Will the 89 less guilty prisoners (where do they get the term detainees, is that supposed to make us feel better) ever be freed.  Apparently, it takes action by Congress to make that happen; at least to finance their move back to their native country.  Yea, in reality, it is probably bribes paid to high officials in the other countries to accept the return of these prisoners.  Any one in Congress that takes up the cause of the prisoners is probably not going to be re-elected.  It is not accident that Obama did not push too hard on Guantanamo Bay issue in his first term.  So, a Congressman doing something just because it is the right thing to do ... fat chance of that happening.  (Look at immigration reform and see how well Congress is doing.  NOT.)

So, what is going to happen to the prisoners.  Simple, they are going to die for the most part in prison.  The military is currently building a cardiac care building anticipating caring for these prisoners as they age.  And some will be successful in killing themselves despite the military's efforts to stop them.

In all there is no honorable way out for America, at least none that we are likely to take.  Or perhaps, there is no honor left in America? What have we created?  The best recruitment tool for terrorism since the Iraq invasion.  We have created 160 martyrs for the cause of Jihad.  We have also decided that security is more important than our principles.  We have gone further than that even, we have shown the world how callous and uncaring we Americans can be.