Guantanamo

Most of us know about Guantanamo and what it’s used for. For those who don’t, Guantanamo is a U.S. Naval Base located on the island of Cuba (does anyone else see something wrong with the fact that we’re using a military facility on an island that we’re not allowed to visit or trade with?). There, people have been “detained” for several years at a makeshift prison. Several human rights groups and now leaders in other countries have protested the goings on at Gitmo (as it is most often called here in the U.S.) We know that many people have been detained there for year without being charged. We know that some of those people are innocent. We know that some of the people there are on the verge of committing suicide or worse. Is there a possibility that one of the people being detained is a terrorist? Absolutely! But the same could be said for one of the prisons here in the U.S. There could be a terrorist in our midst and for the most part, we won’t know the difference between that person and any other person walking down the street. Why is nothing being done about this? Well something has been done. A TV mini-series has been made in the U.K. regarding the experiences of three young Muslim men called “Road to Guantanamo”. Hopefully people here and around the world will see be able to see this and will be affected by it. I know I plan to see it. It doesn’t seem right that we are holding potentially innocent people there for years without charging them. If there is no evidence that a person is a terrorist, then why are you holding them there? It doesn’t seem right that a nation who’s practice when it comes to the legal system is “Innocent until proven guilty” is holding people illegally. The government is stomping on the basic human rights of people and no one seems to want to do anything about it. I know we are still hurting from 9/11 but that’s no excuse to treat these people this way. I’m not blaming the military either but I’m saying something needs to be done about it. We frown upon other countries when they take POW’s and mistreat them so why are we doing the same thing? It’s senseless! What makes me even sadder is that some Americans are taking part in the harassment and furthermore, Americans aren’t standing up for those people. It’s not right. We can rally together and demand that something be done about Guantanamo. It may not seem like much but every little bit helps. Call your senator, write your Congressman. Get involved. This is no time for apathy. I know people are disillusioned by the government. Who can blame them? It’s so easy with so much going wrong in the government. But if people can band together they will have no choice but to take notice and do something about it. Once again I’m sounding preachy but it bothers me beyond belief to know that there are people being tortured and sometimes feeling like there is no way out and no one is there helping them. Even the worse convicts in our prison system get treated better than that. It’s not right and something needs to be done about it.