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For the moment, I'm forcing myself not to comment on the following:
On June 25, the Hawaii Tribune Herald reported that North Kona Councilman Kelly Greenwell sent a letter to Mayor Billy Kenoi and another to President Obama with an idea for the Big Island to accept prisoners of war at Guantanamo and release them into the population. He feels this would begin a process of healing and forgiveness, and to enhance our island as a place of love and aloha. His reasoning is that we forgave the Japanese and Germans for what they did to the world, and that these people are no more than suspects. He does admit the idea "may sound insane".
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quote:
Originally posted by centipede
...His reasoning is that we forgave the Japanese and Germans for what they did to the world, and that these people are no more than suspects.
Healing and forgiving takes time, and I think 9/11 is still very fresh in everybody's memory. I think Greenwell should be a real leader, provide example, and house some of these "suspects" at his own house. As I recall their preferred method of killing is beheading, lets see if Greenwell can keep his head attached to his body. It's pretty scary that this guy is in public office.
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Sounds like KG is drumming up support for the West Hawaii County inititive.
David
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Kelly always marched to a different drummer! Over the years, his concerns for the environment and landfill solution is genuine, but he could never get his ideas off the ground, because of the cost factor.
From the reports, the prisoners of war in question, are considered non-violent, no charges have ever been brought up against them!
( http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/1...7395.shtml)
We rail against what we see as government invasion into our personal lives, about our freedoms being taken away. But if happens to someone else that is fine. Guilt by association just because you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, that's justice!
I do not agree with Kelly about his proposal, I think it was a hare-brained idea, but he is still entitled to express his opinion.
This has brought negative reaction from all over the Island, I wish people would feel this passionately about some of the other problems we have. Because only when people unite and work together and voice their concerns and outrage at what is happening on this Island will things change.
The shenanigans going on with this council and Mayor is just a repeat of previous administrations.
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John S., let me add that we didn't begin the healing process with Japan and Germany until after they surrendered unconditionally, and I'm willing to bet that the good Councilman would jump at the chance of hosting a few of these guys.
hikatz, it's jokers like Greenwell with cockeyed ideas such as this who give environmentalists the fuzzy-headed reputation that is holding back the movement. As for some of these guys being classified as "non-violent", I'm guessing the notion is that they weren't captured while shooting at our troops. Maybe, maybe not, but please bear in mind that Hitler, Goebbels, Tojo, and a few hundred thousand others fall into that category as well. In regards to your other comments about our politicians, it's very simple: They care more about their phony jobs and how to get bigger phony jobs than they do about the people they're being paid to serve.
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Regardless of one's ideology, there was and remains far less evidence to convict these guys than there was Michael Jackson.
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So you have first hand knowledge about the evidence? Please explain?
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Yes, I do.
I know that they couldn't find sufficient evidence to convict anyone in a court of law, in 7 years, from Guantanamo Bay, in spite of the fact that it would have been politically expedient. In spite of the fact of electrolytic torture and waterboarded testimony. This is first hand evidence. I know this, as well as you.
This I also know, first hand. Michael Jackson, busted 3 times in his candy colored bedroom, playing hide the pickle, innocently, of course, acquitted, go figure. Still, paying 20 million dollars of settlement money, hours of testimony, much of which lurid, on the other hand. Publically accessible. I've also worked in the justice system with these kinds of cases and there is simply no way the state would even consider bringing charges against such a high profile offender without overwhelming evidence. It's bad enough to charge some dude in a trailer park who hasn't any money to defend himself. These cases are always very subjective and complicated. The fact that the case wasn't thrown out of court is evidence in itself. I know this, as well as you.
Both of these observations are evidence enough for me.
That's good enough for this member of the jury.
Lesson to be learned. If you want to diddle kids, be sure you can dance. If you want to kill people in hate crimes, and NOT be labeled a terrorist, or an enemy combatant, or whatever, have a christian evangelical background.
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Centipede, I think you’re confusing the terrorist at Gitmo versus the innocent detainees. The Terrorist will be transferred to prisons where they will be (per the US Supreme Court) put on trial in a US Court. The results of that trial will determine what happens next.
What the Councilman is referring to are those who the US have now determined are NOT terrorist and there is no evidence to support the prior claims of the US government. The US has to release them and time is running out. All those flagged for immediate release have been cleared. All the US needs is someplace to accept them (and the money the US is providing) so they can be set freed. But the problem facing the US is exactly what I'm reading here; ignorance of the facts resulting in paranoid hysteria.
The hype of Gitmo detainees being terrorist has been so overplayed that nobody cares if a person is innocent or not. If people think they are terrorist and being let off free as a bird, then you should also have to agree that the people of Puna are not deserving of government services or any quality of life improvement because everyone in Puna is drug addicts and criminals, so you don’t deserve equality to Hilo or the West Side.
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Not to take sides on the Kelly proposal or the accusations against the Gitmo detainees.
However, just to clear up a technical point:
Is it really lack of evidence that has prohibited charges going to court?
I thought it had something to do with their alleged status as "enemy combatants" and their alleged "crimes" being committed somewhere else.
Bob Orts, is this more or less right?
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