Did Obama Make America More Vulnerable Today?

NO…….America was made more vulnerable by creating “secret” prisons, using torture and invading countries for no reason other than a presidents personal wishes (Bush 2002: that man tried to kill my daddy).

“God help us from the last eight years”.

Hang on folks the ride is going to get very bumpy now. We are doomed.

NO! We are a better and stronger nation when following the higher road.

Relax a bit on the gun control. Think about this for a minute.
Who’s he going to get to take them from you?
I can tell you that is an order I will not follow, and view unConstitutional. All of us took an oath to defend the US Constitution from enemies of foreign AND domestic.
I will tell you what to watch for and that is excessive tax on ammo. Making it unaffordable to almost everyone.

Obama has issued the order….so the act is done. After 9/11, Bush defended the country….there were no additional attacks on American soil. We’ll see how well Obama does protecting America into the future. Only time will tell how good Obama’s judgement is. A better question, if there is a successful attack on American soil, will Obama take accountability for not defending the country well? Another question, If there is a successful attack, will the press objectively report accountability or will the press place the blame elsewhere, perhaps on the Bush administration?

Not really, these terrorist folks are very nice fellows and we should invite them over to sing around the campfire and drink cocoa. Then we can all talk about what makes us feel good and leave as BFF.
How do you honestly deal with people that are taught from a very early age to hate us and are willing to sacrifice their women and children to this end? I think the public beheadings should be proof positive that they are not nice people. This has gone on for thousands of years, are we naive enough to think that we can change their minds? Perhaps, but let’s make sure to keep our country safe while we chase this loft goal.

I will ask you this question, since these fools have been locked up have we had any more attacks HERE? The answer is no, by doing this and closing down this prison this country has become very, very weak. All you news agencies, movie stars, corporations that have all the money, you put Obama in office not the people, your money paid for his way into the White House, and I hope you do not make the rest of the POOR folks and our military sorry for the damage you have done this day. I have watched less TV in the last couple of weeks because every show that is on is courting this man like he is the Messiah, and I have news for you all he is not. Bush was a good man and meant well, he had some bad advisors and people that stabbed him in the back in his own camp. Shame on you all.

why post a comment on this blog if it’s negative towards the “chozen one?” it only takes a couple of seconds for them to take it down

Has the Democrats lost their mind by closing GITMO? Do they understand the ramifications? Terrorist are not going away. We should allow the GITMO detainees and others at the unknown location to be held for detention by the World court. The US was not the only nation that suffered at the hands of the terrorists…England, Spain, Germany…to name a few.

Obama is starting to make this country more at risk every day he is in office.If he wants to close Gitmo send them all to his state. Put ankle barclets on them and keep them in Illinois and Claifornia them want them free. Let them deal with them. He will let them in this country and we will all pay the price while we pay to have him protected!!!!!!

Obama is starting to follow Bill ” willy ” Clinton’s footsteps.
Let’s think back to the clinton adminastration. Clinton closed Military bases, cut spending to the C.I.A., as well as The F.B.I., Ignored intel about osama, done nothing about attacks on the barricks that killed over 200 people, done nothing about the attack on the USS Cole, then Put a blind man in jail for the bombing of the world trade center, mad no attempt to fight terriorism. Then left office with the U.S. Open for attack. is Obama going to do the same ? Sure looks that way already

It makes me proud that we’re standing behind our convictions. We preach Christianity while we justify torture.
The courage or our convictions may not make it easier for us. Our captives will not return the favor of humane treatment. However, our demonstration of humanity will certainly help our image throughout much of the world. Having this better image will result in having fewer enemies.

President Obama is overturning Bush policy without properly assessing the issues in order to keep campaign promises. It’s okay to keep the promises if they do our country no long term harm but this decision needs to be vetted through a stringent process.

“How do you honestly deal with people that are taught from a very early age to hate us”
yeah, gosh, I bet having been put in solitary confinement for 5 or 6 years and then being released because there isn’t any evidence against them, really endured them to America, maybe we should just shoot the prisoners we jail for no reason to cover up our dirty deeds. Heaven forbid that the world finds out we make mistakes.

A kinder, gentler hand will not stay the hand of those who wish to see us annihilated. If “waterboarding” keeps one American soldier or civilian alive, then so be it. Any group or person who is willing to blow him or herself up could care less about how those in our custody are treated. The perception of weakness will only harm us in the long run.

I feel we are more at risk from the criminal faction of the illegals that reside here, than from terrorists. If we live in a world where we expect our people to be treated fairly, how can we treat those in our control in an unfair, inhuman manner. Nothing we do will eliminate our risk, but doing inhumane things to gain information will create an atmosphere that none of us will want to live in.

It’s ok for terrorist to take our soldiers and torture them just because they want to but its not ok for the US to use excessive force to get out important information from the terrorist? Are we supposed to baby those who mean harm to us and accept their actions and deny the safety of the innocent citizens of this “free” country? It’s time for people to grow cojones and do what is needed for us and stop whining.

I’m scared now. Really scared.

One has to question why this was one of the first things he had to do! If there is another 9/11, America will lose hope in Obama and wonder what he meant when he said “yes we can and change”! He will destroy all that joy and people will regret their vote! I was hoping to give him the benefit of my doubt, now I’m concerned. Time will tell. Until then, only God can bless America!

I strongly oppose the action taken today concerning detention of terrorist. The new president is exercising poor judgment and I hope Congress acts. Our safety is at stake. We are not dealing with neighborhood thugs, we are dealing with people capable of mass destruction of human life. I hope the Obama justice department has the good sense to put deportation holds on all of these people to deport any non-Americans who are released through out Court system. Even if there is insufficient evidence to convict, they don’t have a constitutional right to stay in the U.S. after trial.

Absolutely not. When Bush through innocent people in jails, dostroyed many people lives in many ways, killed many people all over the world in the name of security; he made enemies of US in a magnitude that will last for years.
If we think the Iraqi and Afghanies will ever forget what we have done to them, we will be dillusional. I believe that making nice with these people and help them rebuild their lives and homes is the only and the right thing to do.
Providing these folks with education and teaching them the value of dimocrocy will help them take over their lives, politics, and coutties from the hand of any dictators, nasty rulers, and corrupt governments. That is the road we shoud take, not my watt or the highway; with us or against us!!!
I rest my case.
Go get them Mr. Obama.

President Obama made America safer. Bush made us unsafe when he tortured, opened Gitmo, and told the media to kiss off. Now that we have reclaimed our Values and put America back on track the Media is back to following the Right Wing (Fox and Limbaugh, Hannity, and O’Riely) Understand this is a new era…Americans will decide and not the Media or even the News.

Our government is making a big mistake by closing Gitmo no matter where they take the prisoners. It not only makes our country less safe, it virtually guarantees there will be a terror attack on this country during Obama’s tenure. The Bush administration kept this country safe for the last 7 years. It’s about to all be undone. It’s a sad thing to see this great country be diminished by the left wing liberals we now have running this country. We plead with all conservatives and others who do not want this country to sink into socialism or worse to stand up and speak and be counted and vote the perpetrators out of office.

Let’s have a history lesson for those of you who do not understand the Geneva Convention. Terrorists do not have an official uniform therefore they are not entitled to the Geneva convention rules. For those that cannot understand this concept, the uniforms like the US(Marine, Navy, Air Force, Army, Coast Guard; Great Britain, Germany, Norway, etc.

I am truly fearful of the consequences
of this proposed closing of a known
powerful deterrent to the propogation
of terrorisim in our country. I can only think of the words spoken so
powerfully by Jack Nicholson’s character
in the movie “A FEW GOOD MEN”;
Col. Jessep: Son, we live in a world that has walls and those walls need to be guarded by men with guns… You have the luxury of not knowing what I know … you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall.
I believe these words spoken by Nicholson’s character (Colonel Jessup)
provide me with a blanket of comfort
and yes, I don’t need or want to know
the details ~ I do however, want to keep
this nation safe and protect if from
the many forces, individual and collaborative, that want to cause us
harm. Take it slow, Mr. President…
direct your immediate energy to our
economy and restoration of our confidence in living the American dream.

After looking back at the last 8 yrs. I have to believe that something seems to have kept us from having another terrorist attack, especially after looking at what is happening in the lest of the world. I don’t agree with all that Presidend Bush has done during the last 8 yrs. but I don’t think there is any thing wrong with keeping GITMO open, at least for the more violent of the prisoners there. I think they have been treated a lot better than any of our soldiers have who have been captured, they haven’t been beheaded or gutted. I think some of what has gone on in some of the prisons in Iraq, and I think those responsible should be punished, but there hasn’t been any charges of any of those tactics at GITMO. I’m afraid of what might happen now.

How can this possibly make this country safer? It does not make any sense. Our prisons are already over crowed, where are they going to go? How do you decide what state has to house these prisoners? Has this really been thought through?
If Obama feels that they need to follow the Geneva Convention that is fine. Put them on trial, but keep them in Cuba!

Of course he did not make us more vulnerable! Quite the contrary. We are simply returning to everything we did for the last 200 years, excepting the last seven years of course. The Bush Administration made this country far weaker by subjecting us to the wrath of terrorists worldwide with acts that were based only on greed and petulance. Finally, we are moving back into following the Constitution the way it was written.
Let’s get realistic about this, just as our new President is doing. I’m grateful that we are returning to being a democracy once more.

The Bush White House made us less safe. Torture, Prisons, and holding these people in undisclosed locations for years was the greatest recruiting tool for terrorist. We are a Nation of Values, Principles, and Laws. Let’s grow up as the President stated and start acting like America again. We can fight Terrorism together. Let’s start living in the 21st Century.

DId we not learn that keeping our heads in the sand does not work? 9-11 was a perfect example of this and with the Clinton two party its going to happen again. Oh yea its OBama but looks like CLinton party again.I spent many years in the Military overseas and at GETMO Cuba. No one cares how AMericans are treated but everyone cares about how foreign terrists who would do anything to KILL Americans. SO now our new President had signaled to the World open season on AMericans. Mark my words American civilians are going to pay the price for this action and all I am going to do is say You voted for him. Now you are the ones at fault, I have served my time and I am tired and I will watch the country I defended and payed the price for just vanish. Thank You America. This country is not safe at all.

The Texas representative suggesting that a judge would allow anyone suspected of terrorism loose on the streets is a scare tactic that the weak minded swallow whole. All us know that if “let loose” they (terrorists) wouldn’t have a prayer in the world. The American people deserve more respect, and with the new administration it will be more likely attainable.

Don’t tell me this guy is going to be another Clinton? Clinton did NOTHING, NOTHING, when we were attacked. Remember folks the bombing at the UN?In fact Clinton did nothing during his terms, period! Obama scares me to death. The only reason he is in, is because of the black vote and all the college kiddies they harnassed in on the campuses. I don’t feel we have a competent president at all, not one iota.

Obama has not done anything but play tricks so far. He says we have to follow the army rule books for prisoners except in special cases. That is what the US has been doing versus what had been done in the Clinton years of rendition to other countries who could “persuade” them to talk. All This sounds good to his far left supporters and makes good his promise. As for closing the prison down, he has created a big mess as no one except Murtha said they would take them, but Murtha doesn’t have a prison anyway so he knew he could say it and not endanger himself. I say if people want to give them a trial let them house them or move them to DC.
Jobs keep being shed and that is where the work should be done and done soon, dicking around with gitmo nonsense is silly right now.

THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF MORE CONCESSIONS, UNDER GUISE OF CONSTITUTIONAL PROCEDURES, TO THOSE WHO WOULD WEAKEN THIS COUNTRY. I WANNA SEE THESE SUPPORTS WAVE THEIR CONSTITUTION INSTEAD OF A WEAPON WHEN THESE CAPTIVES
SEEK THEIR VENGEANCE OR ATTEMPT TO FURTHER PURSUE THEIR ORIGINAL OBJECTIVES.

Do you really believe that if we quit pouring water(oh my) on terrorists heads that they will quit chopping off our heads on TV? Wake up America!

Torture made us less safe. The world saw the Bush administration as a gang of thugs and war criminals. It shamed us and gave us no moral ground.
If we end up sacrificing our Constitution and all we once held as good and necessary to this democracy because of the “war on terrorism” the terrorists have won. We are better than that.

To claim that the “advanced interrogation techniques” (read torture)have resulted in twarting several possible terrorist attacks, is to justify torturing any person to see what he will tell you, since you do not know at the start of such interrogation if he has any useful information at all. So on what criteria do you initially select persons for such interroation, and how do you avoid torturing persons who have no useful information? The result is to torture everyone hoping to uncover such information so you can then claim after the fact that such techniques are justified in avoiding attacks? Pity the poor innocent persons who suffer this hindsight treatment in the name of national security. Torture is just plain wrong, and can never be justified.

Has anyone here read the Constitution, and does anyone here understand that it takes a vote of the people to amend it? How is Obama going to ‘take away’ our 2nd amendment right to bear arms? Huh? Tell me what the grand secret plot is to make us all vote for that?? Huh?? How??

Instead of instigating an aura of fear, the news media could have taken the positive approach and ask did this action help us to return to our ideals for human rights? I say yes it did. Maybe we can re-learn what it means to be an American. Torture is not one of our human values.

Obama is only following his instincts of social liberalism, he can’t help it being surrounded by all his support people with like ideas, i.e. pelosi, reid, biden, kennedy. The idea is to distract th3e populace while re-distributing the wealth in america.

President Obama is restoring my faith in our government. Over the past 8 years, our values have been ignored and short-sighted policies allowing inhumane treatment of prisoners and other disregard for our ideals have undermined our standing in the world community. The United States is not a terrorist country. We stand for freedom, for the right of an individual to be treated fairly. The policies of the previous administration have created more terrorists. The decisions that President Obama announced today will without a doubt make our country safer now and in the future.

The best way to determine if this was a good idea or bad idea is to release these terrorist and guarantee them that no matter what they do they will still get to go free. Then we can have everybody who is for this stand in a line with their children and family and give the terrorist a gun and wait to see what happens. If they kill everybody then we will know this was a bad idea. If they don’t kill anybody then we will know this was a good idea.
How about it everybody you wants to see them set free. Ready to stand in front of them to see if they are good or bad?

The day after the election I told a young excited voter she had best begin to watch her back and her wallet. Day three of the reign and we begin to watch our backs.

Send the prisoners to Arizona to the
sheriff that makes them wear pink
underwear and takes priviledges away.

At last, rational thought in the White House. Closure of America’s Gulag will be a giant step toward making America safer, whereas the Bush/Cheney action of ordering the invasion of two sovereign nations (Afghanistan and Iraq) did more to embitter the entire Muslim world toward the United States than it did to protect it. Neither nation had the intent nor the capability to attack America.
President Obama’s action will not only justly release scores of men who have been imprisoned without due process and absolutely no evidence brought forward to prove that they had any involvement with al Qaida, it will go far in polishing America’s tarnished image around the world.
Our military men/women who rounded up dozens of Afghans in the fields, villages and/or mountains and forced them at gunpoint to be shipped to Guantanamo were following orders issued in a time still tinged with hysteria following the 9-11 tragedy, by men (and perhaps one woman) with too little knowledge of the region, al Qaida, or how to go about acquiring the knowledge.
For all they knew, they were rounding up dozens of shepherds, farmers, teenagers walking home. They took any Afhan male they saw running. What they were fleeing was the American invasion of their land.
Obama’s early decision and action will signal the world that America HAS changed, and returned to our former ideals of justice and fairness for all, whereas Guantanamo has merely created recruits for al Qaida. – Calliope

I don’t think the new president realizes the cost of closing a base. Where are these terrorists going to be housed? Maybe they should be sent to Illinois, Nevada and California (USA leaders (President, House & Senate)).

If Guantanamo is closed and they are brought to the United States I suggest
they are sent to Washington, D.C. so they can be close to the President,
Senate and House who wanted it closed.

Sure closing Gitmo is dangerous. I suppose we might as well just open the gates at the borders and let them all in.Keep looking over your shoulder I’m sure that there will be another attack, they’ve been given the green light.

Closing Guantanamo is risky. The fact that we wasn’t attacked in seven years is reason enough to keep it. What happened at Guantanamo is no worst then what most pledges go thought when pledging a fraternity.
War is ugly and if one side wants to play clean and not offend the enemy they will win. They didn’t care about killing thousands of Americans just going to work. You beat dirt by being dirtier. If it wasn’t for that loud mouth that wants to be in the paper the stuff would have stayed inside prison like it should have. Guantanamo is not a country club.
Mr President I voted for you for different reasons, but I feel you are wrong on this subject.

I thought President Obama was supposed to be a thinker and level headed? He has been president for 48 hours so how on earth did have the time to properly study this issue? This is a serious security issue and he made a knee jerk decision and that is extremely troubling.

Yes Barack Husseein is helping to weak America and all our enemies now are laughing and mocking us , now they know nothing will happen to them and our soldiers only can give them …FLOWERS !

we are much safer now . we cant be surprised when we have so many enemies due to this country talking about human rights issues and then ignoring them when it suits our needs. we will be gaining respect for walking the walk, not just talking the talk,.obama is doing what has needed to be done for 8 yrs now,,,,

“We believe Obama made a mistake signing the presidential order to close Guantanamo, simply because, apparently, no plan has been made as what to do with those prisoners who will be retained somewhere.” – RBW
Kidding aside, you are completely right RBW.
I just read the Executive order.

I can understand the Pres not liking Gitmo and wanting to close it.
Bush had a problem with the captured terrorists and came up with a solution.
Don’t like the solution, fine, but what is NoBo’s solution?
Where is he going to put the terrorists, current and future ones?
It’s hard to believe an intelligent man can issue a detailed executive order that leaves out a key element and doesn’t include a solution to the elementary problem.
Please Mr. President, you have to do better than this for the sake of the American People.

“I’m sure we can build a state of the art detention facility in the depths of Alaska. Sarah Palin could stand guard with her arsenal of automatic rifles that she uses for moose hunting.” – ed
What a FANTASTIC IDEA!
All that would be needed to complete it would be an executive order from NoBo offically giving each detainee the nickname of “Moose”.
!!!!!
: o )

President Barrack Obama has weakened America with the signing of this Executive Officer to close Gitmo. If you actually read the Geneva Convention Article 17 says: “Every prisoner of war, when questioned on the subject, is bound to give only his surname, first names and rank, date of birth, and army, regimental, personal or serial number, or failing this, equivalent information. If he wilfully infringes this rule, he may render himself liable to a restriction of the privileges accorded to his rank or status.”
This can include non-uniformed combatants like a MILITIA that are fighting for a NATION, but fighting when fighting for a TERRORIST ORGANIZATION like al-Qaida the GC does not apply to them because they cannot give that information.
Instead of keeping terrorists off of American soil we will be IMPORTING them to America so we can give them AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS when they are fighting against AMERICAN SOLDIERS and trying to KILL THEM! Plus Democrats in several states are already saying “We’ll take them!” so they can make money off of TERRORISM! Wow… sad day…

If Pres. Obama insists on releasing the prisoners at Guantanomo Bay and bring them to the US then he should imprison the in or near Washington, DC. Then if some of those liberal judges should decide to release them they would probably stay in Washington, DC. Maybe the gun laws there would stop them from getting into trouble in the future.
If anybody believes that then they would believe anything they are told and I guess that is why they voted for the man in the first place.
Their release in the US would be the most irresponsible act that anyone could imagine. Only God could help us then.

What’s all this talk about getting all of the tourists out of Guantanamo?
I thought only military personnel were allowed to visit there.

Obama might be trying to change America and make us better, but now that he is having Gitmo closed i think the only change we will have is rebuilding our nation after all those terrorists retaliate and bomb us all. He should be trying to make our economy better and not trying to kill us all. What happens in Gitmo, stays in Gitmo.

Yes he put us at risk today. He and some here spout the Geneva convention. But i dont’ see the ones that hide their faces with hoods while they behead our soldiers, workers, and allies all on video tape following the convention rules. Do the rules only apply to us and the “civilized” world? The president should be more concerned with turning the economy around and putting people back to work with health care and the social security they’ve worked so hard for. What happened to all the campaign promises? Stop giving the money to the big corporations so they can go on vacation, and as the old saying goes “put a chicken in every pot”.

One more thought for today then i’m outta here. If he wanted to stop the waterboarding then fine stop it. That’s no reason to allow these same people on American soil. Keep Gitmo open. Once they’re here what’s to stop an American judge granting them a release? The same newscast tonight reported that one of those same people was released and joined Al-Queda and killed many in Isreal. Welcome to the real world. My prayers are with the men and women that gave their lives so we may be free. I would hope that it wasn’t for nothing.

Here is a question for all you, this will make america less safe people. If President Bush HADN’T opened Gitmo and HADN’T imprisoned and tortured thousands of probably, innocent, America loving Muslims, how many less potential terrorist would we have to worry about today? Not saying that all of them are innocent, but the one that were innocent before, may very well hate us now. And it would be because of the horrors they endured while being inside GITMO rather than wanting to be affiliated with terrorism to begin with. So now, in addition to all the terrorist that would have wanted to do us harm in the first place, we have all these terrorist who want to do us harm because they were falsely imprisoned. If anything closing Gitmo may slow down the recruitment of NEW terrorist who wish us do harm. It’s a little harder to sell America as the “Great Satan” when you don’t have a facility that is pissing on everything that we stand for.
Now, In most of your eyes this may make me “UnAmerican” but I love this country and have the most respect for our men and women in uniform. But sometimes, you gotta think about the consequences of your actions. There is no real evidence that Bush opening Gitmo discouraged any further terrorist attacks. For someone who would be willing to blow themselves up for a cause, do you REALLY THINK THEY FEAR GOING TO PRISON!

What is going on with our country? I like most americans want a beautiful nation and want to believe that we can trust all people but come on, we have become so nieve because the media, and money has made us that way. Just think, the terrorist that caused 911 lived in the U.S. And you mean to tell me that we are going to trust that no one else will try to destroy us. OMG, we will be our own destruction. I am hispanic but if it takes profiling than thats how it has to be to keep living the life that all Americans want to live. We, the people, are causing no future for our American belief and way because we are giving way to terrorist.

I was very skeptical about Obama, im not going to lie. But im for who ever is for the people. I will give anyone a chance as long as they are good at heart and us there morals for the good. So i am goving our new Commander in Chief the benefit of doubt. But most of you talk about Gitmo. Come on. What about our own prisons that hold innocent americans. Why dont you voice your opinions about that. So do you think that all those innocent americans in prison are going to be terrorist. Maybe we should worry about that instead of people that actually hate us from the begining of their life. If you think they dont then maybe you should live there with them and see how your wonderful life will be. You people are so pathetic, and you will cause us, the U.S. to self destruct.

Obama is smart on so many levels for ordering the closure of Guantanamo. It has been a long time coming

Pres Obama put on you thinking cap and
keep us safe and don’t bring gitmo to
the U S. This is our homeland. Don’t
know if you’re a natural born citizen
but I am. I can prove it how about you?