Althouse: "Not only is the Obama administration planning on freeing some detainees on U.S. soil..."

March 27, 2009

"Not only is the Obama administration planning on freeing some detainees on U.S. soil..."

"... it is also going to pay them to live here."

60 comments:

The Dude said...: ACORN will have them registered to vote in no time. Is this a great country or what?; 3/27/09, 8:40 AM
David J. Backes said...: Maybe they should accompany Obama to Notre Dame, and pick up an award.; 3/27/09, 8:50 AM
AllenS said...: Yeah, sure, why not. The stimulus package should be able to handle the extra welfare payments. And, if it doesn't, just print another trillion dollars. How hard can this be?; 3/27/09, 9:02 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: How about this one?

Theoretically you could have a situation where the governments dislodges property owners via an "imminent domain" court order, as part of the scheme raises some government subsidized housing where Muhammad fresh off gitmo moves in.

How do you like them apples?; 3/27/09, 9:07 AM
KCFleming said...: Obama can use Gitmo for all those dirty capitalists he wants to round up.

And here's hoping all those nice clean young men can get into a good flight training school somewhere.; 3/27/09, 9:09 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: These wacky policies will lead to some surprising resignations in the Obama administration ala Judd Gregg.; 3/27/09, 9:21 AM
garage mahal said...: Freeing innocent people locked up for years is INSANE.; 3/27/09, 9:22 AM
KCFleming said...: Innocent?
Of what?; 3/27/09, 9:23 AM
garage mahal said...: Guilty?
Of what?; 3/27/09, 9:27 AM
bearbee said...: Oh for crying out loud! Use some ingenuity. We have all kinds of illegals from all over the world living here. Smuggle them back into where they came from.; 3/27/09, 9:32 AM
KCFleming said...: Ah, you see through the stupid crime filter, as opposed to the correct war lens.

Some ignorance is invincible.; 3/27/09, 9:33 AM
Automatic_Wing said...: I'm sure garage, Alphaliberal and Freder will each volunteer to take in one of these harmless victims of Amerikkkan oppression. Just remember not to feed them bacon for breakfast. That could be considered a provocation.; 3/27/09, 9:35 AM
Anonymous said...: I say no free ride for these guys.

Aren't there some administration positions still unfilled?; 3/27/09, 9:38 AM
Palladian said...: "Aren't there some administration positions still unfilled?"

They'd probably be more competent than the choices so far.

Mohammed, you're in charge of Treasury. Mohammed, you're in charge of Health and Human Services. Mohammed, you're in charge of the ATF. Mohammed, you're the head of the FAA. Whew! That was a lot of work. Let's see if Michelle wants to go be fabulous somewhere on the Hill for lunch.; 3/27/09, 9:49 AM
bearbee said...: Aren't there some administration positions still unfilled?

And until they are settled, the Lincoln bedroom is available.; 3/27/09, 9:50 AM
Peter V. Bella said...: Dennis Blair has not mastered the new administrationspeak. Had he done so, there would be no problem. What he should have said is- “The detainees are going to get economic stimulus funds. The will recieve one billion dollars each. Just like ACORN- 4Billion dollars. It is important for criminals to get bailed out and be allowed to start their lives over again in freedom and wealth. Greed is good in these situations.”; 3/27/09, 9:56 AM
Fen said...: How do you like them apples?

I'm thinking that we have alot of Marines coming back who know how to make IEDs.; 3/27/09, 9:58 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: Freeing innocent people locked up for years is INSANE.

No it isn't. Putting non-US citizens on the welfare rolls is.

But then I'm just insenstive.; 3/27/09, 10:07 AM
The Drill SGT said...: dumb, dumb, dumb.

Those chinese Muslims are/were trained terrorists.

The only issue is that we were not the primary target.

How can we expect other countries, the Russians or chinese for example, to support anti-terrorism efforts if we make distinctions based on the target of the terrorists; 3/27/09, 10:11 AM
Richard Dolan said...: The hamhanded way that Team O is dealing with the task of governing is pretty breathtaking to behold. Even at the most basic level of political spin -- and, remember, that was Team O's strength throughout the campaign -- this is stunningly idiotic. It's as if these guys really wanted to piss off the big middle of the American electorate, and are coming up with really ingenious ways of doing that as fast as possible.

While there are obvious analogies to the troubles Clinton caused for himself in 1993, this bit of political insanity reminded me more of the problems Yale caused for itself with the infamous "Taliban man" a few years ago. That was the guy who had been an "information minister" for the Taliban during the period when, e.g., it was going around executing women, gays and others for any dalliance that didn't get the Ayatollah Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. Yale thought he was quite the catch (Harvard didn't have a Taliban official, after all), paid his way in full, basically created a special program just for him, etc., etc. When if first appeared in the press, the Yale admin tried to defend it in the usual diversity terms, until the whole thing blew up in their face and they were forced to backpedal furiously.

I mention the Yale thing because so many of the guys running the O Admin are academics (starting, of course, with O). It's astonishing how tone deaf those guys -- especially a supposedly "great communicator" -- can be on this, Geithner's bizarre comments on the dollar, etc.

Let's hope the get the knack of that 'governing' thing sooner rather than later, or it's going to be long four years.; 3/27/09, 10:23 AM
former law student said...: If they're Chinese Muslims, they just need a little tiding over till they open up a restaurant. Stir-fried lamb over hand-pulled noodles, yum!

Or they can start driving cabs like their co-religionists in Chicago.; 3/27/09, 10:24 AM
former law student said...: this is stunningly idiotic.

And the Richard Dolan genius solution would be?; 3/27/09, 10:26 AM
Anonymous said...: And until they are settled, the Lincoln bedroom is available.

Maybe O could read them a bedtime story.

"Let's see...what to read to them tonight?"

"Where the wild things are. No - that might create a negative and embarrassing implication."

"Let's see....."

"If I ran the Zoo by Seuss?"

"Nah. Might suggest a reference to the cages at Guantanamo."

"What. Here is Winnie the Pooh. Yeah, those are good....... well, until it gets to the part where Piglet enters the story."

"Man, what's wrong with these children authors in America!?"

"Boy, this is a really tough decision."

"But, only the tough decisions get to me, so I better persevere....."; 3/27/09, 10:36 AM
Peter V. Bella said...: Or they can start driving cabs like their co-religionists in Chicago.

Exactly! And those Chicago cab drivers are the WMDs we should have eradicated.; 3/27/09, 10:44 AM
Fen said...: formerLAWstudent: And the Richard Dolan genius solution would be?

Whats the point of having Laws of War if we treat illegal combatants as legal combatants? Just asking.; 3/27/09, 10:45 AM
Richard Dolan said...: FLS: If Team O wants to succeed, they need to have the discipline not to talk publicly about controversial stuff like this until they've thought through what they intend to do and why. From the DNI's comments, it's clear that hasn't happened yet, and he was just musing in public. Same with Geithner's dumb comments about possibly going along with a change in the historic role of the dollar.

It's the difference between spending political capital to achieve a controversial policy goal, and throwing it away because of carelessness. That's not a question of genius, just political competence.; 3/27/09, 10:51 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: I guess I can take some solace in the fact that Obama wont allow the freed detainees to get any exorbitant bonuses. Paid yes, but no bonuses.

I think that would be too politically explosive, incendiary, volatile?; 3/27/09, 10:53 AM
Chad said...: * 39 weeks unemployment
* Job Retraining
* Al-Qaeda has a health plan so I assume they will be eligible for COBRA.

Dennis Blair, the Director of National Intelligence, anticipates that many of those released will seek employment in crowded shopping malls and schools where their future suicide bombings will be most devastating.; 3/27/09, 10:54 AM
Automatic_Wing said...: Whats the point of having Laws of War if we treat illegal combatants as legal combatants? Just asking.

Being nice to brown people expiates white guilt. You should know this.; 3/27/09, 10:55 AM
Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...: Once settled, they won't need to live on the dole. All of them will have book deals and movie rights. Lefties will gladly open their checkbooks and flock to the theaters to learn why we are to blame.; 3/27/09, 10:58 AM
David said...: Cuba, I'm thinking Cuba. If you want to give a stipend, give them each $5000 and push them outside the gate. They will love Cuba.

Why $5000? Because it's a lot cheaper than anything else we would do with them.; 3/27/09, 11:09 AM
Swifty Quick said...: Maybe they can do what it takes to get them eligible for VA benefits too. Get a disability compensation claim going, PTSD and whatever else. GI Bill. Go to school. Buy a home. American Pie.; 3/27/09, 11:13 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: And the Richard Dolan genius solution would be?

Well I won't presume to speak for Richard but Hoosier's solution would be simply send them back to China. I mean we trade with them, visit thier country, they're obviously 'good enough' for Hillary to get on bended knee and beg them to please buy our product so who are we to presume that they would torture these poor innocent folks?; 3/27/09, 11:24 AM
former law student said...: Richard:

Fair enough. I agree that thinking out loud does not inspire confidence in others.; 3/27/09, 11:31 AM
Fen said...: Cuba, I'm thinking Cuba.

Actually, thats the current route: into Cuba, over to Venezuala, then up across the Mexican border.

If you thought we were living in "interesting times", just wait.; 3/27/09, 1:03 PM
TMink said...: A round of 9mm ammo costs 9 cents.

I'm just saying.

Trey; 3/27/09, 1:18 PM
Geoff Matthews said...: Can we expect to see fewer captives and more fatalities among the enemy?

Because that's what this policy makes me wish for.; 3/27/09, 1:27 PM
The Drill SGT said...: Geoff Matthews said...
Can we expect to see fewer captives and more fatalities among the enemy?

Ultimately yes.

Like the Hill Street Blues Turn-out Sgt:

"Troops, the Old Man didn't specifically state he wanted prisoners on this mission, so let's be careful out there."; 3/27/09, 1:44 PM
Richard Fagin said...: Great. Al Quaeda loonies loose on the streets of downtown Madison, and we're paying for thme. What next?

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/106817/Dollar-Slams-Up-Against-a-Great-Wall?sec=topStories&pos=4&asset=TBD&ccode=TBD

When Chinese Communists justifiably and correctly thrash an American administration for financial incompetence and worse, you know the whole world has turned upside down. Any more of this and I may start suffering from Obama Derangement Syndrome.

I can't believe I'm rooting for the Chicoms. The world has turned upside down.; 3/27/09, 2:19 PM
Methadras said...: I'm sensing a lot of FUD.; 3/27/09, 2:20 PM
blake said...: Give garage his props: At least he showed up to make his defense.

I expected AL to show up with some links proving them all to be pacifists, and of course some trolls to just come by and yell about the 2001-2008 period.

But maybe this is a bit much even for some of them? Nah. It's probably just a three-day weekend or something.; 3/27/09, 2:27 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: No it isn't. Putting non-US citizens on the welfare rolls is.

But then I'm just insenstive.

Then you REALLY would go crazy living in California. Illegals are getting welfare, food stamps, subsidized rent, free health care and so on.; 3/27/09, 2:55 PM
veni vidi vici said...: "...send them back to China. I mean we trade with them, visit thier country, they're obviously 'good enough' for Hillary to get on bended knee and beg them to please buy our product so who are we to presume that they would torture these poor innocent folks?"

And wasn't it Hillary who just a few weeks ago was saying that the whole "human rights" thing didn't really matter anymore vis. China?

This administration's inconsistency reeks of hypocrisy. I'm shocked, shocked at the rank incompetence of this bunch of career paper-shufflers whose favorite self-descriptive word is "smart".

(Not surprised here by any of it; more "brought low" than anything).; 3/27/09, 3:18 PM
traditionalguy said...: When these taliban allies of the Mohammedan guerilla war division get into USA they can help organise the Mosques into bomb factories and arsenals for Truck Bombs and for shooting up Hotels and Malls. Then our National Guard units will have to come home for sure. Maybe Harry Reid was prophetic; we have lost this war on January 21, 2009.; 3/27/09, 3:24 PM
TMink said...: dbq wrote: "Then you REALLY would go crazy living in California. Illegals are getting welfare, food stamps, subsidized rent, free health care and so on."

And how is Kalifornia doing financially these days?

Trey; 3/27/09, 4:03 PM
Revenant said...: And how is Kalifornia doing financially these days?

Circling the drain, pretty much. I suspect we're headed for a Michigan-like period of decades of unemployment, high taxes, and crooked government. On the plus side, we won't be stuck living in Michigan.; 3/27/09, 5:57 PM
al said...: TMink said...

A round of 9mm ammo costs 9 cents.

Closer to 19 cents around here. Even so - I'll donate a case. That could solve 500 problems.; 3/27/09, 7:27 PM
Anonymous said...: Hmmm.

1. So I am to believe that all that is required for a trained AQ terrorist to give up jihad and drive a cab is ... welfare and job training?

I suppose food stamps is the icing on that cake.

2. Drill Sgt is right. We "were" not their target but things change. For one thing they could be contacted by AQ looking to use them as an advance force. Or make a deal where they do terror operations here in exchange for AQ training and supplying their friends in China.

I'm sure a Beslan style attack by 17 publicly released AQ terrorists wouldn't make headlines all over the world.

Frankly if I were a AQ terrorists given a pat on the back and a welfare card I'd cut a deal with the AQ guys back home.

Then I'd take over a big public school, wire it like Beslan with the explosives intermixed with the kids and then, live on national TV, pop one kid on camera every hour until I got what I wanted. And if the HRT or SWAT tried to bust in the dead man's switch on the bombs would all blow at the same time.

One kid an hour live on national and international TV or all of them in one massive explosion.

3. Or these Uighurs will do what almost --all-- terrorists have done and that is resort to crime. Evidently it's impossible to be a terrorist and have a 9-5 job so a steady supply of money is required. And since blowing people up or shooting them doesn't look good on a resume other than one for crime I guess that the contretemps down south Mexico-way might offer some interesting employment options.

No doubt Mexico will be happy to have a few more trained killers roaming their cities.

...

Utterly idiotic and beyond comprehension. Frankly the last 65+ days have felt like 8 years already. Obama has stuffed 8 years worth of stupid idiotic nonsense into less than 3 months.

I cannot imagine how bad the next 3.75 years are going to be.; 3/27/09, 9:58 PM
Anonymous said...: Well since we owe the Chinese so much money, why won't they want to signal to the world the new reality and demand these guys back and watch the obama crowd cravenly give in? Hillary has already told them we don't have a dog in the fight over Tibet. Why would this be any different? A pussy is a pussy and the world knows it about obama.; 3/27/09, 10:28 PM
Robert Cook said...: Aside from the sensible Garage Mahal, you're all assuming with no basis that the detainees who might be freed into our country and offered initial public aid are guilty of being terrorists. Yet, there has been no determination that this is so, merely the assertions of our government. It has long been acknowledged, even by the military, that the great majority of those brought to Gitmo were merely hapless innocents, rounded up in dragnets or kidnapped and sold to us by those who wanted to claim the generous bounties offered by America for "captured terrorists."

We offer due process of law for America citizens accused of crime for a reason: our founders knew full well that the state is not to be trusted, that the power it holds must be feared and checked. If we don't trust our government in its accusations against its own citizens, how can we trust its accusations against foreign nationals rounded up abroad under cloudy circumstances?

Simple answer: we can't, and anyone who does has surrendered to power, is a but an enabler of tyranny.; 3/28/09, 7:57 AM
Robert Cook said...: "Pogo said...
Some ignorance is invincible."

Yes.; 3/28/09, 7:59 AM
Mr. Forward said...: "Great. Al Quaeda loonies loose on the streets of downtown Madison, and we're paying for thme. What next?"

Probably tenure.; 3/28/09, 8:07 AM
Michael Haz said...: Can they not be simply returned to their countries of origin? What is so complicated about that?

Just put them on a plane and away they go.; 3/28/09, 8:10 AM
former law student said...: Can they not be simply returned to their countries of origin?

The Uighurs are anti-communist freedom fighters whose country was overrun by Red China. Although they happen to be Muslim, they are no followers of al-Qaeda.

I'm surprised to see so many supporters of Mao's successors on ths blog. Did they likewise cheer Tiananmen Square?; 3/28/09, 11:05 AM
TWM said...: Eh, they can hang out with Bill Ayers and get big speaking fees at liberal events cause liberals love them a "reformed" terrorist.; 3/28/09, 2:14 PM
blake said...: As tempted as I was to stop reading after "Aside from the sensible Garage Mahal" I did read Robert Cook's entire message and wondered:

Where did the military acknowledge that these people were not enemy combatants? Why, if so, would they continue to hold on to them?; 3/28/09, 2:27 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: Although they happen to be Muslim, they are no followers of al-Qaeda.

Then where were they and what were they doing when they were captured; just being innocent bystanders?; 3/28/09, 2:30 PM
blake said...: Well, yes, Peter, precisely my question.

We are to assume that the military screwed up--easy enough--and that they perpetuated the screw up--also easy enough to believe--but in the face of constant scrutiny, all while admitting they were screwing up?

That doesn't add up somehow.; 3/28/09, 2:54 PM
hdhouse said...: where pray tell would he otherwise release them? after years in solitary, most of them zombies to begin with and most assuredly after years of Bush Humanism, who the hell would want them.

We captured them. We did what we did. Now we deal witht them.

HMMMMMMMM how about Crawford Texas?; 3/28/09, 6:28 PM
hdhouse said...: although in the absence of TrooperYuck......; 3/28/09, 6:30 PM