The Occasional Dissident

“What this tells us is, at the end of the day, there are individuals, that if released, will again return to terrorist activities.” - Bryan Whitman, Pentagon spokesman (“Pentagon: Some Gitmo detainees rejoin fight,” Associated Press on MSNBC.com, May 26, 2009)   Dear citizens, you are perhaps familiar with a fundamentally different NIMBY—NOT in my backyard!  We face, collectively, myriad challenges that require sacrifice on the part of some of our citizens.  And, we all agree that we should not be those citizens called upon ... Read More

“So the record is clear:  Rather than keeping us safer, the prison at Guantanamo has weakened American national security.  It is a rallying cry for our enemies.  It sets back the willingness of our allies to work with us in fighting an enemy that operates in scores of countries.  By any measure, the costs of keeping it open far exceed the complications involved in closing it.  That's why I argued that it should be closed throughout my campaign, and that is why ... Read More