Miami - Riptide 2.0 - Senate Withholds Funds to Close Guantanamo Bay

Senate Withholds Funds to Close Guantanamo Bay

By Kyle Munzenrieder in News

Wednesday, May. 20 2009 @ 1:00PM

Barry Bland

Prisoners in Guantanamo Bay

The Senate voted against providing $80 million to shut down Guantanamo Bay 90 to 6 today. The move comes a day before President Obama is scheduled to outline his plans for what to do with the 240 terrorism suspects held in Cuba.

The provision also temporarily barred the transport of the suspects to American soil.

"Guantánamo makes us less safe. However, this is neither the time nor the bill to deal with this. Democrats under no circumstances will move forward without a comprehensive, responsible plan from the president. We will never allow terrorists to be released into the United States," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev).

The New York Times reports that if Guantanamo is closed by the January 22, 2010 deadline, over 100 of the prisoners would need to be housed in the United States. The Senate may still come through with the funds. Though, Democrats opposition to housing them on our soil may put a hitch in the plans.

What if put them up in some remote place in Alaska? Would anyone really care then? Maybe Sarah Palin. The irony of course is that Alaska if farther away from most of America than Guantanamo Bay, which is just a few hundred miles from where I type this right now.