5/29/2009
By Charles Payne

President Obama finds himself in a position of having to strong arm his own party once again, and this time it's not over money.  Over the past couple of weeks we've heard over and over again that we must close Guantanamo because it's making America less safe.  In fact, despite more than seven years without an attack on U.S. soil we're told we are less safe, which goes against logic but also begs to question what must be done to actually be safe.  I don't buy any of it, not for a minute, and I hope Americans reject the notion that no attacks are a bad thing.  Moreover, some of the stuff coming from the left on this topic is mindboggling.  The water boarding of three terror suspects has been compared to actions taken against Japanese Americans in World War II, and even to slavery.  I really hope that Americans aren't browbeaten into buying such comparisons.

Right now, the big push to close Guantanamo is that in addition to the ugly stain on America it serves as a recruiting tool for al-Qaida. The White House is pushing the notion that as long as it's open America loses its moral high ground.  So, even while Europe watched and allowed Yugoslavia to dissolve into a string of civil wars and ethnic cleansing they have the right to look down their noses at America and Americans for detaining and interrogating individuals they believed presented an immediate threat to the safety and lives of those in the states and the rest of the world.  It took American intervention in the Balkans to halt atrocities that would make water boarding seem like a day at the spa.  There was genocide in Rwanda, and there is genocide in Darfur, and it's all in Europe's backyard. Their inaction is equal to a moral sinkhole.

I say if we are going to eliminate recruiting posters for al-Qaida let's begin with the most effective tools:

• The U.S. constitution
• The recognition of Israel
• American prosperity
• American joy and optimism
• The bible and torah as well as all images of Jesus, Buddha, etc.

If our goal is to stop recruitment for al-Qaida let's make all Americans pray towards Mecca five times a day. There are so many things that we could do to appease al-Qaida, but the focus shouldn't be on the mindset of the enemy but on the mindset of Americans. Of course, there have been shameful periods in the history of this country, but the incredible thing is the nation evolves and gets better as it always works toward achieving its promise. Our moral high ground has been built on fatalities in the name of right and freedom, 618,000 in the Civil War, 405,000 in WWII, and 116,000 in WWI. Our moral high ground comes from the trillions of dollars in direct aid and humanitarian efforts to help the world in the twentieth century.  Our moral high ground comes from religious tolerance.  Our moral high ground comes from the inventions and innovations that have helped all of mankind.

At this point of the public relations onslaught I would like to know what is a good interrogation tactic to get information from someone that hates you (fighting terrorists isn't like fighting professional soldiers who may actually disagree with the goals of their leaders). It seems to me that al-Qaida has been emboldened by the inference of the President of the United States that somehow the bad guys in the war on terror is America.  By the way, I'm a little confused, so could someone tell me what came  first?

1. Interrogation of terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay
2. The evil attack on American civilians in New York and Washington, DC on Sept 11, 2001

I will never forget 9-11!

As for bringing these terror suspects to U.S. prisons, there is the serious threat and reality they will find fertile soil for their anti-American message.  Perhaps the biggest news last week was the arrest of those four homegrown, would-be terrorists that all converted to radical Islam in prison.  Prisons are not nice places, something that should be noted to those that think the physical structures at Gitmo are harsh, by American prison standards they are not.  My point is that I've visited prisons and they are frightening.  People in those places seem to feel they are victims no matter how heinous the crime(s) they've committed. Most feel the deck was stacked against them from birth. The law of survival of the fittest rules the day, and there are normally two ways to be fit enough to make it through.

• They can lift weights and become giant machines of muscle
• They can embrace God and attempt to cleanse their souls

For the latter, the option is a religion that matches their anger and discontent. That often means radical Islam.  Our prisons can hold Gitmo detainees physically but it actually would facilitate the spreading of their message. That is a real and legitimate threat that has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with protecting America. So, while I admire General Colin Powell, I think that there are consequences worse than angering the rest of the world by keeping Gitmo open.