The US military has moved some Taleban prisoners to the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba. To get around protections associated with the Geneva Convention the United States is distinguishing the prisoners as “unlawful combatants”. Even though they will be kept in outdoor wire cages they will be allowed the luxury of practicing their religion.
- “Unlawful combatants do not have any rights under the Geneva Convention,” Mr. Rumsfeld said. “We have indicated that we do plan to, for the most part, treat them in a manner that is reasonably consistent with the Geneva Conventions, to the extent they are appropriate.”
Apparently, the United States military does not like abiding by international agreements. I saw a grainy photo of a hooded and manacled prisoner. It looked pretty inhumane like how you would imagine someone prepared for execution. It’s funny, in World War II even the Nazis followed the Geneva Convention.
I’m wondering why the US has decided to send the POWs to Guantanamo Bay. Does anyone else think it is weird that we have a military base in a country with which we have supported coups and sanctions of? What kind of message is this sending to the Cuba people? Of course, the Cubans are not happy about this. Some Cubans think the United States is seizing the opportunity to buildup its forces in Cuba without triggering suspicions of aggression. They may be right. I don’t think Americans would be happy if there were a Japanese base on our soil or a Cuban military base on our soil. Why is our military all over the world in other people’s countries even when the people of those countries want them out?