FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, January 22, 2010

Contact:
Michael A Zachariades
Michael@MilitaryFamiliesUnited.org
(202) 510-5304

 

Washington, DC – Kirk S. Lippold, Former USS Cole Commander and Senior Military Fellow at Military Families United (MFU), released the following statement concerning the one-year anniversary of President Barack Obama’s Executive Order to close the detention facilities at
Guantanamo Bay (GITMO), Cuba:

“Today marks one year since President Obama disregarded national security experts and the American people by issuing an Executive Order to close GITMO. At the beginning of his Administration, the President pledged to the families of those victimized by terrorism that they will see justice served swiftly. Yet today, the President’s misguided, incoherent detainee policy has seen more suspected terrorists freed without trial, new rights afforded to detainees and millions in taxpayer dollars spent with the result being a greater vulnerability of the United States to terrorist attacks.

The reason is simple. The fundamental problem with the Obama Administration’s GITMO position is that it is not based on a search for sound policy but remains a purely political objective. The President should heed the advice of security experts and recognize that closing GITMO would be costly, unnecessary and represent an unjustifiable risk to our national security.

Over this past year, the American people have spoken loud and clear that they do not want suspected terrorists in their towns and cities. The American people have been appalled by the release of dangerous terrorists back onto the battlefield due to political pressure at the Department of Justice. They have been further exasperated by the Administration’s proposed expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars in the midst of this economic crisis to develop a new detention facility, ‘GTMO North’ here on American soil.

GITMO should remain open and operational. The American people have invested precious time and money to make it a model terrorist detention facility that provides the highest standard of treatment with a robust intelligence collection capability . Now is the time for the President and his Administration to reconsider their campaign promise to the radical left and keep GITMO as a valuable resource in the War on Terror.”

About Military Families United
Military Families United (MFU) serves as the nation’s leading military family advocacy organization, representing the interests and values of those who sacrifice for our security and our freedom: America’s troops and their families. MFU gives America’s military families a voice in the national conversation on military, national security and other public policy issues through our outreach to media, government, and the general public. We seek to communicate the truth about our brave men and women in uniform and their mission to protect our freedom.