Shut It Down

We squandered the goodwill of the world after we were attacked by our actions in Guantanamo, both in terms of detention and torture.  Our decision to keep Guantanamo open has helped our enemies because it validates every negative perception of the United States.

It is time that the American people and our politicians accepted a level of risk in the defense of our constitutional values, just as our service men and women have gone into harm's way time after time to defend our Constitution.  If we make a mockery of our values, it calls us to question what we are really fighting for.

It is time to close Guantanamo.  Our departure from Afghanistan is a perfect point in history to close the facility.

-- Retired Marine Major General Michael Lehnert, who opened the Guantanamo detention camp, in a column published in the Detroit Free Press, 12 December 2013