Rhetoric and Reality at Guantanamo Bay

In 2008, we were told that Obama would radically improve conditions for prisoners and close Guantanamo bay. Now, almost a year on, we can see the difference between the White House's fantasy world and the real one. The illegally occupied Guantanamo, on Cuban soil, remains open and prisoners at Guantanamo have opined that there has been a decline in conditions.

While prisoners are no longer tortured, the treatment of US military detainees has been far from a basic humane standard.

*Group recreation has been abandoned - prisoners are effectively isolated.

*Prisoners' belongings are regularly removed from their cells, including their bedding for no apparent reason and no explanation.

*Prisoners were not allowed to take part in traditional group prayer for Ramadan.

*Hunger strikes (often protesting conditions) are broken by force-feeding through feeding tubes. These are having adverse medical effects.

*Pepper spray and the feeding tubes are misused to intentionally cause harm.

*Abdul Shalabi, an inmate, has said that he is "a human who is being treated like an animal".

[quote]*Group recreation has been abandoned - prisoners are effectively isolated.[quote] Sounds like a school.

[quote]*Prisoners' belongings are regularly removed from their cells, including their bedding for no apparent reason and no explanation.[quote] Sounds like a parent.

[quote]*Prisoners were not allowed to take part in traditional group prayer for Ramadan.[quote] Sounds like extreme atheism (or extreme secularism, i think).

[quote]*Hunger strikes (often protesting conditions) are broken by force-feeding through feeding tubes. These are having adverse medical effects.[quote] Sounds like police.

*[quote]Pepper spray and the feeding tubes are misused to intentionally cause harm.[quote] Also sounds like police.

[quote]*Abdul Shalabi, an inmate, has said that he is "a human who is being treated like an animal".[quote] This sounds horiffic.

Sounds like extreme atheism (or extreme secularism, i think).

Extreme atheism isn't bad, so long as it doesn't mean compulsion. It's institutionalised control that would be bad. What difference does it make how much you don't believe in God?

Secularism is when the state is very tolerant over religion and doesn't rely on religion to operate. n secularism, i feel they'd be afforded the necessary respect for their religious traditions and practices.

Oh, and to finish a quote, do this: [/quote]