[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 14660]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                 GITMO

  (Mr. MORAN of Virginia asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, military judges 
dismissed the cases against the only two men to have been charged with 
a crime still being held at Guantanamo Bay. This legal impasse creates 
an imperative for Congress to address the legal black hole that we have 
created at Guantanamo.
  There have been almost 800 people sent to Guantanamo. There are 385 
left; and, of those 385, only 80 will be charged and tried with a 
crime. Now, that means that 90 percent will not even be charged and 
tried, but it will take more than a decade even to try those 80 people, 
given the island's remote location. In fact, there's only one courtroom 
there.
  Mr. Speaker, every day that we keep Guantanamo open, we damage our 
credibility and we lose ground in the global war on terror. Congress 
has an opportunity to change this wrong-headed policy, and we can do so 
by shutting the facility down and transferring the detainees to the 
U.S. military brig system. There they will still be under lock and key 
but also have the right to a fair and speedy trial.
  The United States is a country that should stand for justice and be 
governed by the rule of law. Our policy should reflect our values. 
Guantanamo does not.

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