Bravo! The idiotic but murderous Israeli attack on Gaza gets virtually no criticism from craven US politicians. Israel cannot kill enough Palestinians to enable retention of the colonies of illegal Jewish settlers spattered all over the West Bank.

Yeah, I read the earlier posts. That's funny. But a bit scary. If this was Germany, we just very well might serve time. We could start a whole new 700-post thread on that issue.

Well, let's see what happens. :)

Thanks, but if my emotional posts have any use, it's only because there are so many good people here who are so well informed and so quick to post facts refuting Zionist nonsense.

They, and I won't even bother to try and list them, cause there are so many (and there could be more), they are the ones who do the heavy lifting, they are the ones who do the real work. I don't know if they know how much it lifts my heart when they allow no Zionist lie, obfuscation, canard, exaggeration or distortion to go unanswered. Often they are here with the crucial facts fast enough to answer Hasbara right on the same page of the comments.

My main concern is Zionism's effect, a destructive ruinous effect on Judaism, my religion, and its complete disregard for the welfare of my country, America.

And considering what America has done for the Jews, the Zionist contempt for it's traditions, laws, constitution and people is disgusting.

As far as Judaism goes, tieing this wonderful religion to any political enterprise is degrading. But holding Judaism hostage to the demands of the Zionist project will be its death.

But make no mistake, the real work is done by the people who calmly and quickly bring in the facts and show the Zionist propaganda and prejudice for what it is.

I just provide comic relief. Yes, I know- I would keep my day job, if I had one.

But let's make no mistake, without those others, and their willingness to take up this discussion on the side of the truth, my posts would be no use, and have no context.

And I thank you all!

"You truly wrong me for thinking otherwise."

You wrong yourself; its probably obvious to various long suffering relatives.

To be honest, I doubt the sincerity of anybody who makes such statements as "Islamic cowards". Such people are rarely interested in putting their ideas to the test or exploring the issue. I don't believe you're hard-hearted. I believe you're a pathetic nobody, who won't even make the effort to explore his beliefs. You're just a clown trying to get a rise out of people. And you're failing quite spectacularly at it. I'm Palestinian and you can't even get me angry, much less the other posters here.

Lastly, its always funny to find a troll stumbling upon Glenn's site and thinking that he and everybody who read it are leftists. It shows a bottomless ignorance of even the most basic issues discussed here.

Awaiting Gitmo's Closure

by Zofeen Ebrahim, Published on Tuesday, January 6, 2009 by Inter Press Service (see sig)

KARACHI - "I've thought a lot about what my first meeting with my father will be like after all these years. I don't know how I'd react. I don't even know what to expect,'' said Muneeza Paracha, 26, daughter of Saifullah Paracha, incarcerated at Guantanamo Bay since September 2004.

She was reacting to the numerous media reports regarding the possible closure of the notorious prison in east Cuba run by the United States, as soon as President-elect Barack Obama takes office on Jan. 20.

Malka, 27, is already preparing for a rousing welcome for her husband, Abdul Rahim Ghulam Rabbani, also detained in Guantanamo. "He wrote two months ago saying he was coming back soon,'' she told IPS.

"We were married for just over two years and I was pregnant with my second son when he disappeared," said Malka. "Only I know what these past seven years have been like. I've missed him every single day and since the boys have grown older they are forever asking me about their father,'' said the young unlettered woman.

Malka lived with her parents for the first two years and then decided to live independently. She has managed to run her household and send her sons to schools by "sewing and stitching" for the community and hopes that when Rabbani comes back he will be "proud to see how well I have taken care of his sons''.

There is widespread speculation that on Jan. 20, Obama will announce the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. Defence secretary Robert Gates has reportedly instructed his staff to develop a plan on "how to shut it down".

[…]

Paracha is among the four Pakistani detainees currently in Gitmo along with Majid Khan, and brothers Abdul Rahim Ghulam Rabbani and Muhammad Ahmed Ghulam Rabbani, according to the Washington D.C.-based non-profit, public policy organisation, the Brookings Institution.

Putting the number of Pakistani detainees at five (though he could not name the fifth), Farhatullah Babar, spokesman for the ruling Pakistan People's Party, told IPS over phone from Islamabad: "We have urged the U.S. government to return these detainees. This has been our consistent demand."

Asked about the process of repatriation and whether families have been informed about a possible reunion, or if there will be any rehabilitation facilities, including financial assistance and psychological counselling, Babar answered: "We have not gone into the micro-details of the plan of how these people will be handled once they are back."

However, Babar said that those who have returned went through a few days of "debriefing" and were then simply sent home.

[…]

"Our hopes have been raised so many times, and then dashed, and despite assurances from our government, and Barack Obama's plans to close the prison, I cannot be sure till I see my father here," said Muneeza.

"His [Obama's] priority maybe different from mine," said Muneeza, adding, "I'm not sure if he will be able to close Gitmo as soon as he steps into the Oval Office, and then it may not be as easy either."

[…]

Obama must heed the heads of four prominent civil liberties and human rights organisations -- the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International USA, Human Rights First, and Human Rights Watch -- who have, in a letter to the President-elect, reminded him of his promise.

The letter suggests that after stepping into office, Obama should immediately set a date for the closure of the prison. The next step should be a review of all detainee records by the justice department.

Where no evidence is found against the detainee he should be repatriated to his home country for trial or release. If there is a risk of torture or abuse, he should be transferred to a third country that will accept him or be admitted to the U.S.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/01/06-3