GN Commentary: May 22, 2009 - Security for America

Instead of debating whether the prison at Guantanamo contributes to our safety or not, we should be asking ourselves, "Who do I trust for my safety – is it God or is it man?"

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Video Transcript

Are you safer today because of the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay?

This question came out of an unusual squabble this past week. The media referred to it as a surreal moment, a sideshow, and an ole fashion shootout. Within moments of each other and in the same city, two men spoke to a national audience on the subject of security and reached opposite conclusions. One was our president, Barack Obama. The other was the former vice president, Dick Cheney.

President Obama, during his speech from Washington, declared the failure of the security measures instituted by the Bush administration and defended his plan to close the prison at Guantanamo. A few minutes later, just across town, former vice president Cheney declared the SUCCESS of the prison and the interrogation methods that were used after 9/11.

Are you safer because of the prison in Guantanamo and the actions taken by the Bush administration since 9/11? Or will you be safer if the current administration closes the prison and institutes new procedures for interrogating suspected terrorists?

In his speech President Obama said: "The record is clear: Rather than keeping us safer, the prison at Guantanamo has weakened American national security." In his speech that followed the president, Dick Cheney belittled that statement and declared that the Bush administration's national security policy, including the prison at Guantanamo, successfully prevented numerous attacks from extremists.

If anyone doubted the importance of this discussion it was underscored the day before when four would be terrorists were arrested in New York City shortly before attempting to blow up a Jewish synagogue. These four men had gathered their explosives and were in the final stages of carrying out their plan when the FBI and NYPD rolled up, surrounded their vehicle and dragged them off to jail.

Were we safer under George Bush than we are currently under Barack Obama? In an open society such as we have we must admit that there is no way for the government to guarantee our safety from a terrorist attack—George Bush couldn't do it, nor can Barack Obama.

Three thousand years ago king Solomon wrote "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain."

Instead of debating whether the prison at Guantanamo contributes to our safety or not, we should be asking ourselves, "Who do I trust for my safety is it God or is it man?"

For GN magazine, I'm Jim Franks.