Okay, so it took longer than 2-3 days to get on with this series.  I had green beans to pick and give away and other garden stuff to do that just wouldn't keep.

I've been keeping an ear and eye tuned to what the locals are saying about bringing the detainees from Guantanamo to a soon-to-be-closed prison in Standish, Michigan ever since I first learned about it a few weeks ago. 

Nationally, a poll taken in early June says:

Overall, 65 percent of those surveyed oppose shutting Gitmo, versus 32 percent who say it should be closed.

I have yet to find a poll that that reflects the views of Standish or Arenac County residents only.  They are, after all, the ones directly affected.

So, I have only my own instincts to go on when I say the I'm-fer-its are in the lead locally.  These are ordinary people I'm quoting, not politicians or any other kind of public officials.  These are people I've overheard discussing the matter while standing in checkout lines or sitting one booth over in restaurants as they speak with friends.  Please keep in mind the following is a very unscientific blog.

The talking points flying at a town hall meeting last week to discuss the issue are still being talked about this week.  I've left out the outrageously silly ones and hope I've chosen well the ones worth going over.

The first one is the phrase I must have heard forty times...

Those terrrrsts are dangerous!

Well, duh.
I have absolutely no doubt that some of the detainees are so radicalized by their religion that releasing them will put many, many innocent people in danger.  Those detainees need to be charged and brought to trial. 

I also have no doubt that some of the detainees are there for no reason other than they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.  They need to be freed with a cleared name, or charged with something and brought to trial.

Bringing the terrrrsts here will make Standish a target for jihadist bombers!  We're all gonna be blown to bits!!!

Are we now?  Well, Cuba hasn't been blown to bits.  There have been no escapes of terrrrsts who go on rampages and hold busloads of school children hostage or poison the water supply or do any of those things the fear-mongers have put in empty brains. 

Maybe we should ask the people of Cuba their feelings on the subject since they're the ones having lived next to it for the past seven years.  Oh, yeah...I forgot.  We're not allowed to talk to those commie reds. Maybe that's why we never hear their opinion on the matter, although Cuban President Raul Castro and his brother Fidel have demanded that the U.S. return the Guantanamo territory to Cuba.  It is, after all, their land mass....in spite of the lease signed in 1903.  (Hmmmm.  Ever wonder how much we pay to rent part of Cuba?  Wonder if it would cover the cost of single-payer health care?)  (But, I digress.)

Standish is too close to Dow Chemical!  It's a target for terrrrsts!

Well, this is somewhat true.  Several years ago, a list was made of the most likely places in the country that would be a target for attack by unfriendlies.  Dow Chemical, in Midland, MI, was on the list for the obvious reason.  It's a chemical company!

(Dow is about 80 miles from where I live and on the occasional quiet, reflective day, I can recall the soft rustle of fake boobs being made there before they eliminated their silicon breast implant factory, and how the aroma of fresh Saran Wrap would waft through the air before they sold the brand to Johnson&Johnson.)  (But, I digress.)

Dow Chem is about fifty miles from Standish.  I get the connection, but I doubt it has any bearing on the situation.  It's just too far away and besides that, should anything disastrous befall Dow, they have had for years an emergency response system in place to deal with all possible calamities.

(Too bad they couldn't keep their damn dioxin out of the Saginaw and Tittabawassee Rivers.)  (But, I digress.) (Again.)

Dearborn, MI, is just to the south!

Uhhhh.  A hundred and forty-five miles to the south.  That's a fer piece by any sane reckoning.  And the point?

Well, well, you know.......there's...there's moooozlims there!

Ahhh.  See, I did not have to wait very long for this to come up in any conversation I was eavesdropping upon. 

Yes, it's true.  Dearborn has one of the largest settlements of Middle East immigrants in the USA.  Many are muslim   There's a large number of Christians as well who came here to escape religious persecution.  But, you know....they're not real Christians, right?  Right?  Because they're not born here.  Right?  And their skin is a little brownier than whot's proper for a real Christian..  Right?  Bah. ( Be gone, you vile thinkers of stupid shit.  You disgust me.)  (But, I digress.)

The fear of the unfamiliar has caused a great deal of the uneasiness about the Gitmo detainees being transferred up here to the northern woodlands.  It's these prejudices that are at the heart of the NIMBY supporters.  I honestly believe that if a list was made of the top10 reasons why there should be no detainee transfer to the USA, in order of importance, the safety issue, the only real issue, would probably be number 10.

Now, there were some real issues of concern that I heard and read about right from the git go.  The first one was the job/jobloss situation.  This is the one that garners nearly all of the positive feedback and the main reason I believe there is more support for bringing the detainees here than not, bucking the national polls.

Bringing the Gitmo detainees to Standish will save jobs!

Yes, it will. 

But, probably not the jobs that first come to mind, namely the state employed guards and personnel that work there now.  Gitmo North will be a U.S. military prison run by the Dept. of Defense, not the State of Michigan.   Most of the state employed guards will not qualify due to age or physical restraints, but mainly because they are not military.  Likewise, most of the other prison personnel will not be retained either.

The jobs that will be saved are those in the local community.  The military families moving into the area will keep local merchants and services open for business.  The public school will not have to lay off teachers and the local government will not lose 25% of its tax revenue as it will if the prison closes.  Also new in the area will be Dept. of Justice personnel if the combination prison/court system becomes reality.  

The idea behind combining the prison with a courtroom is to prevent problems occurring during transfer of prisoners on their way to trial.  This dual system will add to the economy in Standish since nothing like it now exists in the area.  It is estimated that 500 to 1000 jobs will be retained or created.

The bad part of this is the 300+ current state employees, who will lose their employment, will either move out of the area to find work or stay and probably end up having to take a lower paying, non-union job....if they are lucky enough to find one.  Now, the state prison guards are angry about this and rightly so.  No one likes losing a good paying job with benefits.  No one likes being a 'budget cut', and there is some backlash against the current governor, Jennifer Granholm.

There is one final truly important concern...

Eminent Domain.  Now, this question is quite serious.  Some locals were concerned that those owning homes close to the prison compound would be forced to move if it was found that the new complex would need to expand its perimeter for enhanced security purposes.

There is a good deal of 'empty' land surrounding the prison, but I think the residents asking this question were showing the most sense.  Just how much space is needed between the prison complex and the rest of the people and will the government claim a right to the land they might say they need?

No one could answer their question at the town hall meeting that was held on Aug. 22.

In fact...NONE of the questions locals had were given satisfactory answers because the simple truth is, no one at the local level knows what the hell is going on yet.  No one.  Not even Pete-I-am-fuck-of-the-mountain-Hoekstra.  Which is kind of a hoot because the federal officials that came and toured the prison on Aug. 13th, who ate prison food for lunch, who met with local law enforcement to ask if they had any questions, and who then went away.....those federal officials were the committee formed at the request of  Congress and charged with coming up with a plan to close Guantanamo and transfer the detainees to the U.S.  

Congress had informed the President that no monies would be forthcoming for the closing of Gitmo until there was a plan of action in place.  So, the President's people are coming up with a plan and until they have one, no information will be going out to anyone and that includes you, Mr. I'm a Big Shot Cuz I'm the Ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee Pete Hoekstra.   Don't call us....we'll call you.

In the meantime, that wonderful ole political machine has been grinding away, making noises that sound like I-want-to-be-the-next-governor stump speeches and turning loose the fear factor brigade in order to scare the townsfolk....as if the uncertainty of living in an area with 17% unemployment isn't scary enough.  (Way to go, Bouchard ...that's just what Michigan needs...more minimum wage jobs in the food service industry.)

So, as it stands now, that's all there is, there ain't no more.  But, I have an ear open to any changes that come along.

Oh, yeah....I almost forgot my rant.

Pete Hoekstra is one of 169 GOP co-sponsors of a bill introduced by everyone's friend, John Boehner.  It's called the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act, a phoney patriotic title if I ever heard one.  As far as I can tell, H.R.2294 is just another obstructionist tactic.  Another, how-can-we-scare-the-people-more-so-they-will-think-we-are-protecting-them bullshit piece of legislation.  If they truly want to protect the citizens, why not introduce a bill named  Banish the Entire Obstructionist Congress to Mars Act?  Huh?

Well, anyhoo, this Boehner bill specifically deals with the detainees of Guantanamo.  But, what are we going to do with the terrrrrsts that are already incarcerated on American soil?  You know, like Zacarias Moussaoui or Terry Nichols or Ted Kasinski or Ramzi Yousef ?  Those guys?  What?  Did no one in the House remember we already have a super max prison full of people who have done very bad things right here in the good ole USA?   Do you not remember their very public trials and that they were found guilty?  And then what?  The judge disappeared them with pixie dust?

No.  They went to prison.  Right here on American soil.  Right here on our very own precious American soil.  Terrrrrsts.  Here.  Now.

Oh, the horror.

Ya know, I'm getting a little tired of this American soil shtick.   If American soil is so damn special to the obstructionists, why are they allowing it to be dug up and sold off to the highest bidder?  Why are they allowing it to be polluted to the point of uselessness?  And why all of a sudden are the parties of privilege so concerned about who gets to walk on American soil? 

I mean, as long as there was profit to be made or a service to be performed for the privileged, it was just dandy to have certain members of the world's population walk on American soil.

It was A-okay to haul Africans here to work in their tobacco and cotton fields.   Then it was A-okay for the Chinese to come here and build their fucking railroads.  Then it was fine and dandy to allow the Irish to immigrate in order to be their maids and menservants and work in their factories for starvation wages.  Where do they get off picking and choosing who gets dragged here against their will now?  Oh, because the ones being dragged here are supposed terrrrrrrrrsts?  They're our enemies?   And they might hurt us?   Well, jebusfarkingcripes.   Why didn't you think of that before you started your stupid damn war?  Why didn't you think of that before you started picking up random people just because you decided you could?  Why didn't you think of that before you started torturing? 

And just so no one thinks I'm not listening to my own rant, yes! I realize bringing the Gitmo detainees here is a profitable business!  So deal with that GOP!  Don't tell me you're gonna pass up an opportunity to wring more money out of the system!  Or is it just too juicy of a tidbit to not feed to your rabid Right?

John Boehner wrote a phony bill.  Pete Hoeksta and 168 obstructionist Republicans co-sponsored it.  All of them can shove it where the sun don't shine.  Sideways.

end rant

Have a great Labor Day weekend!

And I can't find my damn blood pressure pills!!!