First Reply on GITMO shutdown

My first reply is from Rep. Loebsack (D). I believe this guy is truly a nice guy, but even nice guys can be Marxists. I don't think he is, but he is a Statist. Of course he didn't answer my question "How many Terrorists will be re-locating to Iowa?" But I didn't expect one. They never answer my questions. I'm going to get a complex.

May 28, 2009 Dear Mr. Pope,

Thank you for contacting me about the detention facility at the US Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. I'm honored to represent you in Congress. Your opinion is very important to me and my priority is to provide Iowa's Second District with the best representation possible.

Beginning in 2002, nearly 800 people captured in Afghanistan and elsewhere have been transferred to the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. Since then, the Bush Administration transferred all but roughly 250 detainees out of Guantanamo Bay, with the majority sent to a third country for continued detention or release. On January 22, 2009, President Obama issued an Executive Order requiring the Guantanamo Bay detention facility to be closed no later than January 21, 2010. The President also established an interagency task force to provide recommendations on the transfer of the detainees to another location.

The closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility raises a number of complex security, legal, and logistical issues, including where the detainees will be held and what laws and regulations will apply to them. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I believe we must find a way forward that protects our national security, upholds our laws, and allows for the prosecution of known terrorists in order to assure that the convictions are upheld, justice is carried out, and to assure that terrorists are held accountable and do not return to the battlefield. Please be assured that I will closely monitor the Administration's review of detainee policy and will keep your thoughts in mind should legislation concerning the detainees at Guantanamo Bay come before the House of Representatives.

Thank you again for contacting me about this important issue. I encourage you to visit my website at www.loebsack.house.gov and sign up for my e-newsletters to stay informed of the work I'm doing in Congress. I am proud to serve Iowa's Second District, and I am committed to working hard for you.

Sincerely, Dave Loebsack Member of Congress