Utah congressman questions Guantanamo closure

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, is asking President Barack Obama to reverse a decision to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility for enemy combatants, saying closure would be an empty public-relations gesture that could endanger Americans.

Chaffetz, who visited the facility in Cuba last week, wrote to Obama, saying, "It's the right facility, the right location, the right public policy. There is no viable alternative."

He said he is confident that U.S. soldiers running the facility "have successfully created an atmosphere and reality on the base that is safe, humane, legal and transparent" for detainees.

He added, "Contrary to popular belief, waterboarding never happened at Guantanamo Bay," and "people should understand that our troops go to great lengths to treat detainees with respect. In many ways, these people are treated better than they would be in federal or state prison systems."

Chaffetz said he saw that detainees are allowed to pray five times a day; may have five books at a time from among 10,000 titles; have access to movies, including "Finding Nemo" and "Oceans 13"; have access to soccer fields and weight-training equipment; and have more than 2,000 calories of food a day.

America has no match for the facility and its "geographic barriers, which keep detainees far from American civilians. The remote location also provides a necessary barrier against anyone who may wish to do harm to detainees — or attempt to set them free," Chaffetz said.

He said closing the facility would "threaten the lives of Americans by likely requiring us to bring detainees, many of whom are terrorists, to American soil. Detainees would inevitably be brought to facilities that do not have the geographical and structural advantages of Guantanamo Bay."

He added, "I believe our nation is more secure when these detainees are kept off our shores in an isolated and secure location. We are better off keeping detainees separate from U.S. prison populations. Clearly they would not mesh well in such an environment."

Chaffetz added, "I would encourage you to do as you have so successfully done in Iraq. Please carefully weigh the input from our military leaders on the ground. Let's not hastily close a facility that serves a key purpose in the defense of this country."

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