Limiting Access to Guantanamo Raises Transparency Questions

I came across an article the other day that talked about how the Obama administration is now limiting access to the detention camps at Guantanamo Bay. I chose to read and look into the article further because while I am somewhat familiar with the situation at Guantanamo, I really wanted to learn more and be able to have a better understanding of the whole debate. Right now, I just feel that I do not know enough about the Guantanamo Bay controversy to make a solid opinion of my own about it. So here's what I read:
During the election, President Obama had pledged to shut down the controversial Cuba-based facility and ran on a platform of transparency, meaning that the media, among others, would be granted greater access to the facility in order to report back to the public the events taking place through film, photos, and written observations about the conditions. However, that is not the case now. In fact, Obama has tightened access to the detention camps and has made it even tougher for the media to speak with the guards and prisoners within the area.
Of course one would assume that this would raise questions by many critics regarding the validity of his pledges of transparency. According to the American Civil Liberties Union Director, Anthony Romero, "in light of the Obama administration saying they wish to have greater transparency, it's more than a bit ironic that members of the press are now being denied access to the camps when they had it before under President Bush".
Several sources have reported that the decision to limit access came from Washington and the Pentagon and was a result of past experiences involving the media. For instance, one of the possible "triggers" that was discussed involved the reporters' interaction with the Chinese Muslims at one of the camps. During this particular visit, the prisoners held up offensive messages, one of which being whether President Obama was a "Communist or a Democrat". Sources say that this incident was highly mortifying to the White House and Pentagon, especially since they were desperately trying to find a home for these prisoners.
Overall, after reading the article, I still do not completely understand the whole debate, but I do feel a little more informed about the situation as far as why access has been limited. While I do think that the media should have some access to the detention camps in order to perform their duty of reporting back to the people, I also feel that the media's access should be limited and monitored because we all know how the media loves to play up the most controversial aspects of a situation.

Obama Blasts Media for Playing Up 'Rude' Comments

I recently read an article that talked about how President Obama used the Sunday morning talk shows in order to scold the media for what he called "rude" and "outrageous" political comments regarding Republican Joe Wilson's outburst during Obama's health care address to a joint session of Congress more than a week ago. I mean...isn't it about time someone intervened in the media's out of control coverage of such petty issues??
As a result of Wilson's outburst, many new stories have emerged and the media has nonetheless given a considerable amount of coverage to each and every one. It seems that people now know more about the debate over Wilson's outburst and the stories that have followed than they do about the actual health care plan...talk about being misinformed!! We, as a people, just need to sit back, face reality, and think about which issue will affect us and our country more...Wilson's outburst or Obama's health care plan?
Race has become the new highlight of the Wilson outburst. The coverage, which should have been focused on Obama's health care plan itself, was focused entirely on Wilson's comment, which has now evolved into a racial controversy. This new debate resulted after several prominent Democrats claimed that critics like Wilson were racially motivated. I mean...really?!? Some people will just take an issue and run with it, making it more prolonged that it really ever should be. The debate has been spinning out of control and I totally agree with President Obama when he stated that "the media loves to have a conversation about race. It is catnip to the media because it is a running thread in American history that is very powerful and it evokes some very strong emotion." I just think that it is so crazy that the media is STILL dwelling on Wilson's outburst even AFTER he apologized to President Obama and Obama accepted his apology. But I guess I can't really say that I'm surprised at this point...
In his lecture, President Obama urged news networks to give more of a platform to those who demonstrate decency and civility. He stated that "the easiest way to get on the news or get your fifteen minutes of fame is to be rude . If you're just being sensible, giving people the benefit of the doubt, and you're making your arguments, you don't get time on the nightly news." That statement could not be any more true. I, along with many others I'm sure, have stopped watching the news because it is just filled with ridiculous debate and focuses more on celebrity hot topics than important issues that actually affect our country. Obama stated that part of what he would like to see is for everyone to reward decency and civility in our political discourse. He went on to say that "that doesn't mean you can't be passionate, and that doesn't mean that you can't speak your mind, but I think we can all sort of take a step back here and remind ourselves who we are as a people."
As far as the Wilson debate, I will close with a statement from House Republican Leader, John Boehner, that I find to be very true: "It didn't need to happen. It is over with. As President Obama said, it's time to talk about health care, not about Joe Wilson".

Proper Discipline or Political 'Stunt'?

I recently read an article about the House of Representatives voting to discipline Republican Joe Wilson for his outburst a week ago during a joint session of Congress, accusing President Obama of lying . The vote was 240-179. Despite Wilson's apology directly to the White House and his written statement expressing regret, the final decision of the House was to take disciplinary action towards the issue. The debate taking place now is whether or not the decision of the House was politically motivated or whether it was a proper and fair punishment. As you can imagine, many Republicans are calling the decision a "partisan stunt", while the Democrats are "stepping up their condemnation of Wilson's offense".
As far as the issue of disciplining Republican Joe Wilson goes, I agree with Wilson's statement that "there are far more important issues facing this nation than what we're addressing right now. President Obama graciously accepted my apology and the issue is over." I feel that there are way more important issues worth addressing right now with our country being in its current state. Although Wilson was definitely in the wrong for his outburst, the fact that he apologized and President Obama accepted his apology should be enough to put the situation at ease. I think that too big of a deal has been made out of the outburst and once again, you see Republicans and Democrats attacking each other over what should be considered a petty issue. This reminds me of Obama's school speech where a huge deal was made and much debate was created over something that should have been pretty neutral.
I feel that it is time to stop the debate over such petty issues and start talking more about ways to improve this country!

Remembering 9/11

I wanted to write a post about remembering 9/11 because it will always remain a day that no one will ever forget. September 11, 2001 was a tragic day in our nation's history. It has become an infamous day and also a day of remembrance for our nation. Eight years later, President Obama has declared September 11 to be a National Day of Service. He stated that "we honor all those who gave their lives so that others might live, and all the survivors who battled burns and wounds and helped each other rebuild their lives."
This day brings out a selfless spirit among everyone and helps to bring our nation closer together in order to remember the devastation of the events that took place and also the heroes that gave their lives to save others. I read an article that talked about volunteers in New York who tilled gardens, wrote letters to the soldiers, set our flags, and at ground zero, joined the somber ritual of reading the names of the lost. I think that it is so wonderful that people are continuing to come together to honor the heroes of that day. I do not think that people will ever be able to forget September 11 because it impacted our nation to such a great extent. It makes me so sad every time I think about the number of lives that were taken on that day and those who lost friends and families. I just cannot imagine what I would do if I were in their situation.
I also found another statement in the article I read that I felt portrayed September 11 fairly accurately. It stated that "September 11 will always be a day that represents humanity at its worst and humanity at its best".
Overall, September 11 will always be a somber and reflective day for our nation and I think that everyone should take time to give thanks to the heroes and pray for those who are continuing to suffer from losing loved ones. I also feel that it is important not to forget about those heroes that are fighting for us now over in Iraq and those who have lost their lives for our country. We should be giving thanks to those soldiers as well because without them, our country cannot succeed.

Obama's School Speech Controversy

The latest controversy to hit the airwaves has been President Obama's "back-to-school" speech to the nation's children. According to the White House staff, the primary purpose of the President's speech is to encourage students to stay in school and work hard in order to better their education and reduce the drop out rate. However, many people have become so enraged at the thought of this speech and believe that President Obama will use the speech as an opportunity to somehow "brainwash" the young minds in order to better his own political agenda. Many school officials and administrators have been caught in the middle of this mess and have the difficult task of deciding whether or not to show President Obama's speech on the classroom televisions. While some school principals have left the decision in the hands of the individual teachers, others have chosen to show the speech stating "we'll trust his judgment". According to the Republican Governor of Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty, the classroom is no place to show a video address from President Obama. Governor Pawlenty also stated that "at a minimum it's disruptive. Number two, it's uninvited. And number three, if people would like to hear his message they can, on a voluntary basis, go to YouTube or some other source and get it. I don't think he needs to force it upon the nation's school children".
I can definitely see legitimate points from both sides of the spectrum. While I do believe that a speech from the President encouraging our nation's children to stay in school and work hard is harmless and should raise no controversy, I also agree with Governor Pawlenty on the fact that it could potentially be disruptive in the classroom and people should be able to choose whether or not to view the address on a voluntary basis. Overall however, I think that the whole debate going on right now concerning the school speech has become very distorted and people are beginning to lose sight of what the whole purpose of the speech was, which is to encourage children to stay in school and work hard. How much controversy should a subject of that matter really raise? I feel the answer to that question should be "none at all".