Guantanamo Struggling With Population Boom

[Rose Siding]

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba -- The arrival of hundreds of terror suspects at this remote U.S. naval outpost has produced a population boom and a flood of amenities -- a miniature golf course, Starbucks coffee, concerts and a planned go-cart track.

The non-detainee population at the Caribbean base has surged from 2,600 to about 9,500 since the military brought in the first prisoners from the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan three years ago.

Commanders at a post that was little more than a refueling stop for warships began renovating abandoned structures and building new ones in a rush to provide working and living quarters for the 2,200 personnel of the detention operation as well as their family members, contract workers, interrogators and other support officials.

Uncertainty shrouds the future of the prison after court rulings undermined the government's argument that 545 detainees from 40 countries are beyond the reach of the U.S. legal system and are not entitled to the same protections as prisoners of war held under the Geneva Conventions.
.....
"As long as there is a global war on terror, (the detention mission) is here for the long run," said the base's commander, Navy Capt. Les McCoy, who does not oversee the prison but must take its future into account.........

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-guantanamo-boomtown,0,5245771.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

[ixion]

1. this makes me sick

and a flood of amenities -- a miniature golf course, Starbucks coffee, concerts and a planned go-cart track.

Gee, it's good to know that we give those hired to torture people in our name all these swell amenities. :puke:

[Rose Siding]

3. Probably trying to cut down on the unauthorized entertainment

-that command seems to favor...

snip>
CBS News reported last week that the colonel who was suspended was in charge of the interrogation center at Guantanamo Bay. One of the accused lieutenant colonels commanded the military police guarding the prisoners, and the other was in charge of the soldiers responsible for base security, CBS reported.

The CBS report said the colonel and the two lieutenant colonels are accused of committing adultery with a Navy nurse and a number of female civilian contractors.

CBS said the one-star general who is under investigation for alleged adultery was the deputy commander of the prison camp. The investigation began after a soldier who had been disciplined for adultery made accusations against the four officers.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=589&ncid=734&e=8&u=/ap/20050327/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/guantanamo_investigation

9,500 staff to 545 prisoners. How many are guards? Half would be a really high guard to prisoner ratio - 3 or 4 per.

[Say_What]

7. Have a latte on your way to torturing a detainee...

and a round of golf later--only in the USSA. :puke:

[VegasWolf]

2. Next will be Krispy kreme, McDonalds and Mega Malls. n/t

[bigworld]

4. I'm pretty sure there already is a McDonalds there.

seriously.

[FormerOstrich]

5. okay...once again I need help understanding......

First, I don't recall reading about new prisoners being sent to Guantanamo. Where are these "arrival of hundreds of terror suspects" coming from?

Second, per the article:

"545 detainees from 40 countries" and "Two permanent prison camps that can hold 320 inmates are meant to replace four temporary jails"

Which by my math is a minimum 545 and future maximum of 640.

Third, per the article:

"The non-detainee population at the Caribbean base has surged from 2,600 to about 9,500"

So that says to me.....that without any further increase in the non-detainee population (which is probably not a given) that there are 17.4 to 14.8 non-detainees to every 1 detainee.

Now..does that sound right? How does that compare with other prisons? I don't think it sounds very cost effective. But what the heck..it's only our tax dollars....


on edit: corrected stupid typos

[Deja Q]

6. PROSPERITY, YAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lock up the good guys and let the bad ones out. :crazy:

[VegasWolf]

8. Gitmo Wal-Mart!! Investors ready? n/t

[osiristz]

9. Maybe it's a scheme to slowly...

invade CUBA! Yeah, remember when Castro sent all those mentalidiots over here? Must be our way of getting back at him. We'll turn the "tourists" loose in Cuba!