Carter: Close Guantanamo

"Despite President George W. Bush's bold reminder that America is determined to promote freedom and democracy around the world, the U.S. continues to suffer terrible embarrassment and a blow to our reputation as a champion of human rights because of reports concerning abuses of prisoners in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo," [former President] Carter said in a news conference following the close of a two-day human rights conference at his Atlanta center.

In addition to closing Guantanamo Bay and two dozen other secret detention facilities, the former president said the United States needs to make sure no detainees are held incommunicado and that they all be told the charges against them.

His other recommendations included that the United States stop transferring detainees to foreign countries where torture has been reported and that an independent commission be created to investigate where terrorism suspects are held in U.S. custody.

Carter also said the United States should reaffirm its commitment to due process and international law, and assure that the Geneva Conventions on the treatment of prisoners are enforced.

Carter said many countries, including the United States, are using the campaign against terrorism as an excuse to restrict freedoms and silence human rights activists.

"In fact, combating terrorism, defending human rights and ensuring our collective security go hand in hand," Carter said.

Of course, Sen. Biden agrees with Carter's call for Guantanamo's closure following from the Pentagon's release of the details of the Koran abuses.

Because, Carter knows, that there is a threshold between the actual negative impact of an event and the perceived negative impact of an event and when that threshold has been crossed, the actual and the perceived fail to be distinguishable. They are the same thing. This is what is occurring at Guantanamo Bay.

Keep writing those letters, folks.