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Should the US release the detainees being held at Guantanomo Bay?
The Costco Connection | 1/04 | Costco connection staff

Posted on 01/28/2004 11:08:01 AM PST by Eva

Hundreds of prisoners are being held at Guantanamo Bay---many since January 2002. They have not been charged with crimes or had access to legal counsel. The Bush administration says they are an invaluable source of intelligence, and points out that most of the prisoners (about 650 from 42 different countries) were part of criminal orgainzations, not orgainzed armies, making the protections granted to prisoners of war under the 1949 Geneva Conventions inapplicable. However, human rights groups and others say the detainees should not be kept in limbo, but either be charged with crimes and tried, or released. What do you think?


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: costco; detainees; gitmo
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This article goes on to give two sides of the issue, devoting two thirds of the space to support of the release, written by a guy from Amnesty International, and one third to someone from the Heritage foundation. I couldn't find this on-line, so you'll have check your mailer if you are interested. They give web sites of CNN and BBC for help in forming your opinion.

The responses are to be mailed or e-mailed to debate@costco.com. I am not asking that you answer the question, just that you e-mail Costco about the offensive use of their membership mailing list to advance a leftist political agenda.

I am so disgusted with Costco

1 posted on 01/28/2004 11:08:02 AM PST by Eva
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To: Eva
This was e-mailed to me the other day - Author unknown

A person wrote a letter to the White House complaining about the treatment of a captive taken during the Afghanistan war. Attached is a copy of a letter they received back:

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, D.C. 20016 Dear Concerned Citizen:

Thank you for your recent letter roundly criticizing our treatment of the Taliban and Al Qaeda detainees currently being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

My administration takes these matters seriously, and your opinion was heard loud and clear here in Washington.

You'll be pleased to learn that, thanks to the concerns of citizens like you, we are creating a new division of the Terrorist Retraining Program, to be called the "Liberals Accept Responsibility for Killers" program, or LARK for short. In accordance with the guidelines of this new program, we have decided to place one terrorist under your personal care.

Your personal detainee has been selected and scheduled for transportation under heavily armed guard to your residence next Monday.

Ali Mohammed Ah bin Had (you can just call him Ahmed) is to be cared for pursuant to the standards you personally demanded in your letter of admonishment. It will likely be necessary for you to hire some assistant caretakers. We will conduct weekly inspections to ensure that your standards of care for Ahmed are commensurate with those you so strongly recommended in your letter.

Ahmed's meal requirements are simple, but we strongly suggest serving meals that do not require utensils, particularly knives and forks. Also, these should be "one-handed" foods; Ahmed will not eat with his left hand since he uses it to wipe himself after purging his bowels (which he will do in your yard) - but look on the bright side.. no increase in the toilet paper bill.

He generally bathes quarterly with the change of seasons, assuming that it rains, and he washes his clothes simultaneously. This should help with your water bill. Also, your new friend has a really bad case of body lice that hasn't been completely remedied. Please heed the large orange notice attached to your detainee's cage: "Does not play well with others."

Although Ahmed is sociopathic and extremely violent, we hope that your sensitivity to what you described as his "attitudinal problem" will help him overcome these character flaws.

Perhaps you are correct in describing these problems as mere cultural differences. He will bite you, given the chance, but his rabies test came back negative, so not to worry. We understand that you plan to offer counseling and home schooling. Your adopted terrorist is extremely proficient in hand-to-hand combat and can extinguish human life with such simple items as a pencil or nail clippers. We do not suggest that you ask him to demonstrate these skills at your next yoga group. He is also expert at making a wide variety of explosive devices from common household products, so you may wish to keep those items locked up, unless (in your opinion) this might offend him.

Ahmed will not wish to interact with your wife or daughters (except sexually) since he views females as a subhuman form of property. However, he will be eager to assist with the education of your sons; have available for their use several copies of the Q'uran. Oh - and rest assured he absolutely loves animals, especially cats and dogs. He prefers them roasted, but raw is fine, too, if they aren't more than 2 or 3 days dead.

Thanks again for your letter. We truly appreciate it when folks like you, who know so much, keep us informed of the proper way to do our job. We think this watching over each other's shoulder is such a good way for people to interact that we will be sending a team of federal officials with expertise in your line of work to your place of business soon, just to help you do your job better. Don't be concerned that they have the power to close your business, seize your property, and arrest you for any violation of the 4,850,206 laws, codes, regulations and rules that apply to your profession. They're really there just to make sure you're doing everything the proper way. That is what you wanted, right?

2 posted on 01/28/2004 11:19:54 AM PST by Roughneck (". . .For there is going to come a time when people won't listen to the truth. . .")
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To: Roughneck
I love it!

Send it to debate@costco.com, please! Also mention that they would do better to stay out of politics.
3 posted on 01/28/2004 11:22:22 AM PST by Eva
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To: Eva
Should the US release the detainees being held at Guantanomo Bay?

Yes. To France and Germany.

4 posted on 01/28/2004 11:23:31 AM PST by Poohbah ("Would you mind not shooting at the thermonuclear weapons?" -- Maj. Vic Deakins, USAF)
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To: Eva
These are the same human rights groups that want citizen rights for illegal aliens and use our system of government against to provide those rights as taxpayers expense. Keep those suckers locked up at Gitmo and bleed them dry for information. Have our memories of atrocities by these terrorists locked up in Gitmo gone away or dimmed so rapidly?
5 posted on 01/28/2004 11:28:41 AM PST by lilylangtree
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To: Poohbah
please respond to Costco. I am on hold now to make a complaint by phone. 1 800 774 2678
6 posted on 01/28/2004 11:28:47 AM PST by Eva
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To: Eva
Asolutely! They should all be freed and allowed to swim home.

We could even give them a lift halfway.

7 posted on 01/28/2004 11:29:21 AM PST by Britton J Wingfield
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To: Eva
Costco? You mean like Costco the discount wholesale store?

Why are they sending this out and getting involved in questions of national security? Is this a hoax?

8 posted on 01/28/2004 11:30:09 AM PST by angkor
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To: Eva
Yes!

Oh! I'm sorry, I thought you meant into Guantanamo Bay!

9 posted on 01/28/2004 11:32:05 AM PST by CaptRon (Pedecaris alive or Raisuli dead)
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To: Britton J Wingfield
I think they should fly home. We'll take them up to around 10,000 feet and set them free.
10 posted on 01/28/2004 11:35:14 AM PST by flying Elvis
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To: angkor
Email sent. I can purchase my $7,000 + annually from WalMart if I am forced to. What fools.
11 posted on 01/28/2004 11:39:27 AM PST by gathersnomoss
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To: angkor
I am sending it out because I am offended that Costco is using its membership mailings to advance a leftist political agenda. I want people to call and complain. The number is 1-425 313 8100. Ask for marketing. Leave a message.
12 posted on 01/28/2004 11:40:32 AM PST by Eva
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To: flying Elvis
Please e-mail or call Costco and tell them how offensive their foray into politics is, especially the abuse of membership mailing lists.
13 posted on 01/28/2004 11:42:15 AM PST by Eva
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To: gathersnomoss
Thank you. This makes me so angry.
14 posted on 01/28/2004 11:43:12 AM PST by Eva
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To: Eva
my letter:

Please keep your editorializing to yourself. You just made a new Sam's Club customer.
15 posted on 01/28/2004 11:47:31 AM PST by Britton J Wingfield
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To: Roughneck; Eva
Good post. I'll take one in. I just don't have enough lice in my life. Thank God I won't have to share my soap or deodorant. In all seriousnes, however, if these people can provide any intel, they are valuable where they are. But, how current is their intel be if they've been in GITMO for a lengthy period of time? I'm sort of shy about opining on these issues as all of us really don"t have a clear picture as to what is really going on. I really don't feel sorry for these fools as they are being treated with humanity. They are well fed, their religion is respected and, we assume, they're not being abused. We are operating with a whole new paradigm in this "war".
16 posted on 01/28/2004 11:48:12 AM PST by NYDave
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To: Britton J Wingfield
Thank you, I wish I had an alternative to Costco where I live. I am a captive member.
17 posted on 01/28/2004 11:50:49 AM PST by Eva
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To: NYDave
Please e-mail Costco and complain of the mis-use of the membership list. It is none of their business what we think of the disposition of the Gitmo prisoners.
18 posted on 01/28/2004 11:52:24 AM PST by Eva
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To: Eva
I just renewed my dang membership 3 weeks ago :(
19 posted on 01/28/2004 11:52:27 AM PST by Britton J Wingfield
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To: Britton J Wingfield
Ask for a refund, they won't give it to you, but you can still ask.
20 posted on 01/28/2004 11:54:01 AM PST by Eva
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