Gitmo Detainee News: The Sun Will Never Set on this Facility Now Costing a Lot More

Lonely spot for 1,700 U.S. Forces to guard 40 Detainees

Gitmo Preps for Another Costly Upgrade

This monument to the war on terror is still open, and it's costing taxpayers a fortune

FACTS TO DATE (update here from Reason.com):

Whether the U.S. manages to broker a peace with the Taliban or not, one legacy of the war on terror remains — the prison at Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo). At its height, this symbol of Bush administration power held 600 people. And as miserable as the infrastructure reportedly is down there, its commander, Navy Rear Admiral John Ring, says he could fit 200 more people if given an increase in the same number of soldiers. He'd rather have an influx of money, however.

There once was 600 prisoners there. Now there are only 40.

* Forty people being watched over by 1,700 soldiers.

* Forty people who have been held in limbo for going on two decades now.

* Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) (the 9/11 mastermind), and a few others are clearly mass murderers who should still have their trial (and if he or they ever do, bet on torture being a big coup for his defense).

* Others linger in prison, not charged, not freed, and generally making a mockery of the whole American concept of a speedy trial.

* In 2017, the ACLU reported that the prison cost $454 million to operate every year. 

* As of 2013, that amounted to $11 million for every prisoner. 

*  Since it opened, Gitmo has cost taxpayers nearly $5 billion.

The spooky thing is how comfortable our country has became with letting people stay in prison without trial. Then consider that if the problem of indefinite detainment doesn't strike your fancy, or you're used to it by this point, there's always the fact that Gitmo is appallingly expensive.

My 2 cents: Still a very long way to go before this situation is ever resolved. 

Just imagine if we still had POW’s in North VN at the “Hanoi Hilton” after all these years – yikes.

Thanks for stopping by.