So thanks to the pressure from those Parkland students Florida passed some gun control laws. So now the NRA is simply suing the state.

Courtesy of the BBC:  

The National Rifle Association (NRA) is suing Florida after it passed a gun control law in the wake of a school shooting that left 17 people dead. 

Governor Rick Scott, a staunch ally of the gun lobby, enacted the bill, which the NRA says violates the constitution. 

The law raises the legal age for buying rifles in Florida, but also allows the training and arming of school staff. 

It does not ban semi-automatic rifles like the one used in the 14 February massacre in Parkland. 

But it does introduce a three-day waiting period on all gun sales and a ban on bump stocks, a device that enables semi-automatic rifles to fire hundreds of rounds a minute.

The NRA filed its lawsuit on Friday just an hour after the bill was signed by the governor. 

One of its arguments is that the legislation violates the rights of young women as they are unlikely to commit violent crime.

Oh yeah, it's all about protecting young women. THAT sounds like something the NRA is well known for giving a shit about. 

By the way, whatever happened to all that "state's rights" rhetoric that the conservatives are famous for?

Not when it interferes with gun sales dammit!

It's not going to make a difference however.

As the great Joy Reid pointed out in her recent Daily Beast article, the NRA is losing.

Prince Harry interviews Barack Obama. Update!

Man I really hate morning shows, but this was the best clip I could find.

Here is more from Politico:  

Former President Barack Obama said he felt a sense of “serenity” the day his successor was inaugurated. 

“The first thing that went through my mind was, sitting across from Michelle, how thankful I was that she had been my partner through that whole process,” Obama said in a BBC interview with Prince Harry recorded in September, his first interview since leaving office in January. 

But Obama said his “satisfying feeling” was also “mixed with all the work that was still undone.” He told Prince Harry that he still harbored “concerns about how the country moved forward.” 

“But over all, there was serenity there,” he added.

(Boy I wish I could have felt serenity while watching Tangerine Hitler being sworn in.)

“I still care about making sure that the United States and the world is a place where kids get a decent education,” Obama said. “Where people who are willing to work hard are able to find a job that pays a living wage. That we’re conserving the amazing resources of our planet so that future generations can enjoy the beauty of this place. Like we did.”

Such a great man.

And there was even more from CNN:  

In a BBC interview conducted by Britain's Prince Harry, Obama warned that the internet risked reinforcing people's prejudices and leading to a fractured society. 

"All of us in leadership have to find ways in which we can recreate a common space on the internet," Obama said. "One of the dangers of the internet is that people can have entirely different realities. They can be cocooned in information that reinforces their current biases," he said.

(Gee, I wonder who he is talking about there?)

"The question has to do with how do we harness this technology in a way that allows a multiplicity of voices, allows a diversity of views, but doesn't lead to a Balkanization of society and allows ways of finding common ground," he said in the interview, which was taped in September during the Invictus Games in Toronto, Canada. 

Obama said it was important for people to get offline and meet others in their communities, "because the truth is that on the internet everything is simplified and when you meet people face to face it turns out they are complicated," he said. 

"One of things we want to do I think is as we're working with young people to build up platforms for social change," he said. "Make sure that they don't think that just sending out a hashtag in and of itself is bringing about change. It can be a powerful way to raise awareness but then you have to get on the ground and actually do something."

( Balkanization, "divide (a region or body) into smaller mutually hostile states or groups." Yeah, I had to look it up. Don't judge me.)

Asked by Harry what was the biggest change for him after his eight years in office, Obama reflected on a slowed pace of life and the new freedom he had to decide how to focus his activities. 

"The things that are important to me haven't changed, I still care about about making the United States and the world a place where kids get an education, where people who are willing to work hard are able to find a job that pays a living wage, that we are conserving the amazing resources of our planet so that future generations can enjoy the beauty of this place like we did," he said.

In this same CNN report there is a mention that Prince Harry punted the question of whether Obama would be invited to the wedding.

Somebody on here yesterday suggested that the controversy about inviting Obama and angering Trump, was "fake news."

However it has been reported far and wide, so if it is fake virtually everybody was fooled by it.

When this interview comes out in full I am going to make sure to listen to it, and might share it here as well.

Update: Here is the entire BBC interview.  (It's 39 minutes long.)

Prince Harry interviews Barack Obama for the BBC.

Here is a sneak preview of when @BarackObama met Prince Harry for the interview. Listen to the full interview on 27th December on @BBCr4today. pic.twitter.com/p5I1dUdyhx

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) December 17, 2017

Courtesy of CNN:

In a teaser released Sunday, the pair's longtime bromance was on full display as they traded quips while Harry explained his editorial process. 

"Do I need a British accent?" Obama interrupts, shooting a smirk at the prince.

Without missing a beat, Harry responds "not at all" before warning the former commander-in-chief that he'll get "the face" if there are any long pauses between answers.

After Harry displays a mock-stern face, Obama grins before responding: "I don't want to see that face." 

Kensington Palace said the conversation focuses on the pair's "shared interest in building platforms for the next generation of young leaders." 

Obama also reminisced about his memories of leaving office and discussed his post-presidential work with the Obama Foundation, according to the palace.

That is quite a witty repartee these two share.

I think Joe Biden is somewhere seething with envy.

At this rate Obama will not just be a guest of honor at Prince Harry's upcoming nuptials, we will be a freaking groomsman.

This interview is scheduled to air on December 27th.

I know I'm watching. 

Meanwhile in North Korea.....

Courtesy of the BBC:

US bombers have flown close to North Korea's east coast to demonstrate the military options available to defeat any threat, the Pentagon has said. 

It said the flight was the farthest north of the demilitarised zone between the Koreas that any US fighter jet or bomber had flown in the 21st Century. 

Tensions have risen recently over Pyongyang's nuclear programme. 

At the UN, North Korea's foreign minister said US President Donald Trump was on a "suicide mission". 

Ri Yong-ho's comments to the General Assembly mimicked Mr Trump's remarks at the UN on Tuesday, when he called North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a "rocket man on a suicide mission".

Mr Ri added that "insults" by Mr Trump - who was, he said, "mentally deranged and full of megalomania" - were an "irreversible mistake making it inevitable" that North Korean rockets would hit the US mainland.

Jesus Christ! Are we on an elementary school playground here?

So while we are all distracted by Trump's bizarre attacks against NFL and NBA players, he is busy starting World War 3.

Great.

Kremlin goes all in on with attempt to discredit actor Morgan Freeman.

Courtesy of BBC: 

Russia has aimed its entire media arsenal at the veteran Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman over his appearance in a video accusing the Kremlin of waging "war" on America during last year's presidential election. 

The video shows the Oscar winner accusing President Vladimir Putin, a "former KGB spy", of launching cyber attacks and spreading false information in order to avenge the collapse of the Soviet Union. 

He urges President Donald Trump to tell the nation that "during this past election, we came under attack by the Russian government". 

The clip was produced by The Committee to Investigate Russia, a group set up by Hollywood director Rob Reiner to expose what it calls Russia's "aggressive effort to subvert the American democratic process". 

The committee includes former National Intelligence Agency director James Clapper on its advisory board.

The Russian media claims that Morgan was "duped" and compared him to Colin Powell who famously made the case to attack Iraq based on fake and inadequate data.

Clearly that is not the case with Mr. Freeman, who seems to be well informed as to what Russia did during the 2016 election, and whose opinion falls right in line with the folks currently investigating the Kremlin's interference.

Also keep in mind who else the Russians tried desperately to smear.

For those who forgot what all of the hoopla was about here is that Morgan Freeman video again.

By the way, the group that made this video, Committee to Investigate Russia, is in no way stopping with just this one video. And you can ascertain that for yourself simply by visiting their website.

There is a new drone with a gun on it. Oh, that can't be good.

Courtesy of BBC: 

A US technology firm has developed a drone that is able to aim and fire at enemies while flying in mid-air. 

The Tikad drone, developed by Duke Robotics, is armed with a machine-gun and a grenade launcher. 

The gun can be fired only by remote control, and is designed to reduce military casualties by cutting the number of ground troops required. 

But campaigners warn that in the wrong hands, it will make it easier to kill innocent people. 

The Tikad drone, available for private sale at an undisclosed price, has won a security innovation award from the US Department of Defense, and there is interest from several military forces around the world, including Israel, reports Defense One.

You know this would concern me if Barack Obama were still in the White House, but with Donald Trump in the Oval Office this is nothing less than terrifying. 

I have seen both the Terminator movies and the Robocop films so clearly I am an expert on this kind of thing.

Spoiler alert, things go really, really, really bad.

Melania Trump victorious in lawsuit against the Daily Mail, receives damages and an apology.

Courtesy of the BBC: 

The UK's Daily Mail newspaper has agreed to pay damages and costs to the first lady of the United States over an article about her modelling career. 

The newspaper had reported allegations that Melania Trump once worked as an escort, but later retracted the claims. 

The story was published during the US election campaign last year. 

Mrs Trump accepted damages and an apology from the newspaper at London's High Court. 

The article was published by the Daily Mail newspaper, and subsequently the paper's digital operation Mail Online. 

In a statement, Mrs Trump's lawyer said that she is "very pleased" and "will remain vigilant to protect her good name and reputation from those who make false and defamatory statements about her".

Here is that apology from the Daily Mail.

Personally I think that there are still some very troubling things about Melania's past, such as the fact that she worked on modeling gigs here in the US illegally, and that she also may have been married previously in order to get a green card.

We also know that she did nude modeling, which is really no big deal, except for the fact that she is now the First Lady of the United States of America.

As for being paid to have sex....well what do you call her relationship with Donald Trump?

Putin is looking to meet up with his puppet in May.

Courtesy of BBC: 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he would like to meet US President Donald Trump at an Arctic nations summit in Finland in May. 

He again rejected allegations that Russia had interfered in the 2016 US presidential election. 

And he said sanctions against Russia were also hurting the US and Europe. 

Mr Trump had voiced hopes for improved relations with Moscow, but he has been dogged by claims of links between his election campaign and Russia. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and both houses of the US Congress are investigating alleged Russian interference in the election.

I would suggest that Putin is really looking forward to getting a one on one with his puppet, because with the FBI and other intelligence agencies watching his every move that is the only way he can communicate what he wants from him shielded from prying eyes.

Or so he assumes.

However if I were working with the intelligence agencies I would be damn sure to be monitoring every move that Trump and Putin made while working on their bromance in Finland.

Now the question to ask is whether Donald Trump is dumb enough to meet Putin in person with this investigation still going on, or better yet, is Putin giving him any choice?

Scotland gets it.

You know I can't say I have ever been frightened by an episode of The Twilight Zone.

That is until it broke through the fourth wall and became real.

Now it scares the piss out of me.

The BBC refutes the idea that the fabled Russian dossier on Donald Trump can be dismissed as "fake news."

Courtesy of the BBC: 

The opposition research firm that commissioned the report had worked first for an anti-Trump superpac - political action committee - during the Republican primaries. 

Then during the general election, it was funded by an anonymous Democratic Party supporter. But these are not political hacks - their usual line of work is country analysis and commercial risk assessment, similar to the former MI6 agent's consultancy. He, apparently, gave his dossier to the FBI against the firm's advice.

And the former MI6 agent is not the only source for the claim about Russian kompromat on the president-elect. Back in August, a retired spy told me he had been informed of its existence by "the head of an East European intelligence agency". 

Later, I used an intermediary to pass some questions to active duty CIA officers dealing with the case file - they would not speak to me directly. I got a message back that there was "more than one tape", "audio and video", on "more than one date", in "more than one place" - in the Ritz-Carlton in Moscow and also in St Petersburg - and that the material was "of a sexual nature".

The claims of Russian kompromat on Mr Trump were "credible", the CIA believed. That is why - according to the New York Times and Washington Post - these claims ended up on President Barack Obama's desk last week, a briefing document also given to Congressional leaders and to Mr Trump himself. 

Mr Trump did visit Moscow in November 2013, the date the main tape is supposed to have been made. There is TV footage of him at the Miss Universe contest. Any visitor to a grand hotel in Moscow would be wise to assume that their room comes equipped with hidden cameras and microphones as well as a mini-bar.

It appears that the Trump team push back, and support from Right Wing news outlets labeling this "fake news," have been successful enough for the American press to have dropped it, however that really does not mean it is not credible.

James Clapper called me yesterday to denounce the false and fictitious report that was illegally circulated. Made up, phony facts.Too bad!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2017

.@CNN is in a total meltdown with their FAKE NEWS because their ratings are tanking since election and their credibility will soon be gone!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2017

And remember this fits in nicely with the pattern of Russian support and influence over Donald Trump that we have witnessed for ourselves this last year.

Now I personally have no means for determining if this story is valid or not, but if it is that simply reinforces what we already suspected, and that is that Trump is Putin's puppet.

Major online advertisement service blacklists Breitbart for hate speech and inciting violence.

These are some Breitbart headlines. Their white nationalist CEO is now Trump's top White House strategist. Pay attention. pic.twitter.com/2y2NLiOv0B

— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) November 14, 2016

Courtesy of BBC: 

A leading ad exchange has blacklisted Breitbart News, which until recently was run by one of US President-elect Donald Trump's closest advisers. 

AppNexus said it would no longer allow Breitbart to sell ad space via its platform, after determining that the site had broken its code on hate speech and incitement to violence.

Of course Breitbart argues that this is unfair and that they "condemn racism and bigotry in any form."

To which AppNexus replied: 

But a spokesman said a "human audit" of Breitbart had flagged several articles that had caused it concern because of the language they had featured. 

"We use a number of third-party standards to determine what is and isn't hate speech, and if we detect a pattern of speech that could incite violence or discrimination against a minority group, we determine that to be non-compliant and we simply won't serve ads against it," AppNexus's spokesman Joshua Zeitz told the BBC. 

"I'm not going to put the examples out there because I'm not going to engage in a tit-for-tat on what is compliant."

If anybody needs examples of Beitbart "condemning racism and bigotry" there are plenty of example available besides the ones provided at the top by  George Takei:

'The solution to online 'harassment' is simple: Women should log off' 

'Bill Kristol: Republican spoiler, renegade Jew' 

'Trannies whine about hilarious Bruce Jenner billboard' 

'Suck it up buttercups: Dangerous Faggot Tour returns to colleges in September' 

'Hoist it high and proud: The Confederate flag proclaims a glorious heritage' 

'Gay rights have made us dumber, it's time to get back in the closet' 

'Science proves it: Fat-shaming works' 

"There's no hiring bias against women in tech, they just suck at interviews"

Boy their fight against racism and bigotry is just breathtaking don't you think? 

47 of the world's poorest countries are committed to going 100% green between 2030 and 2050.

Courtesy of BBC: 

Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Haiti, among others, say they will update their national plans on cutting carbon before 2020. 

Delegates here welcomed the move, saying it was "inspirational". 

These two weeks of negotiations have been overshadowed to an extent by reaction to the election of Donald Trump to the US presidency. 

But in an effort to show that even the world's poorest countries are committed to dealing with global warming, the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) members have issued a promise to fully green their economies between 2030 and 2050. 

Termed the Marrakech Vision, the plan promises that the 47 members will: "strive to meet 100% domestic renewable energy production as rapidly as possible, while working to end energy poverty and protect water and food security, taking into consideration national circumstances".

Well look at that. The poorest nations on the planet are working to save the planet, while in America we just voted in a guy who thinks that climate change is a Chinese hoax. 

Once again the world moves forward, while America trips over its own feet.

The excitement at the Republican convention is almost palpable. If the word "palpable" meant something completely different.

I have to admit that even I nave been a little surprised by the lack of enthusiasm inside the convention building.

It is almost like the people who are showing up feel obligated to be there, but once inside can barely bring themselves to clap or cheer for the majority of the folks up on stage.

But if Trump inspires so little enthusiasm among the Republicans then who is it that helped him to win the nomination?

If you have about 30 minutes the BBC might provide that answer in a rather terrifying documentary called "Trump's Angry America."

Utah declares pornography a "public health hazard."

Courtesy of the BBC: 

The US state of Utah has become the first to declare pornography a public health risk in a move its governor says is to "protect our families and our young people". 

The bill does not ban pornography in the mainly Mormon state. 

However, it calls for greater "efforts to prevent pornography exposure and addiction". 

Pornography, the bill says, "perpetuates a sexually toxic environment" and "is contributing to the hypersexualisation of teens, and even prepubescent children, in our society". 

Further steps must be taken to change "education, prevention, research, and policy change at the community and societal level" against what it calls an epidemic, but it does not suggest how changes should be implemented. 

The bill was signed by Republican Governor Gary Herbert, who said the volume of pornography in society was "staggering".

Yeah especially in Utah where researchers found in a 2009 that it was the number one consumer of online pornography.

So you can only imagine how this new law will be received by the oh so Mormon residents.

When will these people learn that suppressing sexual expression is never the answer?

The UK Parliament debates denying Donald Trump access to their country.

Courtesy of the Washington Post: 

Debate began Monday in the British Parliament over whether to ban U.S. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump from visiting the United Kingdom. 

The debate, which was started by an online petition that described Trump’s comments about Muslims as “hate speech,” will not produce any binding decisions. Authority to ban someone from the country rests with the home secretary, not with Parliament. But the debate will give British lawmakers an unusual chance to weigh in directly on U.S. politics.

Some are concerned that blocking Trump would send an unfortunate message to America: 

Paul Flynn said Mr Trump's call to ban Muslims from the US was "extremely dangerous" but barring him from the UK risked being seen as anti-American. 

Yeah I would not worry about that as most of us view Donald Trump as "anti-American."

MP Tulip Siddiq seemed to have a better handle on the situation: 

British Member of Parliament Tulip Siddiq urged her colleagues on Monday to support a ban on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, arguing that he would put Britons at risk by importing “violent ideology.” 

Although MPs who spoke all agreed that Trump’s vitriol against immigrants had been out of bounds, most argued that banning him was not the best way to deal with the issue. 

Siddiq, however, insisted that Trump would be endangering British Muslims if he was allowed into the country. 

“This online petition signed by nearly 600,000 people shows that when people feel a sense of justice, when people feel we need to stop a poisonous corrosive man from entering our country, they will act in good conscience.” 

“His words are not comical, his words are not funny, his words are poisonous,” she continued. “They risk inflaming tension between vulnerable communities.”

Excellent points.

As for how Americans will see a banning of Donald Trump from the UK?

Well I think most of us would understand completely, and then start considering options for how we could do the same thing here.

England has an entire task force dedicated to faith related abuse cases. And they are on the rise.

Courtesy of the BBC: 

The Metropolitan Police said there had been 60 crimes linked to faith in London so far this year. It saw reports double from 23 in 2013 to 46 in 2014. 

Half of UK police forces do not record such cases and many local authorities are also unable to provide figures. 

The NSPCC said authorities "need to ensure they are able to spot the signs of this particular brand of abuse". 

London is unique in having a police team, Project Violet, dedicated to this type of abuse. 

Its figures relate to crime reports where officers have flagged a case as involving abuse linked to faith or belief. Many of the cases involve children.

Here is one such case that was investigated by the task force: 

Ibidapo was trafficked to the UK from Nigeria in 2007, to work as a servant for relatives in the North of England. They accused her of being a witch, stopped her going to school and physically assaulted her. She escaped with the help of a Nigerian woman living nearby. 

"I started living with my aunty at the age of 10, to help her to look after the baby. If my aunty went to work I'd be left with the baby, to do all the housework, wash clothes, cook the food. 

"Each time the children got sick my aunty would accuse me of being the one responsible for their illness, start calling me a witch, start beating me up, and there was a time that she took me down to church, to a pastor. They were calling me a witch, they were using a broom to beat me. 

"Sometimes my aunty would look into my eyes and call me a witch. It made me feel rejected, like I'm nobody."

Religion of course is just a socially acceptable label for superstition, and superstition is the gateway to all kinds of abuse in the name of gods, angels, or demons, or punishment for those who do not share their particular superstitions.

Christians in this country are big on pointing the finger at Muslims in the Middle East who behead, stone to death, and mutilate in the name of their religion without acknowledging the many atrocities still being perpetrated around the world in the name of Christianity.

 “With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.” ― Steven Weinberg

Words to live by. 

Alabama Klu Klux Klan brags about having members who are teachers, politicians, and military members. Has agenda strikingly similar to that of today's Republican party.

Okay that was a little troubling.

What is even more troubling is that their agenda items look kind of familiar: 

1. “The recognition that America was founded as a Christian nation.” 
2. “The recognition that America was founded as a white nation.” 
3. “Abolish all affirmative action programs.” 
4. “Put American Troops on the Borders and Stop the Flood of Illegals.” 
5. “Abolish all anti-gun laws and encourage every adult to own a weapon.” 
6. “Drug testing all welfare recipients.” 
7. “Privatization of the public school system.” 
8. “Restoring individual freedom to Christian America.” 
9. “Sovereignty of the states.” 
10. Outlaw abortion. 
11. Outlaw homosexuality.

 Gee where have I heard almost all of those before? 

This documentary actually premieres tonight on the BBC.

If I were you I would probably watch it with all of the lights on, because this is the kind of thing which can certainly cause nightmares. Especially when you consider just how mainstream some of their ideas are now becoming.

Andy Parker, father of slain Virginia reporter Alison Parker, appeals to President Obama to fight for gun control legislation.

Courtesy of the BBC:  

The father of Alison Parker, one of two journalists killed live on air, has appealed to US President Barack Obama to push through tougher gun laws. 

"You need to do this... I will help you do this and the press is with you on this because they just lost one of their own," Andy Parker told the BBC. 

"Mr President, you need to do this. Please do it. Please do it for us and for other people so they're not going to lose their Alisons and their Adams," he said in an emotional message.

I agree.

The President needs to continue this fight. As does the next President, and if need be, the one after.

This is not going away. If anything it is only getting worse.

One new study thinks they know why:

And what makes the United States such a fertile incubator for mass shooters? A comprehensive analysis of the perpetrators, their motives and the national contexts for their actions suggests that several factors have conspired to create in the United States a potent medium for fostering large-scale murder.

Those factors include a chronic and widespread gap between Americans' expectations for themselves and their actual achievement, Americans' adulation of fame, and the extent of gun ownership in the United States. 

Set those features against a circumstance the United States shares with many other countries — a backdrop of poorly managed mental illness — and you have a uniquely volatile brew, the new study says. 

......


Perhaps no single factor sets the United States apart as sharply as does gun ownership, wrote Lankford. Of 178 countries included in Lankford's analysis, the United States ranked first in per-capita gun ownership. A 2007 survey found 270 million firearms in US civilian households — an ownership rate of 88.8 firearms per 100 people. Yemen followed, with 54.8 firearms per 100 people. 

The other piece of significant data the study found is that as many as 65% of Americans believe that their right to own a gun is to protect themselves from tyranny.

In other words if they lose their guns they will lose their freedom.

And that belief is aggressively reinforced by the NRA and their political sockpuppets.

It looks like between two or three people have committed suicide in response to the Ashly Madison hack.

Courtesy of the BBC: 

Two individuals associated with the leak of Ashley Madison customer details are reported to have taken their lives, according to police in Canada. 

The police revealed the news at a press conference in Toronto but gave no further information about the deaths. 

Ashley Madison's Canadian parent company Avid Life Media is offering a C$500,000 (£240,000) reward for information about the hackers, they added. 

Over 33m account details were stolen.

There is also a report that a Texas police officer has also taken his own life in repose to the hack: 

Meanwhile, another report said a US police officer from Texas had also taken his life, days after his name was linked to the website. 

Captain Michael Gorhum, who had served for 25 years with the San Antonio Police Department, killed himself last week.

There are also reports that some people with accounts are being blackmailed.

I think it's time to stop gloating over the hypocrites who have been outed by this hack, and start worrying about those who let their fantasies get the best of them. 

Next up on President Obama's presidential bucket list, the closure of Guantanamo Bay.

I told you I got this.

Courtesy of the BBC: 

Josh Earnest said the closure of the Cuban detention camp was a national security interest. 

Mr Earnest said the administration was "in the final stages of drafting a plan to safely and responsibly (close) the prison at Guantanamo Bay and to present that to Congress". 

He added: "That has been something that our national security officials have been working on for quite some time, primarily because it is a priority of the president."

So if this is correct it would mean that the promise that Obama made at the very beginning of his presidency, and the one that the Republicans have blocked at ever opportunity, will finally come to fruition.

This will of course be great news going forward as Gitmo is often used by terrorists as proof of America's hypocrisy and confirmation of their evil.

Besides it costs the country 2.7 million dollars per year to house prisoners in Guantanamo, so you would think that so-called fiscal conservative Republicans would be totally behind this closure.