Illinois Sun Nov 15 2009

An Illinois Prison Isn't the Same as Giving a Terrorist a Bomb

Perhaps during the last few months of campaign season, attacking Democrats' advocates by saying that bringing terrorists to a maximum security prison in Illinois from which no inmate has ever escaped might fly. However, right now, in this economy, I predict that Congressman Mark Kirk and Co.'s claim that by transferring Gitmo prisoners to the Thomson maximum security prison in Illinois will mean endangering Americans and letting the terrorists into "America's heartland" will fall flat. Strangely enough, Rich Miller rounds up all the facts and is still skeptical:

• Prisons bring in revenue by employing people to build the prison and run it and I'm not just talking about security. Prisons need people to do the laundry, people to cook the food, people to drive trucks in and out of the facility and a whole bunch of other things. It's a stimulating. That's all in addition to the people who actually build the prison.


• Nobody has ever escaped from a maximum security prison. Ever.


• Again, let me stress, these terrorists won't be taking that seat next to you at the local bar. They will be in a maximum security prison of which nobody has ever escaped. There is no security concern that these terrorists will escape. Hell, I've got a hunch that they'll even be more secure there than in Cuba.


• Also, there are already terrorists in American prisons, 340 to be precise. Surprise!


• As Miller notes, the locals actually SUPPORT bringing the terrorists to the Thomson prison.

Well, I'm not skeptical. Not only is Kirk endangering his candidacy by making an attack that is largely false, it's also famously false. People are aware of what the real story is, which makes Kirk look like a partisan liar.

(Crossposted)

— Daniel Strauss / Comments (0)