Remember the Gitmo

President Barack Obama is making good on his campaign promise to shut down the Guantanamo prison. Still unanswered is the fate of the prisoners there. Perhaps as part of a deal to send some pork dollars back to Obama's home state, the feds have been eyeing the Correctional Center in Thomson Illinois as a new home for the prisoners.

The political fallout thus far has been mostly partisan. Some state and local pols, including Tom Cross, Mark Kirk, Don Manzullo and others are drawing a line in the sand. Your LakeCountyEye suspects they hope to make Gitmo into their Alamo.

Of course there are pros and cons to any issue, not just those as controversial as Guantanamo prisoners being shuttled to the Thomson Correctional Center. Your LakeCountyEye has contacted and interviewed dozens of state and local leaders on both sides of the question. In this post your LakeContyEye will examine some of the objections. Herewith are the ten most frequently mentioned reasons why relocating the Gitmo prisoners to Illinois is a bad idea:

1) No empty prison cells left for Illinois Governors.

2) We don't need government meddling in our prison system.

3) These are really really mean people.
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4) Oldskool: Lake Michigan • Newskool: Lake Gitmo
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5) Frequent electric-chair traffic likely to bring down Cordova nuclear power plant.
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6) Throw a bunch of dark skinned young males into jail because they don't behave like you or me? Whoa slow down that's way too radical!

7) The Northern Illinois Water Board will have to change its name.

8) Not enough 7-Eleven stores nearby to support an adequate prison work-release program.

9) Only Nazis/Socialists send their enemies to concentration camps.

10) The James R Thompson Center already houses its share of government freeloaders.

In case anyone asks, your LakeCountyEye will be hiding under the bed.