Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) said today that the Obama administration is "bribing" economically suffering towns across the country as it attempts to relieve itself of the political problem of closing Guantanamo Bay.
"They're going into communities that are hard-pressed economically and holding out a pot of gold," he told reporters. Hoekstra was referring to the White House plan to bring terror suspects to prisons across the country. He said that the administration was taking advantage of hard-hit towns across the country by promoting the jobs that would be created by adding Guantanamo Bay detainees to their prison populations.
Hoekstra said that before prisoners are transferred to any town in the U.S., the state legislature and the governor should have to approve the move.
Hoekstra, who is the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, joined fellow GOP members from national security committees in sending a letter to President Obama calling on him to explain "why you have effectively declared that your administration will revert to a pre-9/11 mentality" by bringing terror suspects from Gitmo to New York to face federal trials, which the group calls a "law enforcement approach" to terrorism. The group announced the letter at the press conference today.
House Republicans are also pushing to force a vote on their "Keep Terrorists Out Of America" Act, which they say would prevent the White House from transferring prisoners from Gitmo to the U.S.

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holyhandgrenaid
November 18, 2009 3:06 PM
2 Points:
1) Hoekstra just attacked Dems for creating jobs. Wow.
2) I'm pushing for legislative action: Castrate (or feminine equivalent) all politicians who write legislation with absurd and disingenuous titles designed to force other Pols to vote for them.
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A Missouri voter
November 18, 2009 3:08 PM in reply to holyhandgrenaid
That is my thought as well. I really hope that the Republicans opt to run on the platform of being outraged at all those jobs that the Democrats are trying to create.
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neesy08
November 18, 2009 3:06 PM
bribing? really? from what i have read, these "poor towns" are begging for them to be retained in their prisons because they need jobs. course, the gop could care less about reating jobs are the trials.
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TBender
November 18, 2009 3:19 PM
Hoekstra said that before prisoners are transferred to any town in the U.S., the state legislature and the governor should have to approve the move.
Ok, this would not be a problem in Illinois (Thomson) or Michigan (Standish). Next...
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lousgirl84
November 18, 2009 3:27 PM
This man needs to die. Maybe we need to start making t-shirts quoting psalms from the bible to get this man offed.
Unfortunately, we probably couldn't find any takers - unlike the thug party who have folks lined up to kill Obama
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Dorn76
November 18, 2009 3:57 PM in reply to lousgirl84
Political assinations have been the major tragedy of American History. You sound like a left wing teabagger with that shit.
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Dorn76
November 18, 2009 4:04 PM in reply to Dorn76
Not that losing Hoekstra would be much of a tragedy. But still, a legal scholar like you should be able to come up with a better argument.
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Cleo
November 18, 2009 3:27 PM
Well, President Obama, you wanted to know where the leaks are in your administration. I'd say you need to tie this guy's asshat on a little tighter.
God these Republicans are just so jealous. Yes, this is what it is like when a sitting President actually does his job.
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Maritza
November 18, 2009 3:33 PM
What is a Hoekstra?
He is yapping his mouth and he isn't saying anything of substance.
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Justician
November 18, 2009 3:46 PM
Actually, bribing rural towns with jobs is the way virtually all prisons get built in the United States. Why should Gitmo-America be any different?
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Xantar
November 18, 2009 3:47 PM
I'm sorry to any of you who live in Michigan, but what's the deal? Are you trying to outdo South Carolina?
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Walter Mitty
November 18, 2009 4:06 PM
F-U pot of gold. Let's talk about the M-I-C and war profiteering of Republican supporters clown.
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Beagle
November 18, 2009 7:20 PM
I can't wait for Rachel Maddow's take.
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