Gitmo to the great white north.

[Medmech]

I'd rather have the gitmo bad guys than the Kaleefornee killers.

Legislators: Gitmo detainees would be good fit in Standish



The people of Standish and Arenac County support the importation of California convicts to fill a soon-to-be-closed state prison and save local jobs. But if American criminals can’t be found, they’d settle for terrorist detainees from Guantanamo Bay, a trio of state lawmakers told a House committee this morning.

“First and foremost our goal is to keep the prison open,” said Rep. Tim Moore, R-Farwell, whose district includes the Standish Maximum Facility.

If California, which is considering exporting prisoners to reduce overcrowding, decides not to utilize the Michigan prison, Moore said the community is receptive to the idea of housing terrorists “if it can be done safely.”

He was joined at the hearing of the Corrections Reform subcommittee by Reps. Joel Sheltrown, D-West Branch, and Jeff Mayes, D-Bay City, all of whom said they believe the Standish facility can securely house prisoners of all kinds.

State prisoners from outside of Michigan, which the Department of Corrections has pursued as an option to avoid closing Standish and another prison in Muskegon, is preferable to housing federal detainees, because the prison could be operated with virtually the same staff it has now, the lawmakers said. If the prison is converted for use by the Department of Defense, it would presumably be staffed by federal employees, they said.