Obama’s Guantanamo closing will send 150 interrorgation specialist to the unemployment line

With a swift flick of his left wrist, Obama issued an executive order to close the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, sending a message to the world that Bush’s War on Terrorism is officially over.  Now I can see how this is a victory for human rights and sends a clear message to the world that the U.S. doesn’t consider itself above the law, but tell that to the 150 plus covert operatives and clandestine interrogation specialists that will be hitting the bread line this year thanks to the closure.  Shouldn’t Obama be creating jobs, not taking them away? 

I caught up with a few of these interrogation specialists at a bar just outside of Guantanamo and this was indeed the sentiment.  Terry (not his real name), an associate in the interrogation department, said he’s in complete shock and never saw it coming:  “When I joined right after 9/11 my recruiter told me that with the current political climate bein’ what it was, there would always be a market for a person with good water-boarding skills…now it’s just ‘See ya later, Terry. Maybe try starting a dog walking business.’ ” 

Within a year Terry and many more interrogation specialists like him will be heading back to the mainland and clogging up the phone lines at the Unemployment office just like me. Recent studies also suggest that counter-terrorism and interrogation specialist have more difficulty finding new jobs due to the specialized nature of their chosen career path.  Their skills simply do not transfer to the modern American workplace.  Many will have to trade in their chose careers for something more domesticated.  Others will be forced underground and into the life of a soldier of fortune, shuffling from conflict zone to conflict zone their one shot at legitimacy squandered by President Obama’s willy-nilly decision to represent the will of the people. 

“I don’t know what I’ll do,” Terry said, “I’ll probably go back to Ohio, melt some plastic and shoot up some stuffed animals for a few days – you know, blow off some steam, clear my head…then I’ll figure out what my next step will be.  Before I got into the terrorism business I wanted to be a doctor.  Maybe I’ll give that a try.” 

Good luck Terry.  You’re gonna need it.