# Not Too Late: Obama Should Shut Down Gitmo

By [Continuations](https://continuations.com) · 2015-03-19

guantanamo bay, indefinite detention, obama

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I was going to write about something else this morning but then I happened upon a video of President Obama [saying yesterday](http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2015/03/president_obama_completes_city.html) that he [should have closed Guantanamo Bay on day 1](https://youtu.be/3oWIqGHj3QM) of his presidency

I have written here on Continuations in [2010](http://continuations.com/post/332366068/google-and-china-wishing-for-more-us-credibility) and in [2013](http://continuations.com/post/48036550235/guantanamo-bay-is-despicable-and-must-go) that I wish we had the courage to close down [Guantanamo Bay](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanamo_Bay_Naval_Base). 

It’s good to at least see the President Obama acknowledge this as an error. But he is still in office and he should do this using executive power. After all, he did sign an [executive order authorizing the indefinite detention of terrorism suspects](https://www.aclu.org/national-security/president-obama-issues-executive-order-institutionalizing-indefinite-detention) (in 2011) which is now a key ingredient in maintaining Gitmo together with the National Defense Authorization act of 2012 which does the same, despite having been [partially blocked by a judge](http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/05/16/46550.htm).

So, I will call and write to the White House asking President Obama to use executive power to close down Guantanamo Bay and stop indefinite detention more broadly. Please [take a minute to do the same](https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/write-or-call).

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*Originally published on [Continuations](https://continuations.com/not-too-late-obama-should-shut-down-gitmo)*