Issues | Marti Crow

Guantanamo Detainees
   President Obama signed an executive order on Thursday, January 22 concerning the closing of the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The national security orders call for a task force to look at closing the detention center within the year and orders a strategy to be developed for handling detainees in the future. Separately, according to a draft of the Guantanamo order, "the prompt disposition" of detainee cases should "precede" the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison. Whether that means the detainees have to be tried if possible before the closure is still unclear.

   The order directs all information regarding the remaining 245 detainees be consolidated in a central repository and will create a panel to review those cases and split the detainees up into three categories. Catagory one is comprised of the 70 detainees that President Bush sought to repatriate but couldn't because no country wants them, and they would likely be tortured at home. The Obama administration believes they can get foreign countries to take them. Category two is the group of detainees that can be prosecuted under war crimes in Article III courts federal courts designed to address cases that involve citizens of other countries or tried in modified military commissions. This includes Sept. 11 planner Khalid Sheikh Mohammad. The administration would seek a stay on habeas petitions in Article III courts and continuances on the ongoing military commissions. Category three is made up of detainees who can't be released and can't be tried. The thought is to create a panel, which could turn into a national security court, to handle these future highest-value detainees to determine prospective policy since terrorists like Al Qaeda chief Usama bin Laden will continue to be caught.

   The U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth is on a list possible locations to detain prisoners moved from Guantanamo Bay. See story in the KCStar

   President Obama signed an executive order on Thursday, January 22 concerning the closing of the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The national security orders call for a task force to look at closing the detention center within the year and orders a strategy to be developed for handling detainees in the future. Separately, according to a draft of the Guantanamo order, "the prompt disposition" of detainee cases should "precede" the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison. Whether that means the detainees have to be tried if possible before the closure is still unclear.
   The order directs all information regarding the remaining 245 detainees be consolidated in a central repository and will create a panel to review those cases and split the detainees up into three categories. Catagory one is comprised of the 70 detainees that President Bush sought to repatriate but couldn't because no country wants them, and they would likely be tortured at home. The Obama administration believes they can get foreign countries to take them. Category two is the group of detainees that can be prosecuted under war crimes in Article III courts federal courts designed to address cases that involve citizens of other countries or tried in modified military commissions. This includes Sept. 11 planner Khalid Sheikh Mohammad. The administration would seek a stay on habeas petitions in Article III courts and continuances on the ongoing military commissions. Category three is made up of detainees who can't be released and can't be tried. The thought is to create a panel, which could turn into a national security court, to handle these future highest-value detainees to determine prospective policy since terrorists like Al Qaeda chief Usama bin Laden will continue to be caught.
   There are lots of problems associated with moving these detainees to the military's only maximum-security prison, our D.B. First, there would be a space crunch. The military prison here can hold 500 prisoners and currently has 450 inmates, according to Fort Leavenworth. Second, there is a legal problem. The law prohibits housing military prisoners with war prisoners. Security is a serious issue. Fort Leavenworth is a residential community with lots of families residing there and, although the federal government may be able to make an armed camp of our beautiful fort, there is no way to secure the civilian community right outside the gates.
   Perhaps the most draconian effect of moving terrorist detainees to the fort would be to seriously compromise the educational and international mission of the Command & General Staff College (CGSC). This year represents the 100th Anniversary of the CGSC International Military Student Program. The program can trace its inception back to 1894; and officially recognized the first international graduate in 1908. During that time frame, the graduates have represented the best and brightest that other countries have to offer. Over the past one hundred years, 26 graduates have become foreign Heads of State, three-hundred have attained their military’s highest position, and over two-thousand have become General Officers. As a result, around the world, there are military and political leaders who have lived in our community, attended school with our military service members and made American friends. In addition, the educational mission of this fort is to develop leaders and educate soldiers in the art of defending our nation. Our fort is the brain trust of the Army and its security and mission should not be compromised.
Working for our families
Marti is dedicated to the values you hold dear. She has made the safety of Leavenworth one of her top priorities in the Kansas Legislature. She strives to provide our working families with better wages, more jobs and a tax structure that treats all citizens fairly. Marti is committeed to doing all she can to promote prosperity and improve the quality of life for Leavenworth families, retirees and businesses.
Education is the key to our Future
I have been a student, a teacher, a school volunteer, a school board member and, now, a member of the Education Committee for the Kansas House of Representatives. As my Air Force family traveled around the country and overseas, I attended all sorts of schools. My own children received their K-12 education in Leavenworth schools, excellent instruction and outstanding highly qyalified teachers. The representative government, individual rights and economic independence of our American democracy cannot survive unless we provide every child with the opportunity for a world class education. I am dedicated to assuring that our local public and private schools have adequate resources and equitable funding from the state.
Health Care
Kansas needs a health policy strategy that provides Kansans with access to an efficient and co-ordinated health care system and to improve health by preventing disease and promoting wellness.

I believe we accomplish these goals by:

1) Promoting Personal Responsibility – for healthy behaviors, informed use of health care services, and sharing financial responsibility for health care costs;
2) Promoting Medical Homes and Paying for Prevention – to provide patients with continuity of care by medical providers they prefer, improve coordination of health care services, prevent disease before it starts, and contain rising costs of health care to patients and to our state; and
3) Providing and Protecting Affordable Health Insurance – to help those Kansans most in need gain access to affordable and health insurance that covers their personal health care needs.

Cost containment and affordability of health care and health insurance is a problem for most of my constituents. The answer is not simple. Public assistance with premiums for those who can least afford insurance must be paired with strategies to reduce and contain premiums for everyone. This, I believe, can only be accomplished by facilitating groups large enough to give individuals, farmers and small businesses clout when they negotiate with the insurance industry. insurance purchasers and consumers need information so that they can compare costs and quality of health care options. The federal government needs to continue to partner with the states to assure that all low income children are covered with health insurance.

Kansas currently ranks 20th in the nation in the performance of our health care system and our state was one of only 10 states where the percentage of people without health insurance increased in the most recent reporting period. We can do better.