Think Progress, a liberal blog I follow, (come on, someone has to do it) is spinning the fact that some Gitmo prisoners would be welcomed in the small town of Thomson, Illinois.
This may be so but the fact is that this is more of a 'economic' issue. They have this sprawling prison that needs filling.
The Sunrise Restaurant, which opened this year, is like a lot of businesses that have opened in Thomson in recent years in preparation for the prison's opening, residents said. Even though the prison has been ready to house inmates since 2001, it has sat largely vacant and many of the corresponding businesses built around it have closed.
"People have come here, they've bought homes, and when the prison never opened they simply had to leave," said Rosie Rojas, a waitress at the Sunrise and a resident of nearby Fulton.
"Everybody is fighting for jobs, and it seems like that prison has the potential to bring a lot of them," Rojas said. "Of course, we've been saying that for a long time."
Desperate times and desperate people
Monday, November 16, 2009
Any prisoner is a welcomed prisoner?
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If true (and as a former Illinois resident I have my doubts), there will always be some who will sell their neighbors safety for their personal benefit.
ReplyDeleteMost small towns, and the ones in Illinois are no exception, have a strong sense of community---especially where their families and children are concerned, and will not be in favor of anything that brings danger to their people.