From the desk of Melanie Morgan

MOVE AMERICA FORWARD “KEEP GITMO OPEN” PRESS CONFERENCE A COMPLETE SUCCESS
9/11 FAMILIES AND SEN. JAMES INHOFE ARE HIGHLIGHTS

9/11 Family Member Debra Burlingame addressing the press
conference at the National Press Club in Washington DC

We wanted to keep you up to date on our fantastic press conference at the National Press Club in Washington DC to unveil our new 30 second TV spot alerting the public about the dangers of President Barack Obama’s plan to close the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center for terrorists.

MAF was joined by families of victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and was honored to also host Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma. The room was absolutely packed with press, so packed in fact that people were turned away at the door!

Reporters and journalists packed the room, even some
German, Japanese, Russian, Hindu, and Arab Media!

Pia, one of our supporters, wrote to us afterwards, “I got to the doors of the Murrow Room at 10:03 and was told it was a full house and already begun. I'm sorry that I didn't make it on time and hope it was a successful launch. Keep up the good work.” We wish we could have got you in.

I am about to start the press conference and introduce
Senator Inhofe, who is standing off to the left.

I spoke first and layed out our mission: to protect the lives and safety of Americans by keeping Gitmo open. We have been to Guantanamo Bay and seen with our own eyes the fantastic job our troops are doing in guarding these murderous terrorists. It is simply outrageous for the President to leave people with the impression that our troops have done something wrong. We will always stand up so that our troops can keep doing their jobs; we protect the honor of our brave troops; and we will NOT allow the media or the President to trash the name of Guantanamo Bay unfairly.

Then, Senator James Inhofe spoke cogently and gave some background on Gitmo as well as giving some background about his own legislation that he introduced into Congress which would prohibit the President from bringing these terrorist onto U.S. soil.

Senator Inhofe also reminded people that “there is a surge going on in Afghanistan…we’re going to get quite a few other detainees.” Inhofe pointed out that there are no places like Guantanamo Bay to bring in new detainees taken off the battlefield.

Senator Inhofe answering reporter questions

The Senator told the assembled press, “I wish President Obama would just go there, and take a tour, see what Melanie and Debbie and some of the rest of us have seen, and [he] would change [his] opinion.” We agree on that!

We also heard from MAF’s Debbie Lee, mother of Marc Alan Lee, the first U.S. Navy SEAL killed in the war in Iraq, and four individuals who lost family members in the devastating terrorist attacks of September 11th.

Debbie said to those assembled “My son fought the terrorists over there so that we wouldn’t have to have them on our soil. I knew that he would be so disheartened if he knew that the next president coming in [Obama] would make a decision to bring these terrorists back to our soil.”

Watch your inbox for more updates and comments from Debra Burlingame, Lorraine Arias-Beliveau, Geraldine Davie, and Hamilton Peterson, all who lost family members in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Also please consider making a contribution to Move America Forward so that we can put our ad up on television and bring more Americans the message that Obama is risking our lives by bringing these dangerous terrorists to our shores and putting them in our federal courts system.

You can also watch the 30 second ad HERE