TEA party to protest detainees: Sterling rally set during hearing for Thomson prison sale
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STERLING – Opponents of a plan to house Guantanamo Bay detainees in Carroll County say they’ll protest the move before a public hearing to be held by an advisory panel made up of state House and Senate members.
Illinois TEA Party Patriots, who staged dozens of protests against bailout and federal stimulus spending, plan to rally outside Sterling High School’s Centennial Auditorium 1 hour before the Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability opens a mandatory hearing on the sale of Thomson Correctional Center to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
BOP is considering buying the prison to house Department of Defense detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and other federal prisoners. Before Illinois can sell, the state commission must hold at least one public hearing on the matter.
That meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. Dec. 22 in the auditorium, 1608 Fourth Ave. As of Thursday night, it was the only one scheduled.
Opening Thomson under the BOP is estimated to pump more than $1 billion into the local economy in the first 4 years and create up to 3,880 full-time jobs.
But opponents say security risks outweigh any economic benefits.
“Taxpayers should not pay the price of compromised security for reckless government planning and poor fiscal responsibility,” Denise Cattoni, Illinois’ TEA Party coordinator, said in a news release Thursday night.
Band Of Mothers, a group supporting active-duty troops, also are scheduled to attend the protest.
“The transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees to Thomson is a slap in the face of every family with an active soldier and every Gold Star Family in this country,” Bev Perlson said in the release.
“It is wrong and twisted to bring these terrorists here or anywhere in this country where they will be given the rights of American citizens and jeopardize our safety and security.”
To attend the protest
What: TEA Party rally against housing Guantanamo Bay detainees at Thomson prison.
When: 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 22. (State advisory committee meets at 2 p.m.).
Where: Sterling High School Centennial Auditorium, 1608 Fourth Ave.
Why: Protesters say they are concerned about regional security, should enemy combatants be housed in northwest Illinois; government waste in duplicating services provided in Guantanamo; and a trade of safety for jobs in a difficult economy.
About the TEA Party movement
The TEA Party movement, which stands for taxed enough already, began with a tirade on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade by CNBC editor and reporter Rick Santelli, echoing the Boston Tea Party and its revolt against unfair taxation. The group considers itself unaffiliated with any political party, instead following a “culture of independence, liberty, and personal responsibility embraced by the constitution, through free markets, low taxes, and limited accountable government,” according to a TEA Party news release.
