Yesterday, Obama officials traveled to the economically depressed state of Michigan (it ain't no promise land of North Dakota!) to scout out a recently mothballed prison as a potential relocation site for Guantanamo detainees.  Michigan is in a bit of a bind.  Unemployment in Standish, the town where the mothballed maximum-security prison now resides, is more than 17 percent.  Additionally the small town of 1,500 people is faced with the potential loss of the 280 prison-related jobs as well as the water and sewage revenues the prison generates.

On the other hand, of the 229 detainees at Guantanamo, only 50 have been re-assigned to other countries.  Also, the Standish prison will need to be renovated to comply with Geneva Convention protocols.  Tell me how kindly you think a small Michigan town is going to be to accepting maximum security terror suspects AND also spending tax payer dollars to make sure Muslims have proper signage and announcement systems to allow prayer in the direction of Mecca.  I tooootally support closing Guantanamo and toooootally support the Geneva Conventions, but explain to me how you message that one.  But it may not matter, the locals in Standish aren't getting all NIMBY on O's ass. In fact, one local restaurant owner near the prison was quoted as saying "Anything that keeps the prison open is fine with me."  That's the spirit.

In contrast, Kansas, whose Fort Leavenworth prison was also considered as a possible re-location site, was not so warm to the idear.  Douchebag Kansas Senator-for-Life-Sam Brownback had this to say, "We don't want them here. They should be treated with dignity and humanely, but not here."  Although Fort Leavanworth is considered the prison capital of the United States, unemployment in the area is at 7.7%.