Thomson Prison Is Approachable, Gitmo Not

Thomson Correctional Center sits a mere mile from downtown Thomson, IL (pop. about 600). One could easily walk from the town center to the prison fence in 15 minutes. Driving by, one could pull over on 1 Mile Road or Sandridge Road and be within 250 yards of the Thomson cell blocks.



Thomson Correctional Center
From the air, an enterprising sightseer, or anyone, might elect to use a small stretch of the thousands of square miles of surrounding farm country to launch an ultralight aircraft and fly over or land at Thomson Correctional Center. In fact, one could also drop contraband or explosives from an ultralight. Meanwhile, no radar would alert the prison staff and, other than small arms, no defense against an attack by air is available.

With regard to criminals being "put away" at Thomson Correctional Center, "away" is unrelated to distance. They are going to be "over there, up the road." Neighbors, you might say.

Now, the close proximity of a prison to a law-abiding community is usually not a problem when it houses typical American murderers, rapists and thieves. Sure, it's close and easy to fly over but typical American criminals seldom have the resources necessary to organize a complex attack on a penitentiary. Attempts rarely happen.

However, soon the facility will be the home of a different type of inmate, possibly hundreds, who view themselves and warriors of Allah captured on the battlefield. And despite the media, the ACLU, the government and others asserting that the Gitmo detainees are merely criminals who deserve constitutional rights, the "detainees" view themselves as prisoners caught in the war against Islam. They also view themselves as soldiers of al Qaeda, the Taliban, Hezbollah or one of many other terrorist organizations, all well-funded and all with global reach.

Furthermore, Muslim extremist groups have a history of committing unspeakable acts to force release of their fellow jihadis from prison. Most notable is the Beslan massacre where over 300 people were murdered, half of them children. Beslan was chosen as "convenient and advantageous" site for a terrorist attack.

Unlike inconvenient Gitmo, the soon-to-be-Thomson detainees' links to worldwide terrorist organizations should be recognized as a clear attack threat. At Gitmo, no terrorist group plotting an attack could get within 500 miles of the shoreline without facing a large bore gun. At Thomson, terrorist groups could drive within 500 yards and enjoy a pre-attack picnic lunch.

The local Thomson, IL, region needs a terrorism response plan to prepare for a possible sophisticated attack by Muslim extremists. Local and area law enforcers need training in identification of terror threats and dangers. Places where people congregate (schools, town hall, businesses) need to take precautions to deter potential storming and hostage-taking by terrorists. Tying efforts, a reliable, secure communications network needs to link the Thomson Correctional Center, local police and state and federal authorities together. By the way, it's also recommended that the Quad Cities Nuclear Generating Station, a neighborly 15 miles away from Thomson, be put into the communications loop.

I suggest that the convenient and advantageous accessibility of the Thomson Correctional Center environs presents significant opportunities for a sophisticated external attack. No similar concern exists at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.