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The US detention center at Guantanamo still houses 172 inmates, down from a one-time high of 779. Detainee assessments recently made public by the whistle-blowing site WikiLeaks reveals that US interrogators were not always rigorous in corroborating testimony.
There was a champagne brunch at the US military's Bayview Restaurant on Easter Sunday -- $14.95 a person, with a view of the bay included. Before the brunch, the soldiers' families met for an Easter egg hunt on the golf course, near the white officers' houses with their manicured front lawns. Inflatable castles were set up for the children.
On weekends like this, Guantanamo looks relatively normal. Residents can take snorkeling lessons or attend a picnic on Windmill Beach, which, like the 10 other beaches on the base, is equipped with volleyball nets, showers and barbecue stations.
It is a place that has become a symbol worldwide for the failure of a modern constitutional state -- and its weekend activities are reminiscent of a Mediterranean resort hotel. The military base has one of the best funded programs for "Morale, Recreation and the Common Good," including a range of activities more commonly found at a Club Med, like Pilates and belly-dancing lessons, angling, paintball and Ironman competitions.
Comment: For more on Obama's latest release be sure to see the new SOTT Report: US Government Psy-Ops - The 'Killing' of Osama Bin Laden