A mob of prisoners were recently seen roaming the streets of Washington DC.

But these were not any ordinary prisoners.

These were participants of Amnesty International’s protest, Stand in Orange, marching from the steps of the Supreme Court to the front of the white house, clad in orange, symbolizing the uniforms of Guantanamo Bay prisoners.

The protest took place on January 11, 2013 – the eleven year anniversary of the controversial prison’s opening.

55 of the protesters wore the Guantanamo-style jumpsuits, with their heads covered, marching in solidarity with the 55 Guantanamo detainees that the U.S. government cleared for release and transfer in September, 2012. 

Despite the nominal “release,” all 55 prisoners presently remain in the detention camp. 

A large percentage of the detainees are Yemeni, which makes their release and transfer almost impossible, due to President Obama’s suspension of further transfers to Yemen in January 2010. 

(Here is a list of the names of “the 55.”)

In 2008, then-presidential-candidate Obama campaigned on the promise to close Guantanamo – a promise that is yet to be fulfilled, despite the executive order issued on his second day in office.  The protest comes at a significant time in Washington, ten days before President Obama’s inauguration, to remind him of his promise. 

However, the issue may not be as simple as pointing a finger at the president.  Congress has put forth many restrictions that have hindered progress towards the closing of Guantanamo Bay.

On January 02, 2013, President Obama signed into law the contentious 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).  The bill, which specifies the budget and expenditures for the US Department of Defense, also contains restrictions for transferring detainees from Guantanamo. 

In the end, the funding could not be ignored, and the setbacks to the closure of Guantanamo came as a trivial cost for signing the bill.  When pressed about the issue, President Obama stated:

I continue to believe that operating the facility weakens our national security by wasting resources, damaging our relationships with key allies, and strengthening our enemies.

If only Congress could feel the same.  

Jose Canseco: swearing into office, or testifying in court?

We recently shared the best 2012 holiday tweets with you, but here’s a sneak peek into another arena of Twitter: Canseco political tweets.

Who is Jose Canseco?

He’s a former Cuban-American Major League All-Star Baseball player who is infamous for his unashamed admittance of steroid use throughout his career (you can read all about it in his 2005 autobiography, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big.)

However, Canseco now has a new claim to fame. He is an All-Star in  the world of social media, tweeting about seeing Elvis in the afterlife and how global warming would have saved the Titanic.

His tweets have been compared to “spitting out a stream of bizarre koans that sometimes rise to the level of surrealist art.” But some of his more recent tweets have concerned matters of politics — both American, and Canadian. Lets take a peek!

How to Fix Public Policy in Three Easy Steps:

“first replace income tax with spending tax. we didnt even have income tax until it was to fund civil war and was to be temporary for us”

“second bring our boys back from central east. Military spendng in sandy nations is crazy we can use that monedy for schools here save $B”

Canseco Tackles the Fiscal Cliff:

“I will go to washington and slap all politicians if they dont fix the fiscal cliff. They are haters of America and deserve it. Here I come”

“Mr. Obama and Mr. Boehner I am available if you need me and can help. You can do it God bless American. hugs @BarackObama@SpeakerBoehner”

Sounds like a good deal to me! His hashtag is catchy (#YesWeCanseco), his tone is quite passionate, and he’s already established a clear plan of action. Now if only his grammar was a little better…

Still, Canseco is serious about running for political office. Although he cannot run for mayor of Toronto because he was born in Cuba, he said he will ”work out the citizen thing.” Caseco’s agent, Jose Melendez, stated in an email:

“He is serious about a run but as you know he doesn’t know the procedure for citizenship.”

If you want to see how serious he is about Toronto, check out theses tweets:

Canseco Takes on Toronto:

“Dear Torontonians tweet me what needs fixing so I can start working on things. I know the Jarvis bike path and NHL strike are key, more?”

“Thanks Toronto for a great #yeswecanseco Day 1. Got some good news on the citizen thing hope to announce in a few days. More tomorrow. Hugs”

“The hug store is open! I am trading hugs for displaying YesWeCanseco signs to get the word out on mayor run. Just tweet me pic.#yeswecanseco”

If you are wondering who inspire’s Canseco’s brilliance, try Al Gore:

“al gore was a head of his time .i miss him rest in peace buddy hug for u”

(and shortly after…)

“sorry al you need to make some more noise .Keep fighting for us i believe in your and i am with you”

Red Sammy, a Baltimore band helmed by Adam Trice ’04, English, will release its fourth album, “These Poems with Kerosene,” next month with a show at the Windup Space. We asked Trice to talk a bit about life as a musician, and how his study of literature has influenced his work.

Q:  Tell us some of the story behind your band…what type of music do you play? What influences you?

A: Red Sammy is a minor character in Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” (1955). Our music tends to be gritty, sparse, and deeply emotional. One music reviewer noted that our music attempts to connect with a listener’s mournful regions of the heart and soul. Musically, we fall closely within the Americana/Roots Rock genre. Influences include Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Neil Young, The Pixies, Lou Reed, Alejandro Escovedo.

Q:  Tell us a little about how your educational background fits in with what you do?

A:  I earned my degree in English at UMBC and a M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing/Publishing from the University of Baltimore. Both degrees provided me with insight and resources to develop as a writer (both lyrically and poetically). Many of our songs have a strong emphasis on word content and poetic form.

Q:  What’s your favorite song and why?

A:  Our latest album titled “These Poems with Kerosene” (due out on February 17, 2013), combines music and the recorded poems of University of Baltimore poet and professor Steve Matanle. My favorite track from the album is titled, “Everything Must Go.”

Q:  What’s it like collaborating with another poet?

A:  Steve Matanle was one of my favorite professors during graduate school. I’m very fortunate to have the opportunity to collaborate with Matanle especially since his hard luck style of poetry blends very well with our music and lyrical content.

Q:  Where would you like to see Red Sammy go from here?

A:  From a songwriter’s perspective, I would like to continue to grow and collaborate with new musicians and poets. In the next few years I would like to have a stronger presence performing as part of academic readings and art performances. It’s much more interesting when collaborating across artistic mediums.

Learn more about Red Sammy and listen to music samples at their website.