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Wednesday, June 19, 2013
January 22, 2009

Gitmo: Down To Its Last Happy Meal

Grinker-Gitmo-McDonalds.jpg

This image, taken in March 2002 by contributer Lori Grinker, has stood out in my mind since I first saw it. It was taken at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo.

As the Obama administration puts the wheels in motion to finally shutter the place, this scene is relevant to me for a few reasons. For one, I considered Bush/Cheney’s “War On Terror” to be its own brand. As soon as Abu Ghraib broke, the guy standing on the box with the hood on his head became its world-wide logo, as iconic and representative as the golden arches (and even supplanting those arches as an American I.D.).

As Bush went around the world preaching fear, particularly at economic summits (while countries like China were preaching trade and making investments), it seemed like terror became our prime export, with “how many served” represented by how many people were held in custody without access to due process, or were being illegally tortured, with our main clients being those countries that colluded with us in hosting local franchises, or facilitated illegal renditions.

What the photo also does, I believe, is imply how the so-called “War on Terror” and the Iraq War provided a huge marketplace to gorge the security- and military-industrial complex, from the fly-by-night operators to the equally hungry Fortune 100, with all the instant commerce they could handle. And, if the product delivered was as cheap as drive-through, that was indicative of the way BushCo. did business.

(image: Lori Grinker/Contact Press Images. Image may not be used without permission)

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  • http://www.bagnewsnotes.com/2009/01/gitmo-down-to-its-last-happy-meal.html#comments kellywendel

    That’s not Gitmo. That’s Fort Huachuca in southern Arizona, in Sierra Vista.
    My reasoning? Well, the vegetation first. Look at the cacti. Those are Arizona cacti. Those wouldn’t exist on a wayward side of an island like Cuba next to a large body of salt water. Too much salt in the air.
    Then the matter of the civilian cars. How many civilians are on Gitmo and have cars?
    Then the buildings in the background: they look like 40’s style federal government depot buildings. Temporarily built at the time, but still useful. Most likely for material storage.
    Finally, I am ex Navy, not Army, but why is a desert cammy HUMVEE
    in the picture rather than a HUMVEE with a jungle cammy paint job? Most of the pictures I have seen of the Gitmo Army staff shows them in jungle cammies.
    Anyway. Just a thought. BTW, ever heard of Frank Hoy? He was an old professor of mine at ASU. He would like your website. I do too.
    Keep up the good work.
    Best,
    Kelly Wendel

  • http://www.bagnewsnotes.com Michael (The BAG)

    Kelly,

    Thanks for your message. The McDonalds at Gitmo, however, has been the source of (or has been included in) many news stories. You can pick it out in this photo of the base at Wikipedia. If you follow the road from the bottom of the picture, it’s just to the left before you get to the third cross street. Lori Grinker, by the way, is also one of the country’s most respected photojournalists. You can talk a look at her website here .

  • Neal Deesit

    Mmmmm…I’m torturin’ it!

  • Jscopes

    Folks,
    They are just closing the prison.
    Not the base or McDonald’s.
    JS

  • http://www.kstreetblues.com Ed

    Geez, and how stereotypical to have a McDonald’s at that installation. I also take from it something like Max Berry’s book “Jennifer Government”, a dystopian novel that takes place in a future where corporations are everything – your job is your life so much that your surname is who you work for. Bob McDonald’s. Ed Barnes & Noble. Jennifer Government.
    Plus, I also take from this the pure merging of the private-sector and the public-sector – and the unprecedented levels of that during the Bush administration. Government by corporation.

  • http://kscakes.blogspot.com Ksue

    How apropos, since I saw on this morning’s news that McDonald’s was one of the very few corps to post a profit last quarter (year?). Walmart was another. I personally frequent neither.

  • CatStaff

    I lived on the Naval base at Gitmo from 1963 to 1967 with my family when my dad was stationed there. I’ve never been happier than when we were there — it was a paradise for us — and I’ve been waiting all these weary years for the travel restrictions to be lifted so I can go back to Cuba for a visit. My husband is retired Army, so we’ll probably even be able to get on the base so I can visit my beloved adolescent haunts, albeit with much older eyes.
    Of the many, many things that I have against George Bush and his rotten crew, making Gitmo a hissing and a byword is right up there.

  • Susan Abe

    I thought that plant life looked awfully Arizona, too, but I’ve been to Arizona and I’ve never been to Cuba. Some quick Googling of “Guantanamo cactus” got me:
    http://www.ajfroggie.com/pics/gitmo
    http://www.ruthannzaroff.com/clubted/images/cactus.jpg
    http://www.daylife.com/photo/0cj89cYbZFchC

  • http://www.lorigrinker.com Lori Grinker

    Hi all,
    I can assure everyone that I took this photo at GITMO. It is a US Naval base with suburban-like houses, restaurants, a bowling alley, fast food chains (the first two were McDonald’s and Subway, and I believe a couple more went in after 2002), a ferry that takes you from one side of the base to the other, a large Naval Exchange shop with everything from basic supplies to GITMO souvenirs. All this existed before Bush had a prison built for detainees. And note that Marines were brought in while the detainees were there, in addition to the Coast Guard, and Navy who are based there. The Humvee and cactus are there as well. If you search around you can see many images of the base on Guantanamo Bay.
    - Lori

  • Plate Lunch

    As the photographer noted, the McDonald’s store on the base at Gitmo existed before Bush began rounding up terrorists – be they real or imagined – and sending them to Cuba. The location is very likely owned and operated by an independent business person – a franchisee, and is not directly operated by McDonald’s Corporation. Some of you may have your problems with McDonald’s, sure, I’ll grant you that – and it goes without saying that you’re entitled to your opinions about the company. One caveat on that, however, is that you should do a little homework about the company and how much it has changed in last 20 years – and especially the last 10 or so. It’s quite different now from what it used to be. Anyway, this restaurant is not fairly or accurately characterized as vulture capitalism, or an attempt to make a quick buck. Truthfully, no McDonald’s restaurant can be said to make money “easily” or “quickly”. Each one is painstakingly researched and planned, and all are built to occupancy – which is not fly-by-night or cheap. This restaurant actually is probably exceptionally difficult for a franchisee to operate and maintain. McDonald’s restaurants, whether they are franchisee-operated or operated by the corporation, have to use very specific vendors and suppliers for all aspects of their business. Can you imagine what it costs to run this restaurant when almost everything, including labor/workers, has to be shipped in from the mainland? It ain’t cheap or done casually – it’s a serious investment. Just sayin’.

  • cenoxo

    Although the Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention has not held up to the test of time, there’s no question that McDonalds is The Burger They Love to Hate.
    ..
    Want some Freedom Fries with that?

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