The Thomson Correctional Center in Illinois is on a short list of sites that are being considered to house the Guantanamo detainees, but if the nearly empty prison doesn't get chosen, we've got the perfect back-up plan: We're asking the facility to house the Thomson All Living Beings Empathy Center. Not only would the center teach visitors about compassion, it would also create jobs for tour guides, cafeteria workers, and others, promoting economic growth in these difficult times.

We can't think of a more appropriate site for our Animal Liberation Project (ALP) than a prison. The ALP is a display that takes viewers through a history of the discrimination and suffering of humans and other beings—from the Crusades to human slavery and from animal circuses to factory farms—reminding people that suffering is suffering, no matter who the victim is.

And as if Thomson needed another reason to promote compassion (or I needed another reason to wish I were 12 again), every kid who visits the Empathy Center would get a plush "I Am Not a Nugget" chick.

Written by Logan Scherer

When President Obama appointed Daniel Fried (aka "the Guantanamo Closure Czar") to oversee the closing of the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center, many people let out a sigh of relief. Some would like to close Gitmo's doors and forget about the alleged torture that took place there. But those who forget their history are destined to repeat it, so we've approached Mr. Fried with a better idea.

We've written a letter to Mr. Fried suggesting that, once all of the detainees have been relocated, Gitmo keep its doors open as an "empathy center." The detention center would change its name to the Guantanamo Bay Empathy Exhibit (GBEE) and display our Animal Liberation Project. The GBEE would teach people that—regardless of race, religion, ability, gender, or species—everyone deserves respect and compassion, and it would allow people to explore ways that they can promote nonviolent and non-exploitive relationships with all beings.

We really hope that Mr. Fried takes us up on our offer. With the Senate's proposal to lift the 47-year-old ban on travel to Cuba, now is a great time to show the world that we are willing to learn from our mistakes. After all, if the U.S. and Cuba can break down barriers, shouldn't people be able to do the same with animals?

Written by Shawna Flavell