Another Executive Order: The Emerging Picture

August 6, 2007

by JOE MILLER

On August 1 Bush issued yet another in his recent string of ominous Executive Orders, National and Homeland Security Directives, and Martial Law facilitating legislation (1). Many have reacted with outrage. Powerful critiques of the earlier order and directives by conservative constitutional scholar Bruce Fein are available in recent interviews with Bill Moyers (2) and Diane Rehm (3).

Here's Matthew Rochschild's (4) take (next eight paragaphs) on Bush's newest outrageous unitary executive order:

"Two weeks ago, Bush issued an extraordinary executive order entitled, " Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq."

It gives to the Secretary of the Treasury the authority to freeze the property of people who are engaging in violence or who "pose a significant risk" of engaging in violence against the Iraqi government or the economic and reconstruction plan for Iraq.

It also bans donations of "food, clothing, and medicine, intended to be used to relieve human suffering" to anyone whose property has been frozen.

On August 1, Bush issued a similar executive order, this one entitled, " Blocking Property of Persons Undermining the Sovereignty of Lebanon or Its Democratic Processes and Institutions."

Syrian meddling in Lebanon constitutes an "unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States," Bush asserted, adding, "I hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat."

This executive order is even more sweeping.

Where the one on Iraq applies to people who engage in violent acts or pose a significant risk of engaging in violent acts, this one doesn't even bother to limit it to that. Anyone who engages in any act---violent or nonviolent---against the government of Lebanon can now have his or her property frozen.

And it also gives the Treasury Secretary the authority to freeze the assets of "a spouse or dependent child" of any person whose property is frozen."

http://www.progressive.org/mag_wx080307

Bush's Executive Orders, Security Directives, and stealth martial law facilitating legislation seem even more ominous when viewed from the context provided by the $385 million contract awarded to Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root in January of 2006 -- as reported by Nat Parry (5) -- "to construct detention centers somewhere in the United States, to deal with 'an emergency influx of immigrants into the U.S., or to support the rapid development of new programs.' KBR said." Read Parry's article for some compelling but scary speculations on why these 5000 person centers are being constructed, who they might be intended for, and what the phrase "rapid development of new programs" might mean.

http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/47/17936

The context provided by all of the above becomes even more sinister when viewed from the perspective of the three massive criminal sweeps conducted by federal, state and local law enforcement agents within the last few years as part of Operation Falcon. U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales described Operation Falcon in April, 2005 "as an excellent example of President Bush's direction and the Justice Department's dedication to deal both with the terrorist threat and traditional violent crime" (6). Mike Whitney and others have noted that the three massive Operation Falcon operations have created many unanswered questions, and Whitney makes a very compelling case that the real goal may be very different that that echoed by Gonzales or the media (7).

Here's Whitney's take (8) on the real goal of Operation Falcon:

"The Bush administration is sharpening its talons for the inevitable difficulties it expects to face as a result of its disastrous policies. With each regressive initiative, the governing cabal seems to get increasingly paranoid, anticipating an outburst of public rage. Now, they're orchestrating massive round-ups of minor crooks to make sure that every cog and gear in the apparatus of state repression is lubricated and ready to go.

Rest assured that Attorney General Gonzales has absolutely no interest in the petty offenders that were netted in this extraordinary crackdown. His action is just another indication that the noose is tightening around the neck of the American public and that the Bush team is fully prepared for any unpleasant eventualities. They want to make sure that everyone knows that they're ready when its time to thin out the ranks of mutinous citizens."

http://www.counterpunch.org/whitney05182005.html

Whitney's article (8) and the SourceWatch article (6) on Operation Falcon have been selected as Co-Awardees in the "2008 Project Censored Yearbook" (9) according to the Summer, 2007 newsletter (not yet online) of the Center for Media and Democracy (10). The "2008 Project Censored Yearbook" will be released nationwide on September 5.

To put everything that is happening into a really large and longer-term perspective, reflect upon Chalmers Johnson's article entitled "Empire v. Democracy: Why Nemesis is at Our Door" (11). For a complementary and more optimistic perspective, read David Korten's article: "The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community" (12).

The only way to rein Bush, Cheney, and Gonzales in before they do more damage, destroy more lives, is for citizens, Congress, and the press (media) to vigorously exercise the responsibilities assigned to them by our Constitution, and lobby for and initiate impeachment proceedings against all three. I'll have more on this and related developments in the next few days.

Joseph Miller
Department of Psychology
51 Madeleva
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556

St. Joe Valley Greens, South Bend, IN

SJVGreens

Another Executive Order: The Emerging Picture