By Kenneth J. Theisen, 8/9/07
President George W. Bush sure does like “executive
orders.” I guess it makes him feel like
a King and his family has claimed descent from royalty. Some genealogists claim Bush is related to King
Edward I, Kings Henry I and II of England, and William I and Robert II of Scotland. With such royal ancestors the issuance of
royal decrees or at least the American equivalent must feel natural to King
George. In the days when Kings governed
alone, they often confiscated the property of those who displeased the
throne. This was a good way to rid
oneself of enemies, not to mention a way to enhance the royal coffers. It seems that with one of the President’s
latest executive orders he is continuing the royal tradition.
On July 17, 2007 Bush issued an executive order, “Blocking
Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq.” It even has a royal tone to it in the title. This latest order from our King does away with
the 5th amendment protection against the seizure or property without due
process of law. It permits Bush regime
officials to freeze assets of anyone who directly or indirectly assists someone
who poses “a significant risk of committing, an act or acts of violence that
have the purpose or effect of threatening the peace or stability of Iraq or the Government of Iraq; or undermining
efforts to promote economic reconstruction and political reform in Iraq””
As usual, the wording in this order is exceedingly broad. Depending on the interpretation given to the
language it could include those who oppose the war in Iraq. If you attend a demonstration against the war
are you assisting someone who poses “a significant risk of committing, an act
or acts of violence? Maybe you are
building the morale of insurgents in Iraq by doing so. Remember when a Pentagon official recently
accused Hillary Clinton of boosting enemy propaganda? Will the Bush regime confiscate her
property? It could include those who
write about the war and expose the lies told by the Bush regime that led the
nation into the war and the lies told to continue the war. The law is so vague that it could cover all
the above examples. In effect this order
attacks various rights protected by the Constitution. But under the Bush regime attacking rights under
the Constitution is routine.
The executive order provides that no advance notice or
opportunity to challenge the property seizures be given to the targeted
individual. “For those persons whose
property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order who might
have a constitutional presence in the United States, I find that, because
of the ability to transfer funds or other assets instantaneously, prior notice
to such persons of measures to be taken pursuant to this order would render
these measures ineffectual. I therefore
determine that for these measures to be effective in addressing the national
emergency declared in Executive Order 13303 and expanded in Executive Order
13315, there need be no prior notice of a listing or determination made
pursuant to section 1(a) of this order.”
The order also prohibits others from helping a targeted
person. “The prohibitions”include, but are not limited to, the making of any
contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the
benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked
pursuant to this order, and the receipt of any contribution or provision of
funds, goods, or services from any such person.” This is so broad that it could include an
attorney who offered legal representation to the individual as that would be a
prohibited service. It may even forbid
giving food or water to the individual. This
goes back to the Roman Empire when enemies of
the emperor were banished and anyone giving them food or water was subject to
punishment. Maybe George wants to be
emperor, not just a king.
But we know that our King is a busy man so the order puts
the power of implementation in the capable hands of the “Secretary of the
Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of
Defense”” Some would argue that we can
expect that the regime officials will not stretch this order and really
infringe on protected Constitutional rights. It will only be used against armed enemies of
the U.S.
This is the argument that the regime
always uses. We will only target
terrorists. If you are not a terrorist
you do not need to worry. In this case
if you are not an insurgent or an active insurgent supporter do not worry. Trust us, the Bush regime is saying. This and all the other orders, laws, and
presidential directives are only meant to protect us.
But only a fool would believe this “trust us” line. These laws, orders, regulations, presidential
signing statements, directives, etc. have already been used to commit crimes
under the regime. They are meant to
given “legal cover” to the regime’s fascist actions. Hitler had similar cover with his various Nuremberg laws. But just because there is a law that allows
certain actions does not make those actions moral. And under the Bush regime this is even truer
than ever.