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Criminalizing Peace

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Paul Paryski

Criminalizing Peace

Somehow the fwd about Bush's exec order didn't work, so I have copied the
text below. Paul Paryski

While the American public...and the world...was being diverted by news
stories of Dubya's colonoscopy scheduled for today, this, his latest executive
order, was signed July 17, 2007... However, blogs, blogging comments have
been numerous...see a sampling below.

Bush Executive Order: Criminalizing the Antiwar Movement

By Prof. Michel Chossudovsky

July 20, 2007

The Executive Order entitled "Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who
Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq" provides the President with the authority
to confiscate the assets of whoever opposes the US led war.
A presidential Executive Order issued on July 17th, repeals with the stroke
of a pen the right to dissent and to oppose the Pentagon's military agenda
in Iraq.
The Executive Order entitled "Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who
Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq" provides the President with the authority
to confiscate the assets of "certain persons" who oppose the US led war in
Iraq:
"I have issued an Executive Order blocking property of persons determined to
have committed, or to pose 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 or to provide humanitarian
assistance to the Iraqi people."
In substance, under this executive order, opposing the war becomes an
illegal act.

The Executive Order criminalizes the antiwar movement. It is intended to
"blocking property" of US citizens and organizations actively involved in the
peace movement. It allows the Department of Defense to interfere in
financial affairs and instruct the Treasury to "block the property" and/or
confiscate/ freeze the assets of "Certain Persons" involved in antiwar activities. It
targets those "Certain Persons" in America, including civil society
organizatioins, who oppose the Bush Administration's "peace and stability" program in
Iraq, characterized, in plain English, by an illegal occupation and the
continued killing of innocent civilians.
The Executive Order also targets those "Certain Persons" who are
"undermining efforts to promote economic reconstruction", or who, again in plain
English, are opposed to the confiscation and privatization of Iraq's oil resources,
on behalf of the Anglo-American oil giants.

The order is also intended for anybody who opposes Bush's program of
"political reform in Iraq", in other words, who questions the legitimacy of an
Iraqi "government" installed by the occupation forces.
Moreover, those persons or nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), who provide
bona fide humanitarian aid to Iraqi civilians, and who are not approved by
the US Military or its lackeys in the US sponsored Iraqi puppet government are
also liable to have their financial assets confiscated.
The executive order violates the First, Fourth and Fifth Amendments of the
US Constitution. It repeals one of the fundamental tenets of US democracy,
which is the right to free expression and dissent. The order has not been the
object of discussion in the US Congress. Sofar, it has not been addressed by
the US antiwar movement, in terms of a formal statement.

Apart from a bland Associated Press wire report, which presents the
executive order as "an authority to use financial sanctions", there has been no media
coverage or commentary of a presidential decision which strikes at the heart
of the US Constitution..
Broader implications
The criminalization of the State is when the sitting President and Vice
President use and abuse their authority through executive orders, presidential
directives or otherwise to define "who are the criminals" when in fact they
they are the criminals.

This latest executive order criminalizes the peace movement. It must be
viewed in relation to various pieces of "anti-terrorist" legislation, the gamut
of presidential and national security directives, etc., which are ultimately
geared towards repealing constitutional government and installing martial law
in the event of a "national emergency"...
Excerpted from: _http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=6377_
(http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=6377)
Text of the Executive Order:
_http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/07/20070717-3.html_
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/07/20070717-3.html)
Message to the Congress of the United States Regarding International
Emergency Economic Powers Act _ht
tp://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/07/20070717-4.html_ (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/07/20070717-4.html)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Bloggers are alert...
From:_http://digg.com/politics/So_as_of_yesterday_If_you_protest_the_war_the_P
rez_can_take_your_stuff_
(http://digg.com/politics/So_as_of_yesterday_If_you_protest_the_war_the_Prez_can_take_your_stuff)

+357 diggs
by _ajkxxx_ (http://digg.com/users/ajkxxx) on _07/19/2007_
(http://digg.com/politics/So_as_of_yesterday_If_you_protest_the_war_the_Prez_can_take_your_stuf
f?t=7903154#c7903154)

I'm worried that no newspapers have picked up on this story. This is the
White House Website.
This is getting scary.

_Hide 7 replies to this comment (most popular has 21 diggs)_
(http://digg.com/politics/So_as_of_yesterday_If_you_protest_the_war_the_Prez_can_take_your_st
uff)

* +21 diggs

by _massivity_ (http://digg.com/users/massivity) on _07/19/2007_
(http://digg.com/politics/So_as_of_yesterday_If_you_protest_the_war_the_Prez_can_take_you
r_stuff?t=7903154#c7905530)

Seriously. WHY is this not front page news?

_View 3 replies to this comment (most popular has 18 diggs)_
(http://digg.com/politics/So_as_of_yesterday_If_you_protest_the_war_the_Prez_can_take_your_stu
ff)

* +3 diggs

by _ronaldinho_ (http://digg.com/users/ronaldinho) on _07/19/2007_
(http://digg.com/politics/So_as_of_yesterday_If_you_protest_the_war_the_Prez_can_take_y
our_stuff?t=7903154#c7907218)

it is on Digg, but you know the mainstream media (aside from Jon Stewart and
Stephen Colbert) are controlled by Bush

_View 2 replies to this comment (most popular has 3 diggs)_
(http://digg.com/politics/So_as_of_yesterday_If_you_protest_the_war_the_Prez_can_take_your_stuf
f)

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