July 23, 2007
Dirty Lame Duck
Did you hear about the newest fascistic fact emanating from the White House? Keep your yap shut if you don't want your assets frozen. From Walter Pincus at the Washington Post:
President Bush issued an executive order last week titled "Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq." In the extreme, it could be interpreted as targeting the financial assets of any American who directly or indirectly aids someone who has committed or "poses a significant risk of committing" violent acts "threatening the peace or stability of Iraq" or who undermines "efforts to promote economic reconstruction and political reform" in the war-torn country.....The executive order, released Tuesday, was designed to target "perpetrators of violence in Iraq including Shiite militia groups linked to Iran, Sunni insurgent groups with sanctuary in Syria, and other indigenous Iraqi insurgent groups," said Molly Millerwise, a spokeswoman for the Treasury Department, which will determine who is in violation of the order. ....
However, the text of the order, if interpreted broadly, could cast a far bigger net to include not just those who commit violent acts or pose the risk of doing so in Iraq, but also third parties -- such as U.S. citizens in this country -- who knowingly or unknowingly aid or encourage such people.....
Under the order, the Treasury secretary -- in consultation with the secretaries of defense and state -- creates the list of those whose assets are to be frozen. However, the targeting of not just those who support perpetrators of violence but also those who support individuals who "pose a significant risk" of committing violence goes far beyond normal legal language related to intent and could be applied in a highly arbitrary manner, said Bruce Fein, a senior Justice Department official in the Reagan administration and a frequent Bush administration critic.
Fein also questioned the executive order's inclusion of third parties, such as U.S. citizens who assist, sponsor or make "any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services" to assist people on the Treasury list. "What about a lawyer hired to get someone off the list?" Fein asked.
You can read the rest. Watch those assets Hillary, Nancy and Cindy.
As Paul Slansky points out
Surprise! Bush's approval rating is cratering and suddenly administration officials are emitting ominous warnings about the imminence of another 9/11. Knowing these loathsome people as we by now do, can there be any doubt that they would see such an event as their salvation, the thing that would send Bush's numbers rocketing, just as the original attack did six years ago, when, a mere seven months after his inauguration, he was already widely perceived as an ignorant, arrogant, in-over-his-head failure? And, can there be any doubt that a panicked nation would rally around the flag and his numbers would indeed soar?So, to every Democrat running for president -- no, to every Democrat in the House and Senate -- I say, Why isn't a single one of you pointing out IN ADVANCE, so people can take it in and understand it IN ADVANCE, before post-disaster hysteria obliterates actual reasoning, that any such attack would be NO ONE'S FAULT BUT BUSH'S?
We are going to be very careful . No one here at Dakota wants a frozen asset.
Photo note: A metaphorophoto -Dirty lame duck next to a "Support Our Troops" magnetic ribbon faded beyond recognition
Addendum: Speaking of which ---from Jay Leno "Tomorrow, President Bush will undergo a routine colonoscopy. You know what they found the last time Bush had a colonoscopy? His head."
Posted by Dakota at July 23, 2007 12:52 PM
