New Executive Order Seizes Control over Civilian Activities

[agent46]

Does anyone know anything about this?

"A new Executive Order signed on March 16, 2012, gives Obama the power to seize all forms of transportation, food, and any other civilian services including health care, for national defense, as well as to conscript necessary persons for a National Defense Executive Reserve. This is an all-inclusive E.O. that executes total control over everything from home gardens to any form of transportation, to forcing people to work for the collective. Read it and weep."

http://farmwars.info/?p=8052

[Speck Tater]

1. Here it is on the Whitehouse website...

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/03/16/executive-order-national-defense-resources-preparedness

Executive Order -- National Defense Resources Preparedness

EXECUTIVE ORDER

NATIONAL DEFENSE RESOURCES PREPAREDNESS

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended (50 U.S.C. App. 2061 et seq.), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, and as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, it is hereby ordered as follows:

PART I - PURPOSE, POLICY, AND IMPLEMENTATION

Section 101. Purpose. This order delegates authorities and addresses national defense resource policies and programs under the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended (the "Act&quot .

Sec. 102. Policy. The United States must have an industrial and technological base capable of meeting national defense requirements and capable of contributing to the technological superiority of its national defense equipment in peacetime and in times of national emergency. The domestic industrial and technological base is the foundation for national defense preparedness. The authorities provided in the Act shall be used to strengthen this base and to ensure it is capable of responding to the national defense needs of the United States.
...
Plus hundreds of lines of dense legalese jargon and Washintonian doubletalk. If you figure out what it says you might win a prize.

[Zalatix]

18. "If you figure out what it says you might win a prize."

Or a visit from an unmanned drone...

[KT2000]

2. Suspicious

I will try to find info but I have been sent Executive Orders Obama has signed - from a Birch variety repub that is nothing more that hysterical paranoia.
The rural initiative, according to the nuts, is supposed to be about Obama taking over the food supply and the UN taking over the US.

[Glength]

40. Nut?

Suspicion is a healthy thing, if not taken too far. Blind following and head-nodding is just as bad on both sides of the aisle. Don't assume everyone reading your post agrees with you. Instead, state what you think the EO is doing, and why. Otherwise, It is you who seems to think like a pecan.

There is a purpose for everything, but not all are laid out for inspection - I am wondering, for instance, why the term 'defense requirements during peacetime' is used 3 times, without specifying what that entails. In a casual conversation that is fine, but in an EO authorizing powers to draft, confiscate property, and force relocation, it seems too important to leave to interpretation.

I don't pretend that everyone is out to get me, but leaving that kind of power up for grabs in loose term seems problematic.

[Justice wanted]

3. We would have been screaming if BUSH had sign this EO why should we feel comfortable with

Obama doing it. I'm sorry but ANY president signing these type of EOs just scare the hell out of me.


What we need to do is have Stan Lee's words etched in the oval office and in the halls of Congress for all these people to be reminded of-- "WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBLITY"

EDIT trying to see the actual EO and can't get onto the White House website for some reason and when I went to search YAHOO I got something interesting. Websites like Ron Paul. Daily Paul Free Republic. Can someone PLEASE find the actual text and link to the White House EO page and post So we can actually read it.

Again I don't like any President doing a Grab BUT if this is some Jack-SHIT Winger Crap I'm going to scream.

[KT2000]

5. OK - so some country

decides to attack the country - in any number of novel ways. Don't you want our government to be able to respond in a coordinated manner?
I am no fan of Homeland Security and find them to be power hungry but it is the job of the president to make sure responsible agencies know what to do.
If anything - I would rather see efforts to get rid of Homeland Security and have other agencies take their jobs. But Obama is dealing with what he has.

[Justice wanted]

12. Considering our defense budget is $1.030–$1.415 trillion I have a hard time with such EOs

So you don't think I am making up that number:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.s._defense_spending


While one of our "Axis of Evil" China only spends: 698 Billion and our closest allie Great Britian spends ONLY 59.6 Billion

Than YEAH I say we have a HUGE issue with not only that EO but other things in this country as well.

Do you realize we can take 1/4th of that budget for defense and use it to build better schools, Give everyone in the U.S. UNIVERSAL HEALTH care, AND still beable to blow up on "Enemies" 10 times over.

Granted this is a "LIBERAL" person you are talking to AND GAWD forbid We allow LOGIC to come into play.

With the U.S. spending as much as it does in "DEFENSE" there is NO NEED for that EO.

Remember Ben Franklin's words: Those who give up Liberty for Security deserve neither liberty or security.

[KT2000]

17. Agree that the defense budget

is obscene. The EO is about organization and coordination - not about increasing or reducing the defense budget.
Of course this EO which has probably been updated by every president, wil be used to stirup the crazy RW faction to say that obama is taking over the US.

[Justice wanted]

20. Still. He wants to "Organize" use that defense money. I'm saying with that budget HE shouldn't

need that E.O. He's concern about food being grown. STOP paying farmers NOT to Grow OR pay those Farmers to grow what they ABSOLUTELY need. WHAT THE FREAK does he need my neighbors small garden that contains 3 tomato plants and a half dozen other veggies that she mostly give to us fellow neighbors.

I understand it is an update. I've been doing research BUT it is the wording that has me nervous. Just like the NDAA bill had me nervous. The E.O. should have been written better. If this is the "standard" update that EVERY President has done. It just makes me nervous,

[bvar22]

34. You REALLY don't Get It.

In the last 10 years, starting with the Patriot Act,
our government (Republicans AND Democrats) have declared Perpetual Global WAR on a concept (Terror),
and the White House has assumed Perpetual War Time Powers & Privileges,
or at least until the time that the word "terror" has been defeated.
The Constitution, as we once knew it, no longer applies.

No one needs to directly attack the US, and nothing else needs to happen for any president to enact any provisions of this EO,
openly, or in secret, without the approval of Congress or anyone else.
The Executive Branch has declared itself Supreme, Infallible, Omnipotent, and accountable to No One.
Our pathetic Congress (Democrats & Republicans) has gone along meekly, completely abrogating its Constitutionally assigned duty as a Co-Equal branch of government providing a check & balance on the Executive Branch.

Welcome to the New American Century of perpetual WAR and a supreme Unitary Executive.
This has come as no shock to those of us familiar with the Project for a New American Century (PNAC),
and its role in subverting the Democratic Party leadership through the DLC.
We are seeing the successful culmination of a 20 Year Plan.


But its ALL GOOD,
because Big Brother LOVES you,
and only wants what is best for YOU!
Just Go Along Quietly.

We have always been at WAR with EastAsia TERROR!





Cheers!



Cherish your memories,
because "they" are taking everything else.
[font size=5 color=green]Solidarity99![/font][font size=2 color=green]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/center]

[Glength]

41. b is for Bendeta ... I LOVE IT!!!

I couldn't agree with you more.

Let's just sit back and see how it all works out. That is what the Democratic PARTY and the GOP are doing ... Right?

A friend of mine sent me a pic of a poster saying ... FOX NEWS ... Rich guys paying rich guys to teach the middle class to hate the poor.

Seems all the same to me. Other news agencies are rich guys paying rich guys to teach poor people to hate certain rich people...because both ways are equally distracting and useful to the rich guys who are managing the manipulation.

Middle class and poor need to start focusing on INDIVIDUALS. Help your fellow individual, individually.

We act different in a herd. I am not saying don't invest in politics and activism. I am just saying, 'don't put all your eggs in one basket.' Do some 1-on-1; You might be disappointed in the way the activism turns out in the end, but helping people grows something different!

[bvar22]

46. In 2006, My Wife & I moved to The Woods...

...to live as independently and sustainably as possible.
Time and resources that used to be devoted to Party Politics is now directed to Local Humanitarian Issues.
We are living well on a low "Taxable" Income,
and stuff we learned in the '60s.

[GregVaroz]

14. I think this is too much control in Executive Branch

Obama released this order Friday night. It amends the Defense Production Act of 1950 and essentially allows the President to institute a complete control of the means of production within the entire spectrum of our economy under the guise of defense preparedness (during peacetime and during war). During a congressional declaration of war (like WWII) this is probably needed. But during peacetime - no this looks like a bit of a power grab.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/03/16/executive-order-national-defense-resources-preparedness

[Justice wanted]

15. The ONLY way I can possible justify this is IF there is going to be a WAR with Iran. Miltary

complex and wingers have been beating the drums for a good month now.

[Ziggystrange]

29. I believe it establishes a balance of power.

Let's see how he uses it before we condemn him as a Tyrant.
We are at war, and we are also at war for our liberty against domestic enemies.
The Republican Party has abused the Legislative branch, and compromised the Judicial.

The Executive Order is a drastic measure, we need drastic measures right now.

History will judge Obama and find him to have been the right man for the job.

Radical but timely.
.

[malaise]

39. That is precisely my take n/t

[markpkessinger]

47. It's not that I worry so much about how this President will use those powers . . .

. . . but rather I worry about how the next president, or the president after that, etc., will use them. Executive powers, once claimed, are virtually never ceded. If it's a power you would be uncomfortable granting to a Bush or a Cheney, then you ought to be just as uncomfortable granting to to Obama or any other Democrat, no matter how upright, conscientious, duly cautious, etc.

[onenote]

48. In varying degrees, every President since Truman has had these powers

The origins of this EO trace directly back to the Defense Production Act of 1950, which was enacted during the Korean War. The most recent iteration of the Executive Order adopted by President Obama last week was issued by President Clinton in 1994. It was on the books all through the bush II years.


In any event, here is a link to the EO adopted last week. I'd be interested in knowing specifically which provisions concern you.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/03/16/executive-order-national-defense-resources-preparedness

[Ziggystrange]

16. Here is the link

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/03/16/executive-order-national-defense-resources-preparedness

Let me know your thoughts if you want.

[woo me with science]

35. Thank you. nt

[KT2000]

4. Read it and i believe

this is what we expect our government to do as it is charged with the defense of the country.
For example, during WWII, aerospace companies went to work for the government designing, copying designs and manufacturing aircraft.
The draft went into full swing - as it could do in an attack now.
I imagine the original 1950 Act needs updating to include things such as color tv's, cell phones and computers!

You will probably find that states have supreme authorities in case of emergencies now - such as shutting down phone service except for emergency personnel and the government.

This is nothing to lose sleep over. Working for "the collective" will still be your choice.

[FarPoint]

8. I believe its just a standard renewal ...

It's a worse case response plan. I believe each state has such a plan as well.

[Ziggystrange]

6. This is the mother of all EO's

Democrats and Independents rejoice.
Obama is doing the one thing that will get us out from under right wing boot.
He is doing what we all want him to do, and all we said he did not do in one fell sweep.
This Executive Order changes everything.

Read the whole thing 10 times it's going to be talked about more than any other EO in history.

I'm reading it and so far it seems to be exactly what is, we are becoming a new form of government.

Obama is now going to systematically engineer the recovery, and eliminate all the Republican obstructionism by using the powers of the executive branch to defeat the abuses we have seen from the legislative, and judicial.

This is a big deal and the reaction is going to be epic.

I'm still reading but I implore people to read it and read all of it until we understand it fully.

Then judge.

[cthulu2016]

7. If that were true, who would rejoice?

Who on Earth would rejoice about an executive changing our form of government to expand executive power, accomplished by executive order?

Fortunately it doesn't suggest any such thing.

[virtualobserver]

9. Lions and Tigers and Trolls, oh my

peddle your right wing propaganda elsewhere

[Tunkamerica]

32. I am agreeing with you! One world Government! Socialism! Fascism! All at once!

I've been a left wing activist for 90+ years and I agree!

Also, I love how the Op doesn't link to legitimate news sources! Don't let the corporate mediocracy fool you. This is a continuation of an act that has been in effect since 1995!

All you have to do is click on the link to the act, but FUCK YEAH OBAMA! invented socialism!

[denbot]

11. The last few administrations have been enacting sweeping preparedness E.O.'s

I am begining to wonder if there is something looming that they know, and we don't?

[Justice wanted]

13. Yeah The never ending WAR. think 1984. The Corporations, Uber-Rich and Military complex have

this government by the balls. American Serfism in a sense. You have two branches that are pulled by the same puppet master.

[jakeXT]

19. President Obama signs Executive Order allowing for control over all US resources

On March 16th, President Obama signed a new Executive Order which expands upon a prior order issued in 1950 for Disaster Preparedness, and gives the office of the President complete control over all the resources in the United States in times of war or emergency.

The National Defense Resources Preparedness order gives the Executive Branch the power to control and allocate energy, production, transportation, food, and even water resources by decree under the auspices of national defense and national security.  The order is not limited to wartime implementation, as one of the order's functions includes the command and control of resources in peacetime determinations.


...


Additionally, each cabinet under the Executive Branch has been given specific powers when the order is executed, and include the absolute control over food, water, and other resource distributions.


..

Executive Orders created for national defense and national preparedness are not new in American history, but in each instance they brought about a Constitutional crisis that nearly led standing Presidents to hold dictatorial power over the citizenry.  During the Civil War, President Lincoln halted freedom of speech and freedom of the press, while at the same time revoking Habeas Corpus and the right to a fair trial under the sixth amendment.  During World War I, when Congress refused to grant Woodrow Wilson extended power over resources to help the war effort, he invoked an Executive Order which allowed him complete control over businesses, industry, transportation, food, and other economic policies.

http://m.examiner.com/finance-examiner-in-national/president-obama-signs-executive-order-allowing-for-control-over-all-us-resources

[Major Nikon]

22. You do realize the Examiner is owned by the wingnuttiest of wingnuts, yes?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Anschutz

You might as well ask Ron Paul what he thinks about this as to quote the Examiner.

[alp227]

37. Ana Kasparian used to write there regularly

http://www.examiner.com/politics-education-in-national/ana-kasparian

now she does all her education commentary on the TYTUniversity channel on youtube, good she's not generating traffic to a wingnut owned site anymore.

[Major Nikon]

21. Sorry, gotta raise the bullshit flag on this one

Section 101. Purpose. This order delegates authorities and addresses national defense resource policies and programs under the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended (the "Act&quot .

The EO gives Obama no such power, nor could it. The power comes from the Defense Production Act of 1950, and as the name suggests, was in place before Obama was born. The EO simply prescribes how the Executive branch implements that law.

Suggesting that the EO is some kind of power grab is either extremely disingenuous or ignorant. Take your pick.

[Raine]

23. Signed the Friday of a holiday weekend, a real "news dump"

which is the way to hide something controversial and hope it stays below the radar.

[Major Nikon]

24. Exactly! And St. Paddy's day weekend is the perfect time to do it

Everyone will be shitting green beer by Monday and nobody is going to figure out that Obama just implemented the biggest power grab since the fucking Reichstag Fire Decree!

That is, nobody but the tin foil hat wearing wingnuttiest of the wingnuts, who have been telling us this day has been coming since the day Obama won the election.

Right. Got it.

[davidpdx]

25. This is a continuation of a EO signed by Clinton

so Clinton must be evil lol (just in case anyone missed it )

Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date. In accordance with this provision, I have sent the enclosed notice to the Federal Register for publication stating that the national emergency with respect to Iran that was declared on March 15, 1995, is to continue in effect beyond March 15, 2012.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/03/13/message-continuation-national-emergency-respect-iran

[Ziggystrange]

26. I support Obama on this, you are right but there is more.

The Clinton amendment did not accomplish what the Obama one does.
Compare them side by side, and include the Reagan version and the 1950 act.

Certain key words have been changed. This EO does give the President powers the others did not.
This EO also is all inclusive which the others were not. This EO also gives the government the power to dictate to private businesses, issue guaranteed loans, and also ties up the banks in new and exciting ways.

Read all the versions and pay attention to any changes as they are very significant and far reaching. If Bush had done this I/We would be freaking out like never before, Obama doing this is a completely different story.

This was predicted / expected to happen after the election in November. Why he did it now is the most important question.
In actuality "National Defense" is only the premise used to enforce this order.

Read section 102 on the Clinton version, and the Obama version, the change was 1 word. That 1 word changes everything, and does change the EO to something completely different that is crafted of "need" as opposed to "Threat.

Need is a ubiquitous concept, threat is a very narrow one in comparison. That is only the second segment. Once you read the whole thing you understand the scope of it is unprecedented, and the very thing we need to neutralize the Conservative agenda, and ell the obstructionism practiced by the Republican congress.

We'll see.

This is the move I have been waiting for, and hoping I was not imagining he would do this. I thought he would do it in December after a won second term. He must know something we don't that allows him, or compels him to do it now.


Best

Ziggy

[davidpdx]

28. I was thinking something along the lines of the oil reserves as well

Making sure our oil supply is sold here is a no-brainer. This is one reason I think that damn pipeline shouldn't be build. It will just funnel all the oil to the refineries and then sold to other nations. There is no reason we should be shipping a precious commodity overseas when we need it here.

If we hadn't been stuck with Chimp in chief for 8 years we probably would have made more progress on renewable energy and avoided invading Iraq which wasted a lot of oil.

What I read made specific reference to Iran, though I did not read all of it. It is possible the EO was updated as 10 years ago the threat was very different. That EO took place 6 years before 9/11. Iran likely has a slightly better military now (though it's still not that great) and the issue with sanctions against them for possible development of nuclear weapons have become stronger. Also they have made numerous threats to close the waterway to prevent oil shipments (though we know realistically they aren't capable of much).

The way I would read this is as a political pivot to allow him room to do things Congress has punted on.

Ps-While I agree with what you said, I strongly disagree with your use of the word troll. Had I been on a jury of peers to review that post I would have voted to hide it.

[Ziggystrange]

30. My 2 cents

The person you responded to completely misunderstood my post.

I did not flag his comment because I'm new here and have not quite decided just how much leeway people are given in personal attacks.

I meant every word I said in a positive way. This EO allows the president to break the Republican logjam, and do much more. I always post as Ziggy Strange and my comments have always been in support of President Obama. I have been called an Obamabot, and many other things but never a troll. until today.

[davidpdx]

38. Welcome to DU

Sometimes things get a little ugly around here, but we try to keep it civil. People are too quick to jump on each other (at least not in the right way lol). If you ever need back up holler and we can get in a bar brawl with someone.

(I was going to do the beer tag but I couldn't find it darn it).

[onenote]

42. I doubt that the change you highlighted is as significant as you suggest:

You focus on the substitution of the word "needs" for "threats". But you didn't mention that the Clinton EO referred to "all threats to the national security" of the US which was pretty broad in and of itself. The new version not only drops all and substitutes "needs" for "threats," it replaces the very broad "national security" with "national defense." In the end, as a practical matter, there probably is minimal difference between the two statements of policy.

Here are the two policy statements, with the Clinton version first, followed by the new restatement.

Sec. 102. Policy. The United States must have an industrial and technology base capable of meeting national defense requirements, and capable of contributing to the technological superiority of its defense equipment in peacetime and in times of national emergency. The domestic industrial and technological base is the foundation for national defense preparedness. The authorities provided in the Act shall be used to strengthen this base and to ensure it is capable of responding to all threats to the national security of the United States.

Sec. 102. Policy. The United States must have an industrial and technological base capable of meeting national defense requirements and capable of contributing to the technological superiority of its national defense equipment in peacetime and in times of national emergency. The domestic industrial and technological base is the foundation for national defense preparedness. The authorities provided in the Act shall be used to strengthen this base and to ensure it is capable of responding to the national defense needs of the United States.

[Igel]

36. Complementary, perhaps.

Not really a continuation.

The national-emergency govenment-continuity EOs go back to at least Kennedy. * signed one, as did every other president, and DU went bananas until this became clear. They're reasonable.

This one's also largely reasonable, although they keep expanding, as befits a Manager in Chief in the White House. (It's a role we are as happy to foist on the Presider in Chief as he is to take it. Few presidents have said, "No, I'd really like to have as little power as possible." That requires humility few politicians can evince.)

Take a rocket engine that Pratt/Whitney was licensing. It was Russo-Soviet in design. It was produced in Russia. Nifty bit of re-engineered technology: Not cutting edge, it was cheap, functional, versatile, and reusable, relying on cheap, handling-safe, and fairly non-toxic fuels. Much to commend it. But it would be used for launching US telecommunications satellites. And that meant, at some point, launching satellites used in US intelligence activities or things like the GPS or weather satellite system. To be reliant on a potential enemy for such things is problem, and it might take a few years to actually reverse engineer a similar rocket engine, design the production facilities, and get production started.

Under the authority of an EO, as authorized by a Congressional Act, the government required P/W to have a parallel production facility to the point where it could be up and running in plenty of time to meet any need for replacement engines. This meant obtaining production documents and very detailed tech specs and having them (10s of thousands of pages) translated. It meant siting a production facility and having all the EPA reports and permits on hand. It meant having the building and necessary equipment available, even in use on other production lines of less importance. If the Russians said "no" when there was a pressing need, P/W has to certify and demonstrate that it could independently meet that need.

This made the technology more expensive. It slowed things down. It's Executive interference in what's primarily a commercial activity, because government security functions might be affected. Yeah, it created American jobs--but while this was going on, there were problems with the NOAA satellite network because of too few satellites being launched, telecom resources were stretched thin, and the GPS system was threatened. In trying to ensure security, it risked a few things. The EO couldn't compel companies to meet demand when meeting demand was too expensive and would be too short-term.

More disturbing is the idea that this could be an open-ended back-door boondoggle. By using national defense as a catch-all for justifying loan guarantees to develop cutting-edge and new technologies, or even placing advance orders for them, this can easily allow, say, Chu to help firms in ways that are technologically alluring but not really so promising from either a tech or peacetime cost/benefit standpoint. Suddenly a plausible threat to national becomes not a thumb but an elbow on the cost/benefit scale, or this EO authorizing the advancing of tech initiatives that investors don't think are promising but which some political employee likes. Not that this is a problem just with this particular instantiation of the EO.

[upi402]

31. Hunter S Thompson

is currently drilling his way to site of the next Democratic Convention.

The golfballs told me.

[ProSense]

43. Here:

WingNutDaily Voice of Reason in Stupid Right-Wing Freakout About Martial Law
http://wonkette.com/467411/wingnutdaily-voice-of-reason-in-stupid-right-wing-freakout-about-martial-law

Welcome to Scare America.

[FarCenter]

44. Not really new - The MIC is the world's largest socialist enterprise

If you order a computer, for example, and the government urgently needs one, your delivery date will slip.

Governments talk a good game about capitalism, but when the chips are down they rely on socialism.

[onenote]

45. Among the misconceptions being spread about this EO

As others have pointed out, this is not a "new" EO in the sense that it is an update and restatement of EOs that have been issued for decades. This one specifically supersedes the very similar version issued by the Clinton WH in June 1994.

Nonetheless, a number of statements have been made (largely spurred by the Examiner article) that misrepresent what the EO does and does not do. For example, it has been claimed that this version greatly "expands" the previous versions by, among other things, being applicable during peacetime. In fact, the language referring to "peacetime" in this version is identical to the language in the 1994 EO. Also, the Examiner piece, while acknolwedging that this isn't the first "preparedness" EO, suggests that every previous such EO has sparked a "constitutional crisis" which is laughable.

Are there differences in the wording of this version compared to the previous version? Yes. Many of the changes reflect changes in the organization of government that have occurred since 1994. For example, under the Clinton era EO, there are a number of references to FEMA. But FEMA is no longer a separate agency -- its part of DHS (along with other agencies that previously were either independent or parts of other cabinet departments).

I haven't exhaustively compared the 1994 and 2012 versions, but I have scanned them both and if there are nefarious diffrerences I haven't noticed them. If folks have identified substantive, signficant changes from the 1994 version to this one, I would urge them to post them.

In short, this EO doesn't represent the creation of a "new form of government" and it will not be talked about for ages. Its largely a ministerial action to update something that has been on the books for several decades.