[Peace-discuss] no media coverage, so read here

[Barbara kessel]

SPECIAL REPORTS
Bush executive order: Criminalizing the antiwar movement
By Prof. Michel Chossudovsky
Global Research

Jul 23, 2007, 00:59

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 Orderissued on July 17th, repeals with the stroke of a
pen the right to dissent and to oppose the Pentagon's military agendain 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 organizations, 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. So far, it has not beenaddressed 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..  MUCH MORE DETAIL AVAILABLE ONLINE 'GLOBAL
RESEARCH'