[NYTr] Bush's Executive Order on Lebanon: Worse that on Iraq!

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

The Progressive - Aug 3, 2007
http://progressive.org/mag_wx080307


Bush's Executive Order on Lebanon Even Worse than the One on Iraq

By Matthew Rothschild

George W. Bush is churning out executive orders and Presidential
directives just as fast as Dick Cheney's lawyers can fill up yellow
legal pads.

The power that he is asserting -- no, grabbing -- with these executive
orders is astonishing and alarming. Such power imperils our liberties
and our democratic system of government.

Two weeks ago, Bush issued an extraordinary executive order
entitled "Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten
Stabilization Efforts in Iraq."

It gives to the Secretary of the Treasury the authority to freeze the
property of people who are engaging in violence or who pose a
significant risk of engaging in violence against the Iraqi government
or the economic and reconstruction plan for Iraq.

It also bans donations of food, clothing, and medicine, intended to
be used to relieve human suffering to anyone whose property
has been frozen.

On August 1, Bush issued a similar executive order, this one entitled
"Blocking Property of Persons Undermining the Sovereignty of
Lebanon or Its Democratic Processes and Institutions."

"Syrian meddling in Lebanon constitutes an unusual and extraordinary
threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United
States," Bush asserted, adding, "I hereby declare a national emergency
to deal with that threat."

This executive order is even more sweeping.

Where the one on Iraq applies to people who engage in violent acts
or pose a significant risk of engaging in violent acts, this one
doesn't even bother to limit it to that. Anyone who engages in any
act -- violent or nonviolent -- against the government of Lebanon
can now have his or her property frozen.

And it also gives the Treasury Secretary the authority to freeze
the assets of a spouse or dependent child of any person whose
property is frozen.

What's next? Impounding the family dog?

The executive order on Lebanon also bans food, medicine, and
humanitarian aid to anyone whose property is frozen -- and that
includes the dependent child mentioned above.

Representative Dennis Kucinich denounced the new executive
order as reckless and dangerous. He said it is part of a strategy
to generate more turmoil in the Middle East.

And amass more power in the Executive Branch.