Obama Prepares the US for Another War
Published in Economista
(Cuba) on 6 April 2012
by Atilio A. Boron (link to original)
(Cuba) on 6 April 2012
by Atilio A. Boron (link to original)
Translated from
by Marie Winnick.
Edited by Katya Abazajian.
We are about to address some very worrisome news that has received attention, however limited, in the world press. As has been revealed by Kenneth Schortgen, Jr. in the online publication The Examiner, President Barack Obama signed a new Executive Order on March 16. This order considerably expands the presidential powers granted by the Defense Production Act of 1950, issued by President Harry Truman. Thanks to this new legal instrument, Obama is authorized to assume absolute control over all U.S. resources in times of war or national emergency. The time and specific extent to which he decides use such great privileges will be up to him.
As is stated in the official documentation, the new National Defense Resources Preparedness executive order grants immense powers to the White House. It gives them the authority to control and distribute by decree energy, production, transportation, food and even water in the event that national defense and security are in danger. It should be noted that this order not only applies in times of war, but also in times of peace. Contractors, suppliers, materials, skilled laborers and professional and technical personnel are also included in the documentation. Each secretary of executive power (defense, energy, agriculture, commerce, labor, etc.) will be entrusted to carry out the order.
Executive orders of this kind, created to prepare the country for imminent disaster or to secure national defense, are not new in U.S. history. However, two very significant cases incited constitutional crises due to the legal mechanisms that gave the president dictatorial power over the citizens; a power that was left at the discretion of whoever was in the White House. Amidst the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln suspended freedom of speech and press, and revoked Habeas Corpus and the right to a fair trial under the Sixth Amendment. During World War I, Congress refused to allow President Woodrow Wilson extended powers over various types of resources that would have advanced the war effort. In response, Wilson issued an executive order giving him complete control over business, industry, transportation, and food, as well as discretional authority to design and implement economic policy. According to Schortgen, Jr. of The Examiner, it was only after the death of each president that such constitutional powers were returned to the people of the United States. Aside from unexpected contingencies, the paradigm shift in U.S. ideology, proliferating warmongering mentality and subtle, but persistent militaristic manipulation of public opinion, dismisses the emergence of debate over the constitutionality of the new executive order.
Nevertheless, Obama’s surprising decision opens up some very serious questions while confirming the force of the growing war mentality in Washington. As cited in The Examiner’s article, it may have been incited by the knowledge that Israel’s plans to attack Iran have already entered into a countdown that Washington has proven incapable of stopping. The killer that we call Jerusalem no longer abides by the orders of its proprietors and sponsors. Ironically, Washington is being dragged by one of its pawns into a war that will set fire to the Middle East. That is why Obama has decided to strengthen his presidential powers. When the situation arises, security measures will be in place, and the entire economic machine of the U.S. will be at the service of the newest and gravest military escapade. Not even during the Vietnam War did the successive U.S. administrations resort to such a phenomenal concentration of power. That is no trivial fact. For quite some time, Fidel has been warning about the dangers that loom over world peace. Several days after Obama signed the new order, the Commander wrote his latest “reflection” that he titled “Roads Leading to Distaster.” He concluded his editorial saying, “I do not harbor the slightest of doubts that the United States is about to lead the world into its biggest mistake in history. " Regrettably, the facts suggest that is he right once again.
As is stated in the official documentation, the new National Defense Resources Preparedness executive order grants immense powers to the White House. It gives them the authority to control and distribute by decree energy, production, transportation, food and even water in the event that national defense and security are in danger. It should be noted that this order not only applies in times of war, but also in times of peace. Contractors, suppliers, materials, skilled laborers and professional and technical personnel are also included in the documentation. Each secretary of executive power (defense, energy, agriculture, commerce, labor, etc.) will be entrusted to carry out the order.
Executive orders of this kind, created to prepare the country for imminent disaster or to secure national defense, are not new in U.S. history. However, two very significant cases incited constitutional crises due to the legal mechanisms that gave the president dictatorial power over the citizens; a power that was left at the discretion of whoever was in the White House. Amidst the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln suspended freedom of speech and press, and revoked Habeas Corpus and the right to a fair trial under the Sixth Amendment. During World War I, Congress refused to allow President Woodrow Wilson extended powers over various types of resources that would have advanced the war effort. In response, Wilson issued an executive order giving him complete control over business, industry, transportation, and food, as well as discretional authority to design and implement economic policy. According to Schortgen, Jr. of The Examiner, it was only after the death of each president that such constitutional powers were returned to the people of the United States. Aside from unexpected contingencies, the paradigm shift in U.S. ideology, proliferating warmongering mentality and subtle, but persistent militaristic manipulation of public opinion, dismisses the emergence of debate over the constitutionality of the new executive order.
Nevertheless, Obama’s surprising decision opens up some very serious questions while confirming the force of the growing war mentality in Washington. As cited in The Examiner’s article, it may have been incited by the knowledge that Israel’s plans to attack Iran have already entered into a countdown that Washington has proven incapable of stopping. The killer that we call Jerusalem no longer abides by the orders of its proprietors and sponsors. Ironically, Washington is being dragged by one of its pawns into a war that will set fire to the Middle East. That is why Obama has decided to strengthen his presidential powers. When the situation arises, security measures will be in place, and the entire economic machine of the U.S. will be at the service of the newest and gravest military escapade. Not even during the Vietnam War did the successive U.S. administrations resort to such a phenomenal concentration of power. That is no trivial fact. For quite some time, Fidel has been warning about the dangers that loom over world peace. Several days after Obama signed the new order, the Commander wrote his latest “reflection” that he titled “Roads Leading to Distaster.” He concluded his editorial saying, “I do not harbor the slightest of doubts that the United States is about to lead the world into its biggest mistake in history. " Regrettably, the facts suggest that is he right once again.