Well, this is disturbing. While we were all distracted by the Senate passing the health care reform , Obama signed an executive order that might surprise you. Obama is sworn to defend the US Constitution. It seems he just broke his oath. He basically has given Interpol, the international agency that enforces international laws, an exemption from having to submit to US law. Yup. It is exempt from search and seizure on US lands. It is above the CIA, FBI, all government agencies. Interpol is also outside our democratic process.
Go to http://noisyroom.net/blog/2009/12/22/of-executive-orders-and-trojan-orders/
Maybe Obama will use it to spy on Americans. So creative and much more clever than Bush. Bush was heavily criticized for the Patriot Act . He straight up asked Americans to endure the necessary tension created by simultaneously defending our individual rights and collective security, but left international bodies out of it. We got mad at Bush for asking us to do hard things so we voted in Obama in protest. Obama is so much easier for us to take. He gets us! He slips these things in, through this nifty new loophole, or should I say poophole.
See – I can be clever too!
Wim Chase 
December 30, 2009 at 5:09 am |
nice spin on that piece of news
LikeLike
December 30, 2009 at 12:41 pm |
It isn’t even ‘news’ – that is the real spin.
LikeLike
December 31, 2009 at 3:08 am |
It is too bad that the news doesn’t report more news that we actually need to know about. I want impartial non lefty/righty ous.opinions on things like this. I need to understand why this executive order is so dangerous. What scenarios are likely to play out as a result of this change. I need perspectives, not knee jerk reactions. Does that statement even make sense? Maybe I’ll go on NPR’s website and see if they noticed this news…
LikeLike
January 1, 2010 at 1:05 am |
An international agency is not subject to our laws on our soil. How can that not concern you Becky? It WILL be dangerous if there is corruption in Interpol. Hopefully that will not happen, but we also hoped something like Watergate would not happen. It may help us catch some terrorists in the short run I guess. Interpol will be able to operate as a rogue organization and not have to worry about being subject to scrutiny by Americans that favor individual rights over security. I think Interpol must have driven a hard bargain for intelligence sharing in some negotiation and Obama caved, though that is pure speculation. Obama is too trusting I think.
I think it is part of a slow erosion of what it means to be American. To me to be American means I can always look to my Constitution when human beings fail, as they inevitably do. WIth this order, when these particular human beings fail, the Constitution will not apply.
Not good. Bad. That was my knee jerk reaction and it still makes sense to me.
LikeLike
January 1, 2010 at 2:38 am |
I am sorry about it all. It is so sad that people can hate and kill people they don’t even know in the name of their religion. People that have done nothing to deserve their violent punishments. It is reality, though.
I think there is too much we don’t know about what goes on between these various agencies, our own and foreign.
I still believe in our system of government and it’s ability to continually change as the times require it to. Things that are done can be undone, that is part of the beauty of our system. If things need to change, they can. Mistakes are inevitable, whether now, in the past, or in the future.
I do not believe the president or his advisors would do anything other than what was best for the safety of American citizens.
This country will continue to persevere and so will we as individual citizens. Interpol will not change that. Americans will not allow it.
PLease be happy and hopeful during your upcoming travels. I will be holding you all close to my heart while you are far away.
LikeLike