President Obama's New Order Goes Too Far

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President Obama signed an interesting Executive Order on Friday that should sound the alarm for all Americans. The order, called 'National Defense Resources Preparedness' is actually an amendment to the 'Defense Production Act of 1950' and gives the office of the President total control over all of the resources in the United States in the event of a war or an emergency. What constitutes an emergency and who makes that decision? With so many citizens unhappy with the current administration, it's a question people may be asking in the coming days.

Section One of the order states the purpose of the amendment and the ability of using it in peacetime:

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").

(b) assess on an ongoing basis the capability of the domestic industrial and technological base to satisfy requirements in peacetime and times of national emergency, specifically evaluating the availability of the most critical resource and production sources, including subcontractors and suppliers, materials, skilled labor, and professional and technical personnel;

Section Two directs how each cabinet of the Executive branch can take control over all resources if the order is executed. For example, "(4) the Secretary of Transportation with respect to all forms of civil transportation; (6) the Secretary of Commerce with respect to all other materials, services, and facilities, including construction materials."

Nothing is left out, even water is included! How will this sit with citizens? Farmers might be especially alarmed. With the recent proposal of sweeping new regulations on farms, being reminded that the government can take over any farm and equipment on an order from the president is a scary prospect. In the past when similar orders were invoked, the constitutional rights of Americans were trampled. Is there a reason President Obama found it necessary to amend this order? Is he suspecting a drawn out war or perhaps civil unrest between Occupy and the Tea Party? If so, he is certainly making sure all of his bases are covered.

Is there even a real threat to any American freedoms with this order? The order was signed by President Obama on Friday (March 16th) yet no major stories are going out. It wouldn't be unusual behavior for the mainstream media to ignore a story that puts Obama in a poor light. Maybe they're too busy reporting on the cooler story of the president hanging out on St. Patrick's Day and enjoying a beer! Whichever, the conservative crowd on Twitter is going crazy with this story. The hash tag of #ExecOrder is busy as can be with tweets about 'upcoming martial law'. Hopefully, that will remain just a fantasy in their heads!

Read the entire Executive Order here: White House

© Margie Wilson-Mars 2012