11-07-2001, 06:18 PM
There is a very disturbing trend that is coming to light in the wake of the War on Terrorism. It has nothing to do with how we deal with Afghanistan or the rest of the Arab world. It concerns the effect on our domestic institutions. What I am referring to is the massive power grab being executed by the Executive branch of government. Here are three disturbing items to illustrate:
1. On Nov. 1 the President signed an executive order that nullified the Presidential Records Act which took effect in 1981. The act states that all confidential communication between a president and his aides must be released 12 years after he leaves office. What's disturbing is that the President is seeking to subvert the way laws are enacted. The act was voted on by Congress and signed into law by a previous president. You can't just sign an executive order that effectively nullifies the law. here is link - http://www.csmonitor.com/2001/1106/p2s2-usju.html
2. John Aschroft said he is going to deny Oregon doctors the ability to prescribe federally controlled drugs if the doctors take part in an assisted suicide. Oregon voters twice passed a referendum approving a Right to Die law. Regardless of your views the issue, you have to find it disturbing that a non-elected federal official would be so brazen as to interfere with what is clearly a matter better left to individual states. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20011107/us/assisted_suicide.html
3. The USA Act was passed several weeks ago. The Act gives the government sweeping powers to surveil and detain suspected terrorists. My issue is that Terrorist is vaguely defined and thus the Act is susceptible to abuse. RICO was similiar in that it gave the government expanded powers to go after Organized Crime. Today RICO is widely abused to prosecute minor drug offenses.
1. On Nov. 1 the President signed an executive order that nullified the Presidential Records Act which took effect in 1981. The act states that all confidential communication between a president and his aides must be released 12 years after he leaves office. What's disturbing is that the President is seeking to subvert the way laws are enacted. The act was voted on by Congress and signed into law by a previous president. You can't just sign an executive order that effectively nullifies the law. here is link - http://www.csmonitor.com/2001/1106/p2s2-usju.html
2. John Aschroft said he is going to deny Oregon doctors the ability to prescribe federally controlled drugs if the doctors take part in an assisted suicide. Oregon voters twice passed a referendum approving a Right to Die law. Regardless of your views the issue, you have to find it disturbing that a non-elected federal official would be so brazen as to interfere with what is clearly a matter better left to individual states. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20011107/us/assisted_suicide.html
3. The USA Act was passed several weeks ago. The Act gives the government sweeping powers to surveil and detain suspected terrorists. My issue is that Terrorist is vaguely defined and thus the Act is susceptible to abuse. RICO was similiar in that it gave the government expanded powers to go after Organized Crime. Today RICO is widely abused to prosecute minor drug offenses.