Heather Wokusch: Under the Radar: Ten Warning Signs for Today

1. Protest war, lose your property?

On July 17th, The White House quietly announced an Executive Order entitled "Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq." Among other developments, it gives Bush the power to "block" the property of people in the US found to "pose a significant risk of committing" an act of violence which might undermine "political reform in Iraq."

The terms "significant threat" and "act of violence" are unclear. If you attend a demonstration against Bush’s definition of "political reform in Iraq" would that count? How about writing an angry letter to the editor?

The vague language also includes outlawing "the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order." What if you donate to an anti-war group which, outside of your knowledge, has been blacklisted by the government? Does that mean that your property can be “blocked”?

Similar to the Patriot Act, the potential implications are staggering.

2. Market meltdown

Economic fallout from the subprime mortgage market collapse has extended further, with the prominent investment company Bear Stearns admitting last week that two of its hedge funds, once valued at $1.6 billion, are now of "very little value."

More at
http://www.democrats.com/node/13735

undermined--and indeed, destroyed--"political reform" in Iraq, including strongarming the Iraqis to sign over their oil rights (what the current US escalation is all about), torturing thousands of Iraqis and detaining thousands more without charge (no human rights, no civil rights, no due process), slaughtering a half of million Iraqis in the initial bombings, subsequent bombings and other military operations, unleashing lawless mercenary forces upon them, and creating chaos in the country, after unlawfully invading it, by having no plan for civil order, and by furthermore failing to account for multi-billions of dollars in "reconstruction" funds.

Does this mean we can confiscate Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld's ill-gotten gains? I'd be for an "executive order" to that effect.

One that names names.

Bu$h could claim that the Democratic people running for nomination are giving confort to the enemy and confiscate their campaign funds!

Its time to make the emperor a new set of clothes

And the similarities are bone-chilling. I'll post some quotes this week for your consideration.

And The Third Repupublic about the fall of France.
I cried reading both of them.
Do read: A Peoples' History of the United States by Howard Zinn. My French teacher was 13 and people dug trenches to keep the phospherous from her as she was buried in the air raid described by Zinn in his introduction.