PinkOnBrown Webzine

Just recently H.R. 4986 The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 was signed into law. This is basically a big bill designating funds for specific functions of the military, defense, and intelligence sections of the government. However, it seems that President Bush is ignoring the parts that he wants to – telling congress to basically shove it.

Provisions of the Act, including sections 841, 846, 1079, and 1222, purport to impose requirements that could inhibit the President’s ability to carry out his constitutional obligations to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, to protect national security, to supervise the executive branch, and to execute his authority as Commander in Chief. The executive branch shall construe such provisions in a manner consistent with the constitutional authority of the President.

Now, the best section out of that bill is 1222 – The Limitation on Availability of Funds for Certain Purposes Relating to Iraq – which states:

No funds appropriated pursuant to an authorization of appropriations in this Act may be obligated or expended for a purpose as follows:(1) To establish any military installation or base for the purpose of providing for the permanent stationing of United States Armed Forces in Iraq.

(2) To exercise United States control of the oil resources of Iraq

So, basically, Bush is saying that he can’t even abide by the simple rules of “No Permanant Iraq Bases” and “No Controlling the Oil”. Hmmmm…I wonder why that is? It seems that by simply looking at what he won’t listen to, we can see the plans for the future. This is a very dangerous situation – the fact that he can just openly and publicly give the metaphorical finger to the American people. Why doesn’t this news bother more people? I’ve only been able to find a few different articles about it around the net, and no mention in mainstream sources.

I’m bothed even more by the other sections. The first two (841, 846) seem to deal with contractors abroad. The first, deals with recieving permission from Senate committees for actions pertaining to government contractors (a la Blackwater), and the second with protecting employees from those companies (or Department of Defense employees) from prosecution if they come forward with “information that the employee reasonably believes is evidence of gross mismanagement of a Department of Defense contract or grant, a gross waste of Department of Defense funds, a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety, or a violation of law related to a Department of Defense contract (including the competition for or negotiation of a contract) or grant”.

So, Bush doesn’t want anyone to be able to tattle on the disgusting things going on up top, and he wants to continue to station mercenaries anywhere he chooses on the taxpayer’s dime. What a waste, what a waste. Hopefully Kucinich changes his mind again about impeachment hearings.

(via SOTT)

Update: GNN just covered this subject.