Why, hello, Orwell! Fancy meeting you here!
Wow - I don't know how this got by with nary a mention anywhere, but did anyone else catch this little blurb on /Dork?
RalphTWaP writes "Tuesday, there wasn't even a fuss. Wednesday, the world was a little different. By executive order, the Secretary of the Treasury may now seize the property of any person who undermines efforts to promote economic reconstruction and political reform in Iraq. The Secretary may make his determination in secret and after the fact."
This lovely order actually really scares the crap out of me. Determinations are made in secret, without a court - and it's up to the government's discretion. So how much of a stretch do you think it would take for this to eventually also be levied against loud dissenters. And what happens after the war? How hard do you think it will become to use this as a precedent for anything the president deems of National Security?
It will be repealed after the war you say? What was the last Executive Order granting expanded executive branch privileges you heard of that was so repealed?