Bush Outlaws All War Protest In United States
In one of his most chilling moves to date against his own citizens, the American War Leader has issued a sweeping order this week outlawing all forms of protest against the Iraq war.
Say what? On July 17, President Bush issued an Executive Order with the legalese title of "Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization in Iraq." (A bit more rhetorical finesse might have been in order on the headline.) It's meant to try and stop "charitable" aid to Iraqi terrorists. But on Rosie's blog, the commenters are crazed, with lots of "WTF" and "Holy S---" ranting about the end of democracy as we know it. This one's priceless:
Thank you, Ro. Where else would we learn what is happening in our Gov’t. Not CNN! I love my country…I FEAR my Government - more every day.
Then, check out how Rosie responded by bashing GE and NBC, apparently in on the vast conspiracy (so much for a talk show at MSNBC?)
West writes:
The media is helping to conceal IMPORTANT facts from the public (Marvin Bush, Fed Reserve, income tax, 9/11 Q’s, Bush Exec Orders, etc). WHY dont people in the media (you too) cover all of these?
[Rosie responds:]
cause its all connected
nbc/ge
ect
Liberals with a larger dose of sanity are concerned about the language of the order, but don't see the oppression of all protesters. For the "mainstream media" view, see Walter Pincus in The Washington Post.
The executive order, released Tuesday, was designed to target "perpetrators of violence in Iraq including Shiite militia groups linked to Iran, Sunni insurgent groups with sanctuary in Syria, and other indigenous Iraqi insurgent groups," said Molly Millerwise, a spokeswoman for the Treasury Department, which will determine who is in violation of the order. The move follows similar Bush orders to freeze assets of members or associates of al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups and former Iraqi government officials, Millerwise said. "It fills in the cracks," she added.
White House press secretary Tony Snow offered further clarification at a briefing on Tuesday: "What this is really aimed at is insurgents and those who come across the border . . . or anybody who is caught providing support or poses a significant risk of providing support to those who may come across the border."
However, the text of the order, if interpreted broadly, could cast a far bigger net to include not just those who commit violent acts or pose the risk of doing so in Iraq, but also third parties -- such as U.S. citizens in this country -- who knowingly or unknowingly aid or encourage such people.
Obviously, no one has more talent as interpreting this more broadly than Rosie O'Donnell. The next time someone starts claiming the blogosphere has a real problem with fact-checking, they better start with Rosie as Exhibit A.
Photo via Rosie.com.
