Comments for This Is The Way Of Dictatorships. at http://www.pacificfreepress.com , comment 1 to 1 out of 1 comments http://www.pacificfreepress.com Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:15:32 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.pacificfreepress.com/news/1/37-this-is-the-way-of-dictatorships.html#comment-5 Bush's frequent use of signing statements to flip off newly enacted laws is a huge part of his path to dictatorship and a slice of his "comprehensive strategy to strengthen and expand executive power" at the expense of the legislative branch. The Bush administration has continued to issue signing statements for new laws. Bush recently okayed the [url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060929-15.html]2007 military budget bill, but then issued a statement challenging 16 of its provisions.[/url] The original legislation bars the Pentagon from using any intelligence that was collected illegally, [b]including information[/b] about Americans that was gathered in violation of the Fourth Amendment's protections against unreasonable government surveillance. Yet in Bush's signing statement, he suggested that [b]he alone could decide whether the Pentagon could use such information.[/b] His signing statement instructed the military to view the law in light of ``the president's constitutional authority as commander in chief, including for the conduct of intelligence operations, and to supervise the unitary executive branch." Bush also challenged three sections that require the Pentagon to notify Congress before diverting funds to new purposes, including top-secret activities or programs. Congress had already decided against funding. [b]Bush said he was not bound to obey such statutes if he decided, as commander in chief, that withholding such information from Congress was necessary to protect security secrets.[/b] PDF here [url]http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL33667.pdf[/url] - admin Fri, 06 Oct 2006 10:35:14 +0100