"Grabbing of Power and Wars...(oh my!)"

At the risk of sounding like "grassy knoll" conspiracy theorists, we'd like to bring to your attention another controversial move by the White House. In an Executive Order signed into law--wait for it--late Friday night, (St. Patrick's Day weekend, when the rest of us were searching for something green to wear), some believe President Obama violated the Constitution.

The "National Defense Resources Preparedness (NDRP) Executive Order is an update to similar EOs passed under previous administrations. They empower the federal government to seize control of "the farming industry, all water resources, all energy, transportation, health and all other materials, services, and facilities, including construction materials in the event of a potential threat to the security of the United States." This includes privately-owned stuff like cars, etc. A key difference in this OE is that all these things can be seized "under both emergency and non-emergency conditions." This language has raised eyebrows and caused many to cry 'foul'.

Kurt Nimmo of Infowars.com takes it many steps further and says: "The government has given itself the authority to seize all communication (from television stations to CB radios), confiscate all food resources (including farms and farm equipment), take control of all transportation (including your family car), and compel you at gunpoint "under federal supervision to work as a slave."

Nimmo also claims previous administrations installed the foundation for Obama's authoritarian move saying, "Executive agencies were granted sweeping emergency powers to not only grab infrastructure and private property, but also round up citizens and put them in concentration camps and force them into slave labor brigades." Others contend the NDRP represents an effort to lay the groundwork for the complete nationalization of the U.S. economy.

While the above scenarios seem outrageously extreme, we can't help but wonder exactly what is going on. Could the administration be gearing up for war? Phil Flynn, an energy analyst at PFGBest, told MarketWatch: "The order is either a serious power grab or another sign that inside the deep recesses of the White House, they are preparing for war."

The Executive Order mandates that departments of the federal government related to defense "be prepared, in the event of a potential threat to the security of the United States, to take actions necessary to ensure the availability of adequate resources and production capability, including services and critical technology for national defense requirements."

Although White House Press Secretary Jay Carney called the EO a "routine piece of business", author Edwin Black writes that "Obama may have quietly placed the United States on a war-preparedness footing, perhaps in anticipation of an outbreak of war between Israel, the West, and Iran...the move is a precursor to any potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz which would obstruct some 40% of America's daily (oil) needs."

The U.S. has sent three aircraft carriers and numerous anti-mine ships to the Strait...hmmmm...maybe Black is onto something. Especially when you add in the speculation that emergency oil stocks will be released. Kinda makes you wonder...

Either:

• Obama is going for another power grab  OR
• The U.S. is gearing up for war  OR
• This is only a "routine piece of business"

Whatever the case may be, we thought you might like to know about it since the mainstream media has been virtually silent on the subject.

A wise man once said: "It's amazing what you can see once you look."
                                                                                                - Yogi Berra

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7).

News:

• MSN News:  NYPD: Iran checking New York landmarks
• Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog: Israel clears out embassy in Egypt after Islamist-dominated Egyptian parliament expels Israeli ambassador
• CBN News: P.A. leader Abbas "disappointed" with stalled peace process, upset with U.S. focus on Israel/Iran
• Washington Post: Tanks enter Chinese capital, possible military coup
• Intel Report: Growing lack of clean water globally could spark water wars
• New York Times: Putin needs $150/barrel oil to pay for campaign promises