This one comes courtesy of Bobby Powell, at The Truth is Viral site. I remember other Obama executive orders that were picked up by Obama opponents and twisted into something they weren’t. Is that the case here? I’ll let Bobby Powell speak for himself from his article “Obama Executive Order 13603 Authorizes Slavery In The US”:
According to this Executive Order the President, or those he designates, can conscript “persons of outstanding experience and ability without compensation,” in “peacetime and times of national emergency.” In a nutshell, that means that Barack Obama, and those he designates, can seize any resource, property, or person at any time for any reason, including forcing that person with labor without being paid[.]
There is only ONE word for forced, “uncompensated employment.” That word is slavery.
Following is the section from Executive Order 13603 from which Powell quotes:
Sec. 502. Consultants. The head of each agency otherwise delegated functions under this order is delegated the authority of the President under sections 710(b) and (c) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2160(b), (c), to employ persons of outstanding experience and ability without compensation and to employ experts, consultants, or organizations. The authority delegated by this section may not be redelegated.
I don’t see the words “conscript” or “forced” there, but I wouldn’t necessarily argue with the interpretation. The Executive Order is about national security, and defense preparedness as determined by our Commander in Chief is something we entrust to the President and for which he is given broad powers.
What I strenuously object to, however, is blaming this on Obama, which is what Powell’s title does: “Obama Executive Order 13603 Authorizes Slavery.” It doesn’t. Powell makes the same mistake that others make reading Executive Orders, ignoring the context. The context of Executive Order 13603 is Defense Production Act of 1950 (sections 710(b) and (c) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2160(b), (c), cited in the Executive Order), which is what authorizes employing unpaid consultants, not Obama’s Order. The Act says:
Sec. 710. EMPLOYMENT OF PERSONNEL; APPOINTMENT POLICIES;
… (b)(1) The President is further authorized, to the extent he deems it necessary and appropriate in order to carry out the provisions of this Act …, and subject to such regulations as he may issue, to employ persons of outstanding experience and ability without compensation;
So actually, it was the Defense Production Act of 1950 that gives the President the authority, and Executive Order 13603 merely delegates that responsibility to certain agency heads. If Powell has a gripe, let him take it up with President Truman and not blame it on Obama.
That’s just really stupid.
Oh my god, we’ve got to get that usurper Truman out of office immediately!
Someone schedule the frogmarching for any. day. now.
In Mr. Powell’s defense, is there any aspect of birtherism that your comment doesn’t apply to?
I hear that from the waist down, Truman is some kind of cyborg, fueled by orphan tears and grape nut flakes!
I suspect this even goes back to FDR’s “$1 a year men”.
Bottom line? Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Well obviously the same time travelers who inserted the Obama birth notices in the Hawaii newspapers also went back to 1950 and took care of this little detail. Truman was in on the conspiracy!
Exactly; which is why I don’t see any value in debating someone like Powell.
I wonder how long it will take Bobby to show up and tell us how sick we are again?
Excellent point but I think there are degrees of stupidity and this ranks pretty high.
The myth about the Executive Order sealing his personal records is probably based on laziness and willful ignorance so it’s not quite as stupid but still amazingly idiotic.
My understanding of the Commandment against “false witness” includes an affirmative duty to check your facts before you dis somebody. I slip up sometimes, but it’s not, I think, a characteristic failing of mine. It certainly doesn’t excuse gross negligence.
The Doctor is the birthers’ #1 enemy after Obama don’cha know! 😉
The EO sounds like it is merely talking about authorizing the hire of unpaid interns…
I think it means that the President can appoint someone (with relevant expertise) to an unpaid position (presumably with some sort of authority) in an emergency.
To me, Powell’s substitution of the word “conscript” for the word “employ” reeks of intentional deception.
Agreed. The two terms are nearly opposite in what they imply. Employment is usually a voluntary action, whereas conscription is forced.
Based on what I saw on his site, I think “stupid” is already too kind a word for Mr. Powell. The man has passed “stupid” a long time ago and is now diving into abysses better left unexplored.
His Facebook page is a fetid cesspool of deep paranoia, delusion, fear mongering and hate filled bigotry with the always entertaining theme of the imminent demise of everything (i.e., end times, Armageddon, etc.) and of course evil liberals are to blame.
Re: https://www.facebook.com/TheTruthIsViral
“Countering MSM Lies; The Importance Of Alternative Media In These Last Days
The Truth Is Viral was begun as a means to provide Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Bobby Powell a form of physical therapy after two accidents robbed him of his ability to read, write, speak properly, and even walk. It wasn’t until after his 24-year-old daughter died in 2012, unsaved, that he pledged to use whatever abilities God saw fit to restore to him to save other daughters, sons, mothers and fathers from dying in ignorance.”
Based on the cover photo, evidently this involves using automatic weapons.
And this part of the theme of his idiotic blog is priceless: ” . . . spread the word about the demonic Tyranny that is descending upon our formerly Great Republic.”
Well, if you won’t argue with his interpretation, I will.
Since force would be a clear 13th Amendment violation, the only _reasonable_ interpretation is that the law and the EO are authorizing the use of volunteers.
Powell’s interpretation is equivalent to claiming that laws that say “Any person who does xxx is guilty of a felony” are eliminating the right to a trial because they predetermine the verdict.
You may well be right, but I am not confident of it, so I opted out of stating a position. The executive order has this heading:
PART IV – VOLUNTARY AGREEMENTS AND ADVISORY COMMITTEES
but the section that we are discussing is:
PART V – EMPLOYMENT OF PERSONNEL
The Act itself has language like:
I an not seeing a clear sense of volunteerism here.
So at least part of this is saying that the President can bring in the occasional rock star marquee unpaid adviser, but this isn’t an authorization to throw out all paid civil servants and replace them with unpaid workers.
That makes sense to me.
I read about this guy on a Snopes web page…he’s pushing the idea that the nation is going to be turned into 16 regions instead of 50 states later in October, and our financial system will be wrecked.
To find out more, he wants his suckers…I mean customers…to pay up to $50 a pop for his rubbish. Funny that with the apocalypse finally at hand, he’s still taking US dollars, Paypal, checks, and Master Card. I thought he’d prefer British sterling, New Zealand dollars, gold bars, canned tuna, ammunition, or other barter.
Here’s the link…I think this is him.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/conspiracy/16states.asp