Executive Order: National Defense Resources Preparedness

On March 16, 2012 President Barack Obama published a new executive order with the rather benign sounding title of National Defense Resources Preparedness.  Many worried that this order was paving the road for Obama to declare martial law.  Martial law means that all voting privileges are suspended and the rule of the people is done by police or military force.  This power is usually reserved for times of war, or times of extreme emergency when normal government operations are simply not possible.

There were some in the media who assured readers that this executive order was nothing to concern the average citizen.  Several similar executive orders have been signed in the past, and at least one media outlet claimed that there were virtually no changes between those executive orders and this one.  That media outlet either jumped the gun in reporting the facts, did not clearly understand what they read, or is in league with the President.  A close reading of the contents of this particular executive order should be enough to chill the bones of any freedom loving American.

The first point of concern comes in Part II - Priorities and Allocations under Sec. 201 (6) (b) where it states that "The Secretary of each agency delegated authority under subsection (a) of this section (resource departments) shall plan for and issue regulations to prioritize and allocate resources and establish standards and procedures by which the authority shall be used to promote the national defense, under both emergency and non-emergency conditions. This is a concern because, if read correctly, this seems to mean that the authorities being granted by the president to the various agencies under control of the executive branch have the president's permission to apply every rule in this executive order not only during times of emergency but also during times of peace.

In previous similar Executive Orders, there were provisions made to limit the scope of the powers that the order granted. There is no such provision in this executive order, if anything it seems to be a broadening of the reach of the powers granted.

The second major point of concern is in Sec. 201 (6) (e) Where it grants the Secretary of the resource department the authority to "control the general distribution of any material (including applicable services) in the civilian market".  This means that not only can the government come in and tell any business owner what to provide and to whom, but it isn't just limited to material goods.  It includes services, which means that this gives the government permission to dictate what labor someone must perform and for whom they must perform it.

The third major point of concern reinforces concerns raised in Sec. 201 (6) (e) and is found in Sec. 502 under the title Consultants.  The wording that is particularly troublesome is this, "The head of each agency....is delegated the authority of the President...to employ persons of outstanding experience and ability without compensation..."  In other words, the President has just signed an order that allows him to not only confiscate goods belonging to ordinary citizens but to enslave them, and there does not need to be an emergency for him to do this.

Welcome to the United Slave States of America.

Civil Disobedience and Freedom

As it becomes increasingly clear that Obama's administration intends to strip American business owners of their right to refrain from providing their employees with health insurance that includes birth control, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs, I am forced to make a decision.  I am forced to decide whether I will stand with Christ, and defend the sanctity of all human life by refusing to participate even though I know what the cost will be to me personally, or whether I will seek to save my life and my comfort and thus lose my place in eternity.  You might not be surprised to hear me say this, but I've already decided.  I am choosing to disobey Obama's mandate so that I might obey the more important mandates given to me by Christ. This means that I will not only  not be providing my employees with health insurance, but I will not be purchasing it for myself or my family either.  We will trust in God's providence for our health care, and we will deal with the consequences.

Since it is still a year before Obama's administration intends to force the issue, I will take the time now to remind people of the reason that freedom is spoken of as an inalienable right in the Declaration of Independence written and published by our forefathers in the late 1700's.  Freedom cannot ever be taken from you, and guns do not change that fact.  Someone wielding a gun does have the power to limit your choices - they can reduce the choices you have to "obey and live as a slave" or "disobey and die free".

Some might say it is crazy to trade your life for a principle or belief, but I will point out to  you that it is crazy to place your faith in someone who is so morally corrupted that they view threatening your life as an appropriate motivational tool.  If you obey the person who has the gun, you are placing your faith in their willingness to honor their promises and to do as they have told you they will do, a highly questionable thing to do given their demonstrated lack of morality. The truth is, you have no reason to believe them when they say they will let you live if you do what they tell you to do.  It is better to die doing what you believe is right than to compromise your own values in the vain hope that such a person will honor their word.

I leave you with the lyrics of a song I wrote almost two years ago, entitled Freedom. I hope that you keep these words in your heart and in your mind, and remind yourself of them no matter how dark the days may grow.

Refrain

Your freedom doesn’t end

Where the barrel of a gun begins

It’s still up to you

What are you going to do?

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Don’t believe the words they say

Don’t let them take your freedom away

Hold your head up high

Don’t give in to the lie

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They can limit your choices

They can silence your voices

But in spite of all the pain

The Truth still remains

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If you do what they say

They might kill you anyway

Better to choose what’s right

Than to go down without a fight

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Freedom takes courage

And courage takes heart

Love is the fountain

Gives courage its’ start

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