
In a little noticed Executive Order, released via a low-key announcement on the WH website
on Friday – Executive Order — Establishing the White House Homeland Security
Partnership Council – President Barack Obama established a
broad-based framework through which his administration is seeking to establish
all manner of “partnerships” and “relationships,” with states, localities,
NGOs…you name it
All of this has been done under the guise of enhancing
U.S. national security.
Given this president’s already demonstrated
malfeasance is dealing with national security matter – the current cover-up in
the Benghazi terrorist attack being only the most recent – we fear this
unprecedented, ill-defined and legally questionable order will be used to
further tighten the iron grip this administration is placing on American
society.
As with the president’s healthcare law, the latitude granted to
bureaucrats in this measure is really rather breathtaking.
1. The
“Steering Committee,” contains representatives of nearly every cabinet level
department in government and it may be expanded to include just about anything,
” At the invitation of the Chair, representatives of agencies not listed in
subsection (c) of this section or other executive branch entities may attend and
participate in Steering Committee meetings as appropriate.”
2. The
entire process seems beyond review of either House of Congress. Nominations,
selection criteria, etc., all are done internally and in an opaque
manner.
3. The function of this “Partnership Council,” are per this
statute entirely undefined within set parameters as is its scope, ” Mission and
Function of the Council and Steering Committee. (a) The Council shall,
consistent with guidance from the Steering Committee…”
4. All that can
be said at this point is that there has been no declaration or finding by either
Congress or the Executive Branch that such a “Council,” was needed. There was
zero public debate, Congress being out, quite conveniently for Mr.
Obama.
5. We note additionally that there seems to be no provision
whatsoever for funding this entity, whatever form it may choose to
take.
What we have here is a massive expansion of federal power,
created by executive fiat that is potentially so overreaching that in our
opinion has great potential to be of serious concern to all American citizens.
If there were indeed a need for such a governmental structure, the
administration could have easily laid out its case, presented it as legislation,
had it subjected to examination and hearings, if deemed necessary, by the
applicable committees and then gone on to a vote by both Houses of
Congress.
Instead president Obama sneakily waited until Congress was out
of town campaigning and then without any fanfare too this action. As has been
the MO of Team Obama, it has once again acted in a cavalier and we believe
Constitutionally questionable manner to establish another federal bureaucracy
with few if any limits as to what its actual mandate may be.
The
Department of Homeland Security is a dysfunctional nightmare of a bureaucracy,
all manner of unrelated departments and agencies all crammed together under one
heading and led by a complete incompetent, Janet Napolitano, who is
intellectually incapable of even comprehending the Rube Goldberg apparatus over
which she presides. She lacks honestly, organization and managerial expertise.
Her agency is an amalgam of overlapping jurisdictions, many of which have no
place in what is supposed to be the central clearing house for maintaining the
security of the American people.
Under her shameful watch we have seen
all official language referring to Islamism, jihadism, terrorism removed from
Washington’s official language. She has developed no overall strategy whatsoever
in dealing with the threats posed by asymmetrical warfare undertaken by Islamic
extremists. Yet on top of this smoldering train-wreck we have laid another layer
of meddlers thanks to this president, who acts as if Congress and the Judiciary
doesn’t exist.
This is not a healthy direction for a representative
republic to take and we call upon Congress to immediately review this entire
matter as soon as comes back into session.
Below the text of Mr. Obama
Friday night raid on American liberty.
EXECUTIVE ORDER
- – - – - -
-
ESTABLISHING THE WHITE HOUSE
HOMELAND SECURITY PARTNERSHIP
COUNCIL
By the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to
advance the Federal Government’s use of local partnerships to address homeland
security challenges, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section
1. Policy. The purpose of this order is to maximize the Federal
Government’s ability to develop local partnerships in the United States to
support homeland security priorities. Partnerships are collaborative working
relationships in which the goals, structure, and roles and responsibilities of
the relationships are mutually determined. Collaboration enables the Federal
Government and its partners to use resources more efficiently, build on one
another’s expertise, drive innovation, engage in collective action, broaden
investments to achieve shared goals, and improve performance. Partnerships
enhance our ability to address homeland security priorities, from responding to
natural disasters to preventing terrorism, by utilizing diverse perspectives,
skills, tools, and resources.
The National Security Strategy emphasizes
the importance of partnerships, underscoring that to keep our Nation safe “we
must tap the ingenuity outside government through strategic partnerships with
the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, foundations, and
community-based organizations. Such partnerships are critical to U.S. success at
home and abroad, and we will support them through enhanced opportunities for
engagement, coordination, transparency, and information sharing.” This approach
recognizes that, given the complexities and range of challenges, we must
institutionalize an all-of-Nation effort to address the evolving threats to the
United States.
Sec. 2. White House Homeland Security
Partnership Council and Steering Committee.
(a) White House
Homeland Security Partnership Council. There is established a White House
Homeland Security Partnership Council (Council) to foster local partnerships –
between the Federal Government and the private sector, nongovernmental
organizations, foundations, community-based organizations, and State, local,
tribal, and territorial government and law enforcement — to address homeland
security challenges. The Council shall be chaired by the Assistant to the
President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism (Chair), or a designee from
the National Security Staff.
(b) Council Membership.
(i)
Pursuant to the nomination process established in subsection (b)(ii) of this
section, the Council shall be composed of Federal officials who are from field
offices of the executive departments, agencies, and bureaus (agencies) that are
members of the Steering Committee established in subsection (c) of this section,
and who have demonstrated an ability to develop, sustain, and institutionalize
local partnerships to address policy priorities.
(ii) The nomination
process and selection criteria for members of the Council shall be established
by the Steering Committee. Based on those criteria, agency heads may select and
present to the Steering Committee their nominee or nominees to represent them on
the Council. The Steering Committee shall consider all of the nominees and
decide by consensus which of the nominees shall participate on the Council. Each
member agency on the Steering Committee, with the exception of the Office of the
Director of National Intelligence, may have at least one representative on the
Council.
(c) Steering Committee. There is also established a
Steering Committee, chaired by the Chair of the Council, to provide guidance to
the Council and perform other functions as set forth in this order. The Steering
Committee shall include a representative at the Deputy agency head level, or
that representative’s designee, from the following agencies:
(i)
Department of State;
(ii) Department of the Treasury;
(iii)
Department of Defense;
(iv) Department of Justice;
(v)
Department of the Interior;
(vi) Department of
Agriculture;
(vii) Department of Commerce;
(viii) Department of
Labor;
(ix) Department of Health and Human Services;
(x)
Department of Housing and Urban Development;
(xi) Department of
Transportation;
(xii) Department of Energy;
(xiii) Department of
Education;
(xiv) Department of Veterans Affairs;
(xv) Department
of Homeland Security;
(xvi) Office of the Director of National
Intelligence;
(xvii) Environmental Protection Agency;
(xviii)
Small Business Administration; and
(xix) Federal Bureau of
Investigation.
At the invitation of the Chair, representatives of
agencies not listed in subsection (c) of this section or other executive branch
entities may attend and participate in Steering Committee meetings as
appropriate.
(d) Administration. The Chair or a designee shall
convene meetings of the Council and Steering Committee, determine their agendas,
and coordinate their work. The Council may establish subgroups consisting
exclusively of Council members or their designees, as
appropriate.
Sec. 3. Mission and Function of the
Council and Steering Committee. (a) The Council shall, consistent with
guidance from the Steering Committee:
(i) advise the Chair and Steering
Committee members on priorities, challenges, and opportunities for local
partnerships to support homeland security priorities, as well as regularly
report to the Steering Committee on the Council’s efforts;
(ii) promote
homeland security priorities and opportunities for collaboration between Federal
Government field offices and State, local, tribal, and territorial
stakeholders;
(iii) advise and confer with State, local, tribal, and
territorial stakeholders and agencies interested in expanding or building local
homeland security partnerships;
(iv) raise awareness of local
partnership best practices that can support homeland security
priorities;
(v) as appropriate, conduct outreach to representatives of
the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, foundations, community-based
organizations, and State, local, tribal, and territorial government and law
enforcement entities with relevant expertise for local homeland security
partnerships, and collaborate with other Federal Government bodies;
and
(vi) convene an annual meeting to exchange key findings, progress,
and best practices.
(b) The Steering Committee shall:
(i)
determine the scope of issue areas the Council will address and its operating
protocols, in consultation with the Office of Management and
Budget;
(ii) establish the nomination process and selection criteria for
members of the Council as set forth in section 2(b)(ii) of this
order;
(iii) provide guidance to the Council on the activities set forth
in subsection (a) of this section; and
(iv) within 1 year of the
selection of the Council members, and annually thereafter, provide a report on
the work of the Council to the President through the Chair.
Sec.
4. General Provisions. (a) The heads of agencies participating in
the Steering Committee shall assist and provide information to the Council,
consistent with applicable law, as may be necessary to implement this order.
Each agency shall bear its own expense for participating in the
Council.
(b) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or
otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive
department, agency, or the head thereof;
(ii) the functions of the
Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary,
administrative, or legislative proposals; or
(iii) the functions of the
Overseas Security Advisory Council.
(c) This order shall be implemented
consistent with applicable law and appropriate protections for privacy and civil
liberties, and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(d) This
order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive
or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United
States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or
agents, or any other person.
BARACK OBAMA
source: http://www.pipelinenews.org/2012/oct/28/BREAKING-Massive-WH-Power-Grab-Via-Executive-Order.html