House Bill Proposes Lifting Ban On Assassinations
By Michael C. Ruppert, Publisher/Editor
From The Wilderness
Originally published January 24, 2001
HR 19, Introduced by Republican Georgia Congressman Bob Barr on January 3,
2001, the first day of the new 107th Congress, would legislatively repeal
sections of three Executive Orders specifically prohibiting assassinations
by the United States Government. Entitled the "Terrorist Elimination Act of
2001", the bill, submitted to the House International Relations Committee,
would specifically nullify sections of three previous Executive Orders
including one initiated by Ronald Reagan in 1981. It is interesting to note
that acts of Congress are not required to nullify previous Executive Orders
(EOs) which are, by definition, orders issued by the President and
Commander in Chief to all federal employees (including military) under his
authority. All that is necessary to reverse one EO is another EO. This is
exactly what President George W. Bush did with respect to EOs issued by
President Clinton on the environment in the last days of his
administration. Section 3 of HR 19 specifically states: "The following
provisions of Executive orders shall have no further force or effect: (1)
Section 5(g) of Executive Order 11905.
(2) Section 2-305 of Executive Order 12306.
(3) Section 2.11 of Executive Order 12333." [By Ronald Reagan] Section 5
(g) of Executive Order 11905, signed by Gerald Ford on 2/18/76 specifically
prohibited "political" assassination. Section 2-305 of Executive Order
12036, signed 1/24/78 by Jimmy Carter renewed the ban. Section 2.11 of
Executive Order 12333, signed by Ronald Reagan on 12/4/81 renewed the ban
on assassinations, or conspiracy to commit assassinations, as part of a
broader package which gave virtually complete control of the American
National Security apparatus to then Vice President George H.W. Bush. The
full text of HR 19 may be viewed at http://thomas.loc.gov. Enter a search
in the 107th Congress for 19 and it will take you straight to the bill. The
bold move, unreported and ignored by any major media, offers a chance for
an early referendum on the new administration's full-speed run at a more
violent and brutish foreign policy. The current bill, introduced by staunch
Bush supporter and Clinton impeachment leader Barr, indicates that the Bush
administration is seeking to add legitimacy to the move by implying that
Congress and the American people support the action. This can only mean
that there is quite likely a list of people the Bush Administration wants
to start killing fairly quickly. The appointment of career covert operative
and Annapolis graduate Richard Armitage as Deputy Secretary of State under
Colin Powell only underscores the clear message that the Bush
Administration is sending to the world. Armitage, who was denied a 1989
appointment as Assistant Secretary of State because of links to Iran-Contra
and other scandals, served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for
International Security Affairs in the Reagan years. U.S. Government
stipulations in the Oliver North trial specifically named Armitage as one
of the DoD officials responsible for illegal transfers of weapons to Iran
and the Contras. But Armitage's dirty past goes much deeper. A Vietnam
veteran and graduate of Annapolis, Armitage's roots have been thoroughly
intertwined with the likes of CIA veteran Ted Shackley, Richard Secord,
Heine Aderholt, Elliot Abrams, Dewey Clarridge, Edwin Wilson and Tom
Clines. All of these men have been directly linked to CIA covert
operations, the drug trade, the abandonment of U.S. prisoners of War after
Vietnam and/or Iran-Contra. Armitage has also been routinely discussed in
FTW as a Bush-era covert functionary who has been linked to covert
operations, drug smuggling and the expansion of organized crime operations
in Russia, Central Asia and the Far East. In 1986 a private dispute between
POW activist Ross Perot and Armitage went public as photos of Armitage with
a topless Vietnamese nightclub owner Nguyet O'Rourke brought allegations of
gambling and prostitution very close to Armitage's doorstep. The stories
went public when TIME and "The Boston Globe" wrote lengthy stories on the
feud in 1986 and 1987. That scandal arose as a result of 1984
investigations by President Reagan's Commission on Organized Crime in which
the photo and documentation of gambling charges and prostitution led
directly to Armitage's close association with O'Rourke. Then LAPD Assistant
Chief Jesse Brewer, a former Commanding Officer of this writer, served on
the Reagan Commission. The 1992 best-seller "Kiss The Boys Goodbye" by
former "60 MINUTES" producer Monika Jensen-Stevenson details Armitage's
role as Reagan point man on Vietnam POW-MIA issues and describes why
Armitage has earned the enmity of many POW activists. However, in a 1995
interview with "The Washington Post", Colin Powell referred to Armitage as
his "white son." This, notwithstanding the fact that the 6 foot, balding,
power-lifter, now 56, can still bench press 300 or more pounds and
reportedly "enjoys killing." William Tyree, Special Forces Veteran who has
provided much reliable information and documentation to FTW in the past
said, "Armitage used to 'sit ambush' on the trails in Laos and Cambodia. He
liked it. Now when Powell, 'the dove,' sits down at a table with Armitage
'the killer' beside him the message will be that Armitage can reach across
the table and deal with the other party on the spot." That message will not
go unheard. [For more on Armitage we recommend using the search engine at
http://www.copvcia.com and also at The Progressive Review,
http://www.prorev.com.] There is reason to believe that a repeal of the
assassination ban would lead to an immediate series of deaths. Remember,
the Iran-Contra team is coming back to power with a vengeance. The
completion of a February 11, 1982 memorandum between Reagan Attorney
General William French Smith and CIA Director Bill Casey removed any
requirement for CIA to report drug trafficking by its agents, contractors
and proprietary employees. Immediately thereafter cocaine consumption into
the United States multiplied as imports rose from approximately 80 tons in
1982 to 600 tons by 1989. [A copy of that memorandum, published by the CIA
in 1998, is available in FTW's Extracts and Commentary on Volume II of the
CIA Inspector General's Report" originally published on 10/8/98.] There are
no choices and this is no longer a convenient exercise of protected
liberty. This is now a true struggle against tyranny. Call your
Congressman. Call your local media. Call your neighbor. A loud enough
uproar can stop this criminal move in its tracks. Silence can only invite
bloodshed. Special thanks to Mike Whybark and Jim Galasyn of Independent
Media Centers for bringing this travesty to my attention. Please visit
their site at http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=19541.
