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Ok Zen...

Spent some time chasing legaleeze spouting rabbits at that site you linked to.

First off, what the bloody blue bleep were you doing looking up executive orders from the *Kennedy* Administration?

Second, why didn't you check a bit further?

Executive Order 10990 (transportation takeover) was superceded by EO 11612, which was (eventually) superceded EO 11807, which was eventually superceded by 12974 (somewhere in the Clinton Administration). (After that, I kinda lost track of it.)

Executive Order 10995 (seizing of the media) was revoked by EO 12046 back in the 1970's, which in turn was eventually superceded by EO 13456 in January of 2008 (which dealt with foriegn investment in the US).

The other Executive Orders listed were all revoked in 1969 by Nixon with EO 11490 (which assigns those powers to various Federal Departments and Agencies concerned with emergency management - might or might not be the start of FEMA, among other things).

That said...

1) the cross referencing is impressive, and the sequential numbering of the Executive Orders is useful, but apart from that, the organization scheme stinks.

2) the vast bulk of the Executive Orders appear to deal with matters that were either fairly minor (awarding medals, clearing/creating bureacratic roadblocks for minor projects, or photo op type stuff) or were intended to deal with specific emergencies of some sort where action was demanded right away. Some of the emergency type stuff did/does have the potential for future abuse - but most of those Executive Orders look to have been amended or revoked.

Ok, Zen...the Obama list of Executive Orders

EO---DATE---Name/Comment

13489--- Jan 21--- (control) of presidential archives (records). (what gets kept secret, executive privilige)

13490--- Jan 21--- Ethics Commitment by Executive Branch Personel (ban on hiring lobbyist, 'revolving
Corp, gov door, ect) (honored 'in the breach' at least in part, I believe).

13491--- Jan 22--- Ensuing lawful interrogations (partial correction of the 'torture' thing)

13492--- Jan 22--- Review and disposition of Individuals at Guantanamo Bay (shutting the place
down).

13493--- Jan 22--- Review of Detention Policy Options (what to do with captured terrorists)

13494--- Jan 30--- Economy in Government Contracting (attempt at cost cutting, challenging 'added on' stuff)

13495--- Jan 30--- Non Displacement of Qualified Workers (new gov contractor 'encouraged' to rehire old personel)

13496--- Jan 30--- Notification of Rights Under Federal Labor Laws (Collective bargaining type stuff)

13497--- Feb 4--- Revocation of past Executive Orders concerning planning and review

13498--- Feb 5--- Amendment to EO 13199 (Faith based and Neighborhood partnerships)

13499--- Feb 11--- Further Amendment to EO 12835, Formation of National Economic Council (adds more people to council)

13500--- Feb 11--- Further Amendment to EO 12859, Domestic Policy Council

13501--- Feb 11--- Establishment of Presidention Economic Recovery Advisory Board (17 members from outside government...diverse perspectives...advisory only...reports to president on prospects, methods, ect to promote recovery)

13502--- Feb 11--- Use of Project Labor Agreements on Federal Projects (dealing with unions? on construction? projects of 25 million dollars or more)

13503--- Feb 24--- White House Office of Urban Affairs


13504--- March 11--- (Amends EO 13390 - concerned with Gulf Coast rebuild, extends date)

13505--- March 11--- Removing Barries to Scientific Researcyh Involving Human Stem Cells

13506--- March 16--- White House Council on Women and Girls

13507--- April 13--- White House Council on Health Reform (probably their decisions is what is being debated in the media these days)

13508--- May 12--- Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration

13509--- June 26--- White House Council on Automotive Communities and Workers (possible start of 'cash for clunkers' program?)

13510--- July 6--- Wavier Under Trade act with Republic of Belarus

13511--- Sept 28--- Continuence of Certain Federal Advisory Committees (a lot of older EO's refered to here - but note 'advisory' bit)

13512--- Sept 29--- (further amends/extends EO 13390 on Gulf Coast rebuild)

13513--- Oct 1--- Federal Leadership to Reduce Text Messaging While Driving

13514--- Oct 5--- Federal Leadership in environmental, energy, economic performance (clean energy development, reduce greenhouse gasses, ect)

13515--- Oct 19--- Increasing Participation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in
Federal Programs

I have to point out this is the super abbreviated 'quick and dirty' version of the list. Some of my quickie notes may be less than accurate.

(FA is probably having flashbacks to the bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo she had to deal with at her old job after reading this).

Hmmm...

EO 13489 might be a bit sinister, in that it would let a lot of the more interesting Obama records be kept secret. I seem to remember Bush II having an almost identical policy.

EO's 13490 - 13493 look like attempts to fullfil campaign promises...though most are ignored or stalled now.

EO 13494 - the attempt at government cost cutting, actually seems to make sense, though a get a 'doomed to fail' vibe from it.

EO 13495 - retaining qualified people when government contracts change hands...this one has me wondering a bit. Two items leaped to mind when I read this one:

The first was an edict by the Roman Emperor Diocletian way back around AD 300. Diocletian had just reunited the Roman Empire, which had effectively dissolved after fifty plus years of non stop civil war, invasions, plague, famine, ect. He imposed a whole slew of emergency measures to stabilize things. One of the worst, from a long term economic POV, was a law binding sons to their fathers trades - and forbidding marriage outside of ones profession. This laid a big part of the groundwork for serfdom.

The second deals with an episode last year in post office world. What happened was a number of postal contracts were split because the routes had grown way too large to be done as is, and all parts of the splits had come up for bid. Usually, the lowest bidder for one of these routes gets it...unless the bid is absurdly low. Now, the one route had been handled (barely) by a gal hired by the old contract holder. When it came up for bid, she decided not to do so, because she (wrongly) thought that she had a job with the post office proper. So both sides of the split route (contract) went to other people. One of these other people turned out to be fairly decent, but the other was a disaster. After this gal realized that there was no real post office job, she went to the post master. Post Master told her about how unhappy she was with the one guy, and how she wasn't really thrilled with the next lowest bidders either. So, the Post Master gave her a bid packet (like two months after the bidding was done) and said 'put in the numbers I tell you'. So the gal essentially got her old job back - which I suppose qualfies as 'retaining of qualified personel' - but this was *last* year. This whole episode, in conjunction with this EO, makes me wonder...are we slowly stepping down the same path initiated by that long ago Roman Emperor, where ones family legally determines what ones profession must be?

I also note that EO's 13496 and 13502 are also concerned with labor agreements, and wonder how they might be tied in with EO 13495.

EO's 13497 - 13500 look to be mostly bureaucratic.

EO 13501 - the economic council thing - looks like an attempt to fullfil another campaign pledge.

Actually, with a few exceptions, most of the rest listed look like either PR fluff (like EO 13503 - white house council on urban affairs and EO 13506 - dealing with women and girls) or minor bureaucratic stuff (two EO's extend the gulf area rebuild, another - EO 13508 - deals with restoring Chesapeake Bay, ect).

EO's 13507 (health care reform), 13509 (automotive communities - did 'cash for clunkers directly result from this EO???') and 13514 (federal leadership in energy, economy - was 'cap and trade a result of this EO???) look to be fairly heavy duty.

[thread break] Zen..why are you only on the internet in the wee hours anymore?[/thread break]

I tend to hit the net twice daily, when I can manage it; once in the morningish hours (a bit before noon local time) and again in the late evening (midnightish). As it is, that is probably too often. As of late, I was preoccupied with work and with getting ready for winter, though thats settling down now a bit.