"What authority do they have?"
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The same Moral authority that was used to save the Iraqi people from insane Hussein.
The same Moral authority they used to send food and water to the Tsunami victims.
The same power's they used to help Florida with Hurricane relief. (I remember seeing pictures of Jeb and George out there with sleaves rolled handing water out to hurricane ravaged citizens).
There's a difference between moral authority and the rule of law. We have the rule of law in this country. We have separation of powers. If this is done, what will stop Big Brother from making other arbitrary decisions for us?
"Moral authority" does not authorize executive action. Legislation enabling the action does.