Posted on 01/03/2002 9:50:13 AM PST by 74dodgedart
Edited on 07/19/2004 2:09:20 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Har. Har. Har. I remember you - yesterday you were saying I needed to go back to school regarding grammatical matters and then promptly made a grammatical error and a misspelling. Now you are telling all us dumb freepers that we don't know the Constitution - yet who does the head of the FBI report to? Not the Secretary of Defense, but the Attorney General. Who does the head of the CIA report to? The head of the NSA? Hint - it ain't the Secretary of Defense. Those agencies are not part of Defense and are therefore not affected by Article I, Section 8 - so I see your understanding of the Constitution is as good as your grammar and spelling.
You should really try following the debate instead of jumping into the middle of things. I was responding to OWK's assertion that the president should enforce the law.
Above and beyond that, try reading the article:
Crawford, Texas, Dec. 28 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush said he'll use presidential authority to sidestep a rule requiring his administration to provide Congress with written notice of U.S. intelligence activities.
I do not see the qualifier "Military" anywhere here - this pertains to ALL intelligence agencies, not just military intel. So you are not even arguing the right subject here, not that it's a surprise.
Maybe in your theory, but not in reality. We're more interested in how government actually works, not in your uninformed beliefs.
To whomever Congress' wants.
Congress could pass a law requiring the head of the CIA to wear a purple suit and give a massage to the Senator of Rhose Island.
What part of "LEGISLATIVE BRANCH" do you not understand?
CONGRESS makes the laws. Not the President.
Congress has authority over all agencies and can legislate any laws it desires regarding their organization and government. I dont' care if it has to do with the military or not. (In this case, however, the authority by which Congress created the CIA came from Article I, Section 8. That's why I raised the issue. It doesn't matter, though. Even if the authroity came from elsewhere in Artcle I, the end result would be the same: Congress is in 100% control of the rules under which the agencies operate.)
Every single government agency (except, perhaps, the Post Office) could be abolished by Congress overnight (assuming the President signed the Bill.)
Congress has 100% control over all LEGISLATION and REGULATION of EVERYTHING the US does.
Then a case should be brought before the Supreme Court. Our Constitution is well designed to handle such situations. If Bush has a problem with the law, he should refuse to sign the bill, or bring a case before the court.
There is no justification for the President ignoring the law like this, period.
No need to waste further time here. Every agency in the federal government reports to the President. EVERY ONE. And that is not because Congress says so, but because the Constitution mandates such. I won't bother with your posts any more, rant away at me all you want.
Funny, OWK ended up agreeing that there could be.
This section is only about "other than covert" activities!
I think the reporter has left out something important, so he/she can enhance the conflict.
I guess you think the CEO of IBM is actually the one in charge, as opposed to the Board of Directors...
Whatever.
I tell you what... I'll just throw out the 25 or so volumes of the United State Code that set forth -- in great detail -- the manner in whcih our federal agencies (from the FAA to the CIA to OSHA) are to be run, how much the members are to be paid, to whom they are to report (directly to Congress in many cases), etc., etc.
What a dolt.
In that constitution of ours, you know, the one that names the president commander in chief of the armed forces, where does it grant Congress the right to demand information about military intelligence operations?
Which is why it's good to bookmark "The coming American dictatorship" and read it once a month.
I'm still confused though, since "Sec. 413a. - Reporting of intelligence activities other than covert actions " is ONLY about "other than covert actions".
If it was about covert actions, I'd understand the dispute.
The only "other than covert" actions I can think of would be diplomatic actions that have never been open to the Congress since day one of the Republic.
Notice it says, "keep the intelligence committees fully and currently informed of all intelligence activities, other than a covert action (as defined in section 413b(e) of this title)."
...Which leads us to Section 413b(e), which says:
(e) "Covert action" definedApparently, there's a whole lot more to intelligence activities than covert actions, such as the activities listed in 1-4 above, for example.As used in this subchapter, the term "covert action" means an activity or activities of the United States Government to influence political, economic, or military conditions abroad, where it is intended that the role of the United States Government will not be apparent or acknowledged publicly, but does not include -
(1) activities the primary purpose of which is to acquire intelligence, traditional counterintelligence activities, traditional activities to improve or maintain the operational security of United States Government programs, or administrative activities;(2) traditional diplomatic or military activities or routine support to such activities;
(3) traditional law enforcement activities conducted by United States Government law enforcement agencies or routine support to such activities; or
(4) activities to provide routine support to the overt activities (other than activities described in paragraph (1), (2), or (3)) of other United States Government agencies abroad.
'Cuse me for coming in here, but the Congress was given certain powers. Under Article 1, Section 8, which enumerates the powers of Congress....and it includes war and defense...the final clause, #18, says, "To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any other department or officer thereof".
Is anyone else having problems....this is slow and sluggish, took forever to get to post against this post #....never could get to #100!
Read further.....Article 1, Section 8, Clause 18.
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