The Shadow Government Makes Another Grab At Power

[Me.]

SCARY STUFF!

“With scarcely a mention in the mainstream media, President Bush has ordered up a plan for responding to a catastrophic attack.
In a new National Security Presidential Directive, Bush lays out his plans for dealing with a “catastrophic emergency.”

Under that plan, he entrusts himself with leading the entire federal government, not just the Executive Branch. And he gives himself the responsibility “for ensuring constitutional government.”

He laid this all out in a document entitled “National Security Presidential Directive/NSPD 51” and “Homeland Security Presidential Directive/HSPD-20.”

The White House released it on May 9.

Other than a discussion on Daily Kos led off by a posting by Leo Fender, and a pro-forma notice in a couple of mainstream newspapers, this document has gone unremarked upon.

The subject of the document is entitled “National Continuity Policy.”

http://progressive.org/mag_wx051807

[Me.]

1. More...

“It defines a “catastrophic emergency” as “any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government function.”

This could mean another 9/11, or another Katrina, or a major earthquake in California, I imagine, since it says it would include “localized acts of nature, accidents, and technological or attack-related emergencies.”

The document emphasizes the need to ensure “the continued function of our form of government under the Constitution, including the functioning of the three separate branches of government,” it states.

But it says flat out: “The President shall lead the activities of the Federal Government for ensuring constitutional government.”

[leftchick]

2. and the chances of this being a MIHOP

are huge.

[Nikki Stone1]

15. Yes

[StarryNite]

23. Yep, this is so not good.

What do you think they are planning?

[jwirr]

83. A disaster before November 2008.

[Vilis Veritas]

89. It doesn't even need to be a disaster.

A little robust protesting would do it, by the definition that is contained in the directive.

[Me.]

100. It Could Be Anything They Want

even 'the sky is falling'

[Me.]

27. Just Saw Your Avatar

or focused on it if that makes sense. Saw the movie last night and this move by * is right up the former US's alley.

[annabanana]

3. Does it define "mass casualties"? What is an "extraordinary level"?

Does a "Presidential Directive" need to have a law passed against it to keep it from being enforced?

The whole thing is ridiculous and unconstitutional on it's very face and by it's very nature.

(nominated for visibility. . and I will come back and kickit a lot, if necessary)

[Me.]

12. What Bothers Me Most About His Directives In General

is that he seems to assume that he can make law by using them. This is a very dangerous road he's gone down, including his signing statements. We hear a lot about an imperial presidency and truly, it seems as if he and the dick have done their best to eliminate the other branches of government and the law. Just the other day he and Rove claimed they were in no way accountable for anything they do or say (the Plame case).

There has been a lot of talk and fear about * refusing to leave office and declaring martial law. In the past I would've been inclined to dismiss a notion like that saying it can't happen here, but now I feel we need to keep a constant vigil against anything he does.

Interestingly. the idea of using a terrorist attack as a means of trying to stay in office has already been tried, by Guiliani in NY just after 9/11.

[snappyturtle]

74. Keeping the constant vigil......

"There has been a lot of talk and fear about * refusing to leave office and declaring martial law. In the past I would've been inclined to dismiss a notion like that saying it can't happen here, but now I feel we need to keep a constant vigil against anything he does."

Wonder if Senator Reid doesn't agree with you, as do I, by keeping a quorum present during the Memorial Day recess? Reid doesn't trust the president either. imho

edit: BTW I K&R'd this yesterday and didn't reply because I was motivated to sum up the extravagances of power this administration has gleaned from our democracy.

[Me.]

76. I Saw That About Reid

and think it's brilliant. Some have suggested that * would get rid of Gonzo on the memorial day weekend while Congress was gone so he could do a recess appointment. When I first saw those concerns I wondered if that break was going to extend beyond 10 days. Reid's move will put an end to that.

[snappyturtle]

80. Thanks for keeping the Shadow Gov't. in our minds.....

we must not forget what is going on behind the curtain.

[moodforaday]

7. Could Bush be setting up his defenses

...against Cheney and his pals? Crazy, I know, but saying he's intent on martial-law governance is an equally crazy-but-likely proposition.

Remember that Continuity of Government is Cheney and Rumsfeld, who were preparing for this at least as early as the days of Bush 41. Dubya doesn't seem to be invited to that little benevolent society. if you think of how his secret service stood down on 9-11, practically hanged him out to dry while he was most vulnerable to a potential attack, and how Cheney seems to have been in command on the day, I wouldn't discount that probability.

[wryter2000]

9. Up is down, day is night

In order to protect our constitutional form of goverment, he'd make the Constitution completely irrelevant.

[EC]

67. Does this also mean if Communications were knocked out?

technological or attack-related emergencies.”

[Vilis Veritas]

90. How about...

Carbon Monoxide poisoning of Air Trafic Controllers...

Perhaps it was a botched False Flag...I mean they tried it twice in one week almost the exact same MO.

What would have happened if TRACON had gone down? Answer, this directive could have been enacted...I say could because I am sure it would not have, RIGHT?

I will take the hat off now...

[alfredo]

99. James Madison addressed this.

"The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands ... is the definition of tyranny,"
James Madison

[Subdivisions]

4. He issues directive after executive order without

the consent of the People and gets away with it time and time again.

How sad.

[greenbriar]

5. send this to KO

I sense a new special comment segment

[Wiley50]

6. Yep, We gotta prepare for the worst from this misadministration

And before we bury it
we need to be sure to stick a stake in it's heart

“This directive shall be implanted in a manner that is consistent with, and facilitates effective implementation of, provisions of the Constitution concerning succession to the Presidency or the exercise of its powers, and the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 (3 USC 19), with the consultation of the Vice President and, as appropriate, others involved.”

[Beam Me Up]

8. A war on terror sounds like a good plan to me

Lets find out who the real terrorists are.

And I agree, we dare not bury them without the stakes.

[Morgana LaFey]

10. Here's what bothers me

Bush&Co. have shown absolutely NO interest in or capability for preplanning for emergencies. None. In fact, they can't even handle emergencies once they happen (e.g., Katrina).

So why are they "all of a sudden" interested in planning for this? Hmmm? Reminds me of when the fears about avian flu were being so hawked -- and lo and behold, af all things for Bush to be concerned about, that was one. He was busy promoting the idea of quarantining whole areas of the country, and (IIRC) setting up camps for the afflicted. He was seen several times carrying around a book about the 1917 flu epidemic. Made me very nervous -- and more than a little curious about the whole thing. Happily, the avian flu pandemic never happened, as much as they apparently hoped it would.

[pscot]

11. This is not about emergency response

This is about using an emergency as a pretext to sieze power. A new Democratic administration could mean real trouble for the goon squad now in charge. Think how useful it would be to declare martial law and suspend the 2008 elections.

[HooptieWagon]

30. ding, ding!

Correctomundo!

[StarryNite]

36. Declaring martial law

could come in handy for so many things. It would be like making * the dictator he has always wanted to be.

[jwirr]

78. This is the first thing I thought about. This is the worst thing *ss and

Co. have designed yet. How does this fit in with how Hitler took over in Germany? What document did he use to declare his takeover?

[tavalon]

52. It isn't gone

We've been incredibly lucky so far. I'm surprised that it has held out this long but grateful. The Shrub wasn't the only one studying up and having this extra year to prepare has been really helpful.

That Bush would like to manufacture something to create a situation for chaos and martial law is very likely. That H5N1 is an imaginary threat is unfortunately not true.

You would do well to hold both concepts simultaneously.

And watch for massive pig deaths in Asian countries. Don't think Melamine when you see it.

[CoffeeCat]

68. What is the significance of pig deaths...

...in Asian countries?

What will be the cause?

Thanks for any info. Just trying to keep up with the evil.

[tavalon]

102. If H5N1 jumps to the pigs, we are at a much higher risk of a pandemic

That's why they thought the flu epidemic af 1917 was a swine flu. It wasn't, it was an avian flu but pig to human transmission of flu is much easier than bird to human as we have seen with this flu as well. And the 1917 flu shares so much with this current threat that some idiots reformulated the 1917 flu to study it. While I still feel the behavior was stupid, I see the necessity. This could potentially be the biggest pandemic ever so getting some knowledge ahead of time is priceless.

[CoffeeCat]

109. Thanks for the info...that makes sense...

You seem to know a great deal about H5N1. Do you mind if I pick your brain?

I remember a year ago, that a woman's body was exhumed. She lived in Alaska and died from the '17 flu. I recall
that scientists were stunned at the molecular similarities between the '17 flu and the current bird flu. Do you recall
this story?

Also---I kept a file on the current bird-flu situation. I logged articles, and monitored outbreaks, which
seemed to be growing in numbers and spreading throughout the world. There was a great deal of media attention,
and it wasn't just the fear-based, US-mainstream media sounding the sirens. Many stories originated internationally
and suggested that the US was not taking the threat seriously, and was not prepared for a pandemic.

Then...it seemed as if bird flu fell off of the radar. Do you have any sense why this happened? I'm not a scientist,
but I do have a degree in science writing and I researched bird flu a great deal. The threat seemed real, but was
dependent on mutations happening and the virus jumping from birds to other species. It appears that this never happened.

Do you know why the articles disappeared? What is your opinion on why the spotlight was on bird flu for so long---and
now--nothing. In your opinion, has the threat lessened? Or is there another reason for the diminished media coverage
of the topic?

Thanks for reading and for any info!

[Me.]

111. I Just Heard Today That

Robins, blue jays, chickadees and crows are disappearing because of the flu.

[CoffeeCat]

110. A thought...

...I remember when Bush talked about the threat of bird flu. Many on DU dismissed this as more
of Junior's "let's scare them into submission" tactics.

That really bothered me, because I feel that many good and decent people will be ill prepared when
an outbreak does happen. I don't know IF a pandemic will occur, but I believe it is highly likely.

Also---I do believe that Junior and his thugs will capitalize on a pandemic. They will use a disaster
like this to strip away our rights and to grab power.

However---that doesn't mean that the threat is not real.

People really need to do their own due diligence on bird flu--and ignore Junior and his blatherings. We need
to be prepared for it to happen--because if this administration gets more Naziesque--that's all the more reason
to be self sufficient and equipped with that you need to survive. Being unprepared leaves people vulnerable to
Junior's shenanigans.

Just ask Katrina victims.

[Mojorabbit]

98. Avian flu is still a threat

Still killing people in Indonesia and Egypt while erupting in birds all over the place, mostly poultry.
In China, this past week

China confirms bird flu outbreak
China has confirmed a new outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus in the central province of Hunan, state media has reported.

More than 11,000 poultry died of the virus in Shijiping village near Yiyang city, the Agriculture Ministry said.

Some 53,000 birds have since been culled and officials say that the outbreak is now under control.

China's last reported case was in March, when chickens died at a poultry market near the Tibetan capital, Lhasa.

There were no reports of human infection in the latest outbreak.
(as if China would be forthcoming if there were....)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6672661.stm

First cases in Tibet last week too.
Still mostly confined to poultry with some human deaths but no pandemic yet. Bears watching though.

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. It woudl be so much easier if this was a dictartorship

as long as I am the dictator,

GW Bush, 2000

[underseasurveyor]

14. And there ya have it

Took * a few years but he's al-most got his dictatorship in place.
2008 presidential elections? It's a nice idea.

[tavalon]

53. And will proceed as a form of pageantry for the masses

That it will be a farce is highly likely.

[underseasurveyor]

104. OMG Don't you know it my friend

If they didn't the lemmings might wake up and get the idea that possibly something was afoot





"Nah, not in THIS country"

[zippy890]

16. this is scary, but not hugely scary to me the way things are now

because I may be wrong, but I really don't think bush likes his job that much. He's burnt out and limping to the finish line- the end of his term which can't come fast enough for him.

However, hypothetically - if he weren't the president now, and lets say cheney was, then this whole thing gets a whole lot scarier to me.

A lot scarier.

[Me.]

17. I Would Agree With You Except

I don't think he ever wanted to be 'president' per say. I think he's a guy who likes power and privilege and telling people what to do but not being responsible for any thing in any way. Also a spoiled boy who thought his father got dissed and didn't like it, so he was going to teach everybody a lesson. He's a petulant baby who doesn't like to be told no, and, you can't have this. I can hear him saying, 'I'll leave when I'm ready to leave.'

In a another scenario, if he is indeed the puppet of a power elite, he won't go till they say so.

[zippy890]

51. "he won't go till they say so" - you're right, and that is what scares me

One wonders if/when the power elite decides to cut bush loose- throw him to the impeachment crowd, or worse - then cheney becomes president.

this is what scares me, the extent to which the military/corporate powers will go to ensure their control. Your OP is enlightening in how they would make a grab for further control. But the foundation holding up the republican political power in DC is fracturing right now, crumbling and losing credibility, power.

Will they throw bush under the bus somehow? I think so.

Any moves by congress towards impeachment must also include cheney, or this shadow government will come out of the shadows and take control.

[tavalon]

54. You know having Cheney out front as President

is far less scary than Bush being the titular head while Cheney is the real guy in charge behind the scenes. Oh, wait, that is what the last six years have been!

[Me.]

55. That's My Hope

That he'll be thrown under the bus. The publican party is fracturing and enjoying the chaos they always attribute to the dems. Another concern is now that the dems are gaining power they're going to (at least the dlc arm of the party) in for triangulation, which would be an anathema to us, like this secret trade deal they're trying to shove down our throats.

[H2O Man]

58. I'm not sure

that he will be tossed under the bus. I think it's more likely that he will be left behind at a rest stop, and the bus will quickly move to put a significant distance between themselves and George.

[Me.]

59. That Would Work Too

In thinking about it this weekend, I couldn't imagine them there for another year and a half. He, in particular, is becoming increasingly irrelevant, never mind their nonsense about Jimmy Carter. However I could never imagine them getting in and doing what they've done. I still can't.

[zippy890]

63. this may be the more plausible scenario

but in what direction will the bush-less bus go?

That is what I am very curious about. The republican party seems in disarray and very divided right now.


"There are a lot of people in the Republican party who are nervous and would be greatly encouraged if the president and the vice president were to begin to shift their policy a little bit," said David Mack, who was deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs in the first Bush administration"

more at
http://www.salon.com/wire/ap/archive.html?wire=D8P8O2PO...

[rhett o rick]

18. Be scared. Bush isn't really in charge. Cheney and the neocon nazi's are. nm

[OnyxCollie]

32. I agree. They may be planning to pull out all the stops.

I don't expect this administration plans on ending. Why would they? The money's too good.

This scares the hell out of me.

4) Continuity requirements shall be incorporated into daily operations of all executive departments and agencies. As a result of the asymmetric threat environment, adequate warning of potential emergencies that could pose a significant risk to the homeland might not be available, and therefore all continuity planning shall be based on the assumption that no such warning will be received. Emphasis will be placed upon geographic dispersion of leadership, staff, and infrastructure in order to increase survivability and maintain uninterrupted Government Functions. Risk management principles shall be applied to ensure that appropriate operational readiness decisions are based on the probability of an attack or other incident and its consequences.

No time for questions. Follow the directives. Round those people up. Threat containment must be swift.

"The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it's profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way, and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theatre." Frank Zappa, 1977

[cyberpj]

60. "Emphasis will be placed upon geographic dispersion of leadership"

"Emphasis will be placed upon geographic dispersion of leadership, staff, and infrastructure in order to increase survivability and maintain uninterrupted Government Functions."

Sounds like they're preparing for an attack on D.C. ---- if they hit the congress, they could take out enough Dems to take back majority control as long as they have "dispersed" enough Republicans. I don't put anything past these wiretapping, thieving, murdering thugs.

[Dhalgren]

103. I read somewhere, that Harry Reid was going to keep enough Democrats

in DC to maintain a quorum over Memorial Day weekend, in case Bush was going to try and pull some kind of interim appointment in DOJ. A "decapitation" attack would be devastating in that scenerio...

[Me.]

105. Decapitation Attack?

Not sure what you mean

[Dhalgren]

106. Part of the Presidential Order listed one of the concerns as being

a "decapitation attack", where DC would be hit and many or most of the government killed or injured. That makes me worry a bit...

[Me.]

108. Got It

Thanks

[earth mom]

19. Impeach NOW! It's the only way to stop these nutjobs!

Get busy Congress dammit!

[PurpleChez]

20. I agree!

And your avatar kicks ass!

[earth mom]

49. Thanks! Get one here:

http://www.acme.com/heartmaker /

[jwirr]

81. Impeachment may just be the fuel for the fire to begin.

[Me.]

21. For You AR n/t

[autorank]

22. "Am I sure I want to recommend this thread?" HELL YES I am!!! K*R

Well, why on earth would anyone be paranoid or think that there are vile and complex conspiracies afoot in the current junta? Material like this is just routine, right? It's not as though this hasn't been thought of before, so why the change? Oh, it's just our president being presidential, isn't it?

Nothing to worry about?

Nothing going on really?

Stop with the conspiracy stuff already?

The guy's just doing his job (on us again)...

WAKE UP, SMELL THE COFFEE, IT'S IMPEACHMENT TIME

CNN Reported today that the special contingency plan for Bush
to control everything should there be a national catastrophe
has a new wrinkle. Bush and Cheney are pictured above in their
National Emergency Camouflage Reconnaissance Outfits (NECRO's).
Designed by Admiral Poindexter, these will keep them safe from
intrusive questions from what's left of the citizenry.

[Me.]

24. Great Pic

If only I could convince myself that they're just dumb. When Gore Vidal was asked if * is stupid or evil his answer was, "What he does is evil."

[LibertyorDeath]

77. Beauty eh!

[Javaman]

25. didn't moron* say...

a dictatorship would be a lot easier as long as he* was dictator?

come on now folks can't we call this shit a constitution crisis yet? or are we so fucking scared to rock the boat?

fuck this dickhead* wants to take the crown out of the hands of the authority and crown himself emporer.

are you scared now?

[Theduckno2]

26. Our unitary executive ensuring our contitutional government, by decree!

Creeps me out, I don't know about you.

I just wonder if a manufactured crisis such as a fuel shortage impacting many in this country would rise to the level of "catastrophic emergency".

Welcome to "The Long Emergency" by James Howard Kunstler! A very good read in my opinion.

[jwirr]

82. I read his book also and fashion my ideas of the future around some

of his thinking. However he left out the part about a "new hitler" making us all prisoners before the natural things happened. I hope he speaks out about this little glitch.

[illinoisprogressive]

28. First Bush has to know and understand and respect the constitution to ensure anything..

what a dipwad. He is going to lead us??? The great incompetent?

[illinoisprogressive]

29. this is the plan for him to continue as president after Jan. 2009.

[Divine Discontent]

38. you mean as Dictator

because his term is up after Jan 2009, and anything beyond that is a declaration of oneself as Dictator without answer to anyone, which in fact WOULD BE what would make him stay on, because yes, he DOES hate being President.... too many rules to follow, so he just ignores them all...
God, I pray when the times comes, this nation stands up against any person who would choose to ignore the Constitution.

www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <<-- check it out, top '08 stuff

[dansolo]

79. Would the military go along with this?

If Bush refuses to leave, he would no longer be commander-in-chief. After inauguration day, Bush will have no authority over the armed services. Any member of the military who sides with him will be violating their oath to defend the Constitution, and possibly also be guilty of treason. They may be willing to accept the chain of command while he is still president, but I think that many people in the military would not support a coup, which is really what we are talking about here.

[Me.]

84. That's A Key Word, 'Inauguration'

Crucial we have one following a free and fair election

[Divine Discontent]

39. you mean as Dictator

because his term is up after Jan 2009, and anything beyond that is a declaration of oneself as Dictator without answer to anyone, which in fact WOULD BE what would make him stay on, because yes, he DOES hate being President.... too many rules to follow, so he just ignores them all...
God, I pray when the times comes, this nation stands up against any person who would choose to ignore the Constitution.

www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <<-- check it out, top '08 stuff

[Vilis Veritas]

66. My guess exactly.

The THUGS BLATANTLY steal the 2008 election. WE THE PEOPLE protest very loudly.

BAM! Marshall Law is declared. Election results permanantly tabled until order is restored.

Welcome to 1984...34 years late because Nixon got caught.

[peacetalksforall]

31. It's the WH and Congress's responsibility to plan for continuity. What

we should be talking about if whether this is the normal process of planning as if we were enjoying a typical President and VP - OR - does this involve any special planning, paragraphs, or clauses that jump out as non-typical?

This subject came up a few days ago and several people posting said this was all in the normal planning schedule. Of course, the people writing that could have been trolls.

Perhaps we should all be calling our representative to find out if anything is out of the ordinary and if it is - how fast are they going to do something about it. It seems that in all the other crud that has come up there is a huge time lag between the rumors of it and the happening. In other words, time that should have been spent doing something instead of commenting on a way too late Monday morning quarterback review and condemnation.

A year or two ago, there was also a list of people that Bush wanted to put in charge and they were all from HIS cabinet. Don't know if it was a joke or not. If they are doing anything that is typical for them, you know they will do everything to maneuver around the name Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi on any hierarchal list.

[lovuian]

33. Its scary heres my video

http://youtube.com/watch?v=z4BVHpbNRsk

[screembloodymurder]

40. Congress should respond to this asap.

Impeach now! WTF is a Presidential directive anyway and since when did the US need a war czar? These assholes are flat out evil. They have the top brass in military on their side (they put them there) and I think we need to take this as a real threat.

[lvx35]

34. Get it in the press!

Seriously, even the idiots who wouldn't have a problem with constitutional grab can see how horrible it would be to have an idiot like Bush in charge in an emergency. Its scary enough to have this idiot in charge of a floating ship, let alone a sinking one.

[autorank]

35. "Me" / "Shadow Government" hit # 1 !!!

...as of this time and date.

So swear we all!

[H2O Man]

41. #51 recommendation!

Great thread.

[Theres-a]

42. 52

And a kick.

[gobblechops]

37. about time

he remembered that his oath was to protect the constitution.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

43. Bush can only seize power if the people let him

No soldier is bound to follow an illegal order. No governor or senator or representative has to give up the power of their elected positions. Bush's political base is crumbling. There is too my skepticism about things now that I doubt another 9/11 style incident would gain Bush the near unanimous support and following he gained in the fall of 2001.

[rosesaylavee]

44. Hopefully

Congress has noticed this too. Wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't a showdown prior to the election between Congress and the WH. Impeachment may not be the first step - imprisonment and then a trial may be more in order.

This admin is the scariest imaginable.

[randomelement]

45. Bush tipped his hand

You think Congress and the Supreme Court would sit still for this one?

If this becomes a MIHOP (which most of us agree is likely), then it would appear that Washington would be at least one of the targets.

So I have a suggestion .....

Why don't we duct tape that miserable cock-sucker of a VP to the dome of the Capital Building?

At the same time, we should introduce the "Commander Guy" to a close, personal relationship with one of the columns at the Supreme Court building (again with duct tape).

My guess is that the possibility for attack against our institutions would then be reduced to zero ......

Problem solved (no need for thanks)

[Me.]

57. Your Duct Tape Solutions

Have a lot of merit, welcome

[hfojvt]

46. doesn't sound like a big deal to me

it is here, and I just read it:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/2007050...

It sounds like Clinton did much the same thing, but I wonder how different it was:

"Revocation. Presidential Decision Directive 67 of October 21, 1998 ("Enduring Constitutional Government and Continuity of Government Operations"), including all Annexes thereto, is hereby revoked."

It also says this:

"9) Recognizing that each branch of the Federal Government is responsible for its own continuity programs, an official designated by the Chief of Staff to the President shall ensure that the executive branch's COOP and COG policies in support of ECG efforts are appropriately coordinated with those of

the legislative and judicial branches in order to ensure interoperability and allocate national assets efficiently to maintain a functioning Federal Government."

[H2O Man]

48. Continuity of Government plans

have been around since atomic bombs and the "cold war." One of the republican complaints about the Clinton administration was that, due to the end of that "cold war," they had not been focused enough on such planning for the future.

Clearly, there are potential benefits for making such plans. The concern that DUers have is perhaps more rooted in the fact that the "emergency plans" of the Bush2 administration are a furthering of the plans that fellows named Rumsfeld and Cheney had worked on -- along with Ollie North -- and that these plans have not allowed for 2/3rds of the federal government, as defined by the Constitution.

In fact, on 9-11, VP Cheney instituted the "shadow government." This is fairly well documented in sources that inclyude Senator Robert Byrd's wonderful book, "Losing America." You will not find mention of it, nor of the implications, in most of the corporate media reporting.

I think that citizens have every reason to be concerned with such plans. This administration has provided a mountain of evidence that it has little except contempt for the Constitution, and indeed, the role of the Congress in our federal government. They show no respect whatsoever for the Bill of Rights. To not take notice of this type of activity on their part would seem a failure on our part to be aware of a serious threat to our Constitutional democracy.

[Me.]

56. As Usual

You express the concerns succinctly

[Emit]

92. COG -- Rumsfeld, Cheney, North

I first posted this excerpt in your remarkable thread entitled, "Your Move..."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

While I was familiar with the COG plan and North's involvement, it was not until I read this book that I understood more fully. I'll repost these excerpts for others to read. It is important, IMHO, that readers understand this recent Presidential Directive within the historical context, especially considering the players involved.

If anyone in America had the government experience to respond to a terrorist attack upon Washington, it was Cheney. As President Ford's deputy chief of staff and then chief of staff, Cheney had mastered the inner workings of White House operations right down to the salt shakers and plumbing. In Congress he had worked on the House Intelligence Committee, learning how the CIA and America's several other intelligence agencies operate. As defense secretary he had been in charge of the U.S. armed forces. Above all, although almost nobody knew it, during the 1980's Cheney had been one of the leading participants in the highly classified planning to maintain continuity of government and set up a new presidential chain of command if America was under nuclear attack. Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush's War Cabinet by James Mann, Chapter Nineteen

More:

At least once a year during the 1980's, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld vanished. Cheney was still working diligently on Capital Hill, and Rumsfeld remained a hard-driving business executive in Chicago. Yet for three of four days at a time, no one in Congress knew where Cheney was, nor could anyone at Rumsfeld's offices locate him. Even their wives were in the dark; they were handed only a mysterious Washington phone number through which they might relay messages in case of emergencies... ...After leaving their day jobs, Cheney and Rumsfeld usually made their way to Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington. From there, in the middle of the night, each man, joined by a team of forty to sixty federal officials and a single member of Ronald Reagan's cabinet, separately slipped away to some remote location in the United States, such as a discarded military base or an underground bunker. A convoy of lead-lined trucks carrying sophisticated communications equipment and other gear made its way to the same location.

Rumsfeld and Cheney were principal figures in one of the most highly classified programs of the Reagan administration. Under it, the administration furtively carried out detailed planning exercise to establish a new American "president" and his staff, outside and beyond the specifications of the U.S. Constitution, in order to keep the federal government running during and after a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Over the years a few details about the existence of this Reagan-era effort have come to light, but not the way it worked or the central roles played by Cheney and Rumsfeld... ...This was not some abstract textbook plan but was practiced in concrete, thorough and elaborate detail. The Reagan administration assigned personnel to three teams...Each team included an experienced leader, who could operate as a new White House chief of staff. The obvious candidates were people who had already served at high level in the executive branch, preferably with experience in the national security apparatus. This was where Cheney and Rumsfeld came in since they had previously served as White House chief of staff in the Ford administration. Besides Cheney and Rumsfeld, who were regulars, other team leaders over the years included James Woolsey, later the director of Central Intelligence, and Kenneth Duberstein, who worked for a time as Reagan's real-life White House chief of staff.

~snip~

... Reagan's secret program set aside these constitutional and statutory requirements under some circumstances; it established its own process for creating a new American president, ignoring the hierarchy of presidential succession established by law... ...Reagan established his continuity of government program under a secret executive order. According to Robert McFarlane, who served for a time as Reagan's national security adviser, the president himself made the final decision on who would head each of the special teams, such as Cheney and Rumsfeld. Within Reagan's National Security Council, the "action officer" for the secret program was Oliver North...Vice President George H. W. Bush was given authority to supervise some of these efforts, which were run by a new government building in the Washington area...and a secret budget...used to buy advanced communications equipment (apparently, some of the info about this secret program came about because of allegations of waste and abuses in awarding these communications contracts to private companies--Emit)


...Cheney and Rumsfeld were familiar with the Armageddon exercises of the Reagan era. They themselves had practiced all the old drills... ...except for Rumsfeld's brief stint as Middle East envoy, neither he nor Cheney ever served in the Reagan administration. Nevertheless, as team leaders Cheney and Rumsfeld played important roles in this project...Moreover, their participation in these Reagan-era exercises demonstrated a broader underlying truth about Cheney and Rumsfeld: Over three decades, from the Ford administration onward, even when they were out of the executive branch of government, they were never too far away; they stayed in touch with its defense, military and intelligence officials and were regularly called upon by those officials. Cheney and Rumsfeld were, in a sense, a part of the permanent, though hidden, national security apparatus of the United States, inhabitants of a world in which presidents may come and go, but America always keeps on fighting. Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush's War Cabinet by James Mann, Chapter Nine

[H2O Man]

97. Earlier today

on another thread, I had quoted from Mann's "Rise of the Vulcans." It is a great book, and I think it is the single best example of how DUers can recommend important books to one another. I was aware of the book, but had not read it, until you suggested that I should. Thanks again!

[Bosso 63]

47. What happened to the "Black helicopter crowd"?

I would think this would have them up in arms, I guess they hope to get free brown shirts and run the prisons in the "New Democracy", but my guess is, they would be the first ones to be purged by BushCo.

[DemReadingDU]

50. Hm, Does Bush know of an imminent attack, is that why

He has issued this plan?

[cyberpj]

61. I have already - and I suggest we all FAX THIS INFO IMMEDIATELY TO ALL OUR OWN CONGRESS PEOPLE ...

since they don't seem to be "into" reading anything.

[cyberpj]

62. By the way - Philadelphia and Baltimore are now considering Martial Law activity, did you know?

Not much in corporate media on this, either. Are these test areas?

'Desperate' plan to slow crime
Council bill would put areas of city under enforcement some liken to martial law
By John Fritze
Sun reporter
Originally published May 17, 2007

Large swaths of Baltimore could be declared emergency areas subject to heightened police enforcement - including a lockdown of streets - under a city councilman's proposal that aims to slow the city's climbing homicide count.

The legislation - which met with a lukewarm response from Mayor Sheila Dixon's administration yesterday, and which others likened to martial law - would allow police to close liquor stores and bars, limit the number of people on city sidewalks and halt traffic in areas declared "public safety act zones." It comes as the number of homicides in Baltimore reached 108, up from 98 at the same time last year.

"Desperate measures are needed when we're in desperate situations," said City Council Vice President Robert W. Curran, the bill's author. "What I'm trying to do is give the mayor additional tools."

By introducing the legislation, Curran - who is an ally of Dixon - is promoting increased enforcement at a time when City Hall is moving in the opposite direction, shifting away from zero tolerance and toward an approach that focuses more attention on individual criminals. Dixon has sought to ease tension between police and residents who feel the city's past arrest policies were overzealous.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/b...

[Vilis Veritas]

64. I had parsed this on an earlier thread and will do it again here.

This is all preparation for the 2008 election season.

“It defines a “catastrophic emergency” as “any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government function.”

"any incident...that results in extraordinary levels of...disruption severly affecting...government function."

St. Paul Minnesota has plans to build "Containment area" in preparation for the 2008 RNC. http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_108094059.html

My gut tells me that this directive is the beginning of Marshall Law. It will happen before the election 2008. Election 2008 will be postponed due to "DISRUPTIONS". Especially if there are protest after the THUGS steal the election.

This is just a heads up and I hope I am wrong...

[Me.]

65. Good To Have You Add Your Thoughts

Welcome

[Vilis Veritas]

70. Thanks

and congrats on getting this raised up to #1.

I was kind of saddened to see the other thread drop...good job!

[Norquist Nemesis]

72. That definition covers everything from flood and fire to Virginia Tech massacre.

What I can't wrap my head around is how the "President" is able to usurp the control of the other two branches of government. That is blatantly un-Constitutional! But pretty much all I hear from Cons and Indys is "ho-hum".

[Me.]

75. Yep

It is a 'convenient' term.

I sent the info to KO in the hopes that someone picks this up.

[Vilis Veritas]

88. The broad definition is most disturbing

This directive sets the stage for some interesting uses.

I hope it never is used. The implications of its use do not bode well for what is left of this democracy...

As for the how...so far the only thing I can fathom is that both sides must be complicit and that this is all being done in the name of the Corporate Oligarchy and that true democracy has been dead for a long time and we are not being told the truth by anyone...

Either that or the ones that should be protecting our freedoms are napping or stuck in some video store movie named "Mr Smith goes to Washington..."

[Norquist Nemesis]

91. Keep an eye on the Freshman Democrats in the House

They're our last best hope at this point.

[Vilis Veritas]

94. Thanks.

Let us hope that they can do something 'Smithian' and soon, the country needs it.

I will begine to focus on them and send them my support. Thanks again for the reminder...

[Norquist Nemesis]

69. First question is what qualifies as "Catastrophic"?

They may have lowered the bar to sewer level in order to 'lawfully' implement these Directives.

Second question is whether these Directives will still be A-Okay with the GOP when President _____ (D) takes the Oath of Office.

[Me.]

71. Baltimore & Philly Move Towards Martial Law

Crime is the justification they're using

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[Norquist Nemesis]

73. See #72 above. n/t

[davekriss]

85. Kick (nt)

[Emit]

86. Check this out

From National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive
NATIONAL SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE/NSPD 51:

The President shall lead the activities of the Federal Government for ensuring constitutional government. In order to advise and assist the President in that function, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism (APHS/CT) is hereby designated as the National Continuity Coordinator. The National Continuity Coordinator, in coordination with the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (APNSA), without exercising directive authority, shall coordinate the development and implementation of continuity policy for executive departments and agencies. The Continuity Policy Coordination Committee (CPCC), chaired by a Senior Director from the Homeland Security Council staff, designated by the National Continuity Coordinator, shall be the main day-to-day forum for such policy coordination.

http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/nspd/nspd-51.htm


Who is the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism?

Frances Fragos Townsend

~snip~

Just a little over two years ago, she had never met Bush and was viewed with suspicion by the inner circle of a tribalistic White House that does not easily accept outsiders. But the hard-charging Townsend has parlayed a succession of powerful patrons into one of the government's most important jobs. Along the way, in a city where partisan lines are rarely bridged, she has transformed herself from confidante of then-Attorney General Janet Reno to a confidante of George W. Bush.

~snip~

"She obviously has the confidence of the president, and that has a huge impact on her ability to influence the process," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. She is the "coordinator, the facilitator, the bridge," as FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III put it, between the powerful institutions and clashing egos of a war cabinet. Townsend is both "honest broker" in the many internal debates, said national security adviser Stephen J. Hadley, and "crisis manager" during terrorist attacks such as the recent London bombings.

Among her many mentors, she counts Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, longtime FBI Director Louis J. Freeh and former White House counterterrorism czar Richard A. Clarke. Even Saudi princes greet her deferentially as Bush's personal emissary, although she had never been to the Middle East before signing on with the president. "He turns to her as a kind of go-to person," Rice said.


~snip~

Even her husband, John -- an arbitrage lawyer, a classmate of Bush's at Andover and Yale, and a registered Democrat -- said his wife confounded expectations for someone in her position.

~snip~

On that fateful Sept. 11 nearly four years ago, Townsend was at home with her 2-week-old son, Patrick, frantically paging her close friend John O'Neill.

O'Neill, a legendary FBI official who led its efforts against al Qaeda before growing disillusioned, had just quit the bureau to head security at the World Trade Center. He assured her he was all right in a text message that arrived minutes before the first tower collapsed, burying him in the rubble.

The day came at a low point in Townsend's career. Until a few months earlier, she had run the Justice Department's Office of Intelligence Policy and Review that decided which cases merited supersecret intelligence wiretaps, work that took her inside al Qaeda cases, such as the 1998 embassy bombings in Africa.

She also became a key adviser to Reno, acting in her own words as a "back channel" between O'Neill and the attorney general, briefing her multiple times a day during a crisis. "Reno would call at all hours of the day or night from her office," Townsend's husband remembered.

~snip~

Her first job was at the Brooklyn district attorney's office. Early work on mob cases led Rudolph W. Giuliani to hire her in the U.S. attorney's office in New York; the future mayor recalled that "she was exactly like today -- very, very smart. Very much in charge."


~snip~

Her office would be a focus of controversy after Sept. 11. As the gatekeeper for intelligence wiretap requests, Townsend's office fought efforts to invoke the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in matters that could result in criminal cases, fearing that prosecutors would use such surveillance to circumvent the more difficult threshold for obtaining a criminal wiretap. In practical terms, the result was what commission reports called "The Wall," fencing off investigators from potentially useful information about suspects on American soil.

In an example cited by a bipartisan congressional commission, Townsend refused to endorse a secret intelligence wiretap on Los Alamos scientist Wen Ho Lee because the FBI's interest in the case was "way too criminal." (She told the panel she did not recall making that remark but did not deny conveying such a point.) Townsend in recent years has said she fought "tooth and nail" against information-sharing restrictions. But three former senior advisers to Reno said they knew of no such examples. "She was one of the leading defenders of the famous Wall," one of them said. "She was an assiduous defender of the rules."

When Bush came into office, senior Justice officials were told by incoming Attorney General John D. Ashcroft's team that Townsend was one of those slated to go. They also mentioned complaints about her by U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth, at the time head of the secret-wiretap court. ... two Townsend patrons urged Rice to hire her at the National Security Council. Both Clarke, the publicity-savvy former counterterrorism chief who later criticized Bush for failure to pay early enough attention to the al Qaeda threat, and Gen. John A. Gordon, at the time Bush's homeland security chief, lobbied for Townsend.

~snip~

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...

To many old Washington hands, the casting is stunning. A registered Republican, Townsend, 42, is a holdover from the Clinton administration, where she served as Attorney General Janet Reno's trusted but controversial intelligence adviser. She was so controversial that Reno's replacement, John Ashcroft, dropped Townsend from the top intelligence job, but now she's back in power--big time. "There's this huge head scratch to the whole thing," says a former Justice Department official in the Clinton administration. "How can this crowd of people who are all about, 'Oh, you've got to be a true believer,' let her into the fold and allow her to reach this incredible height?"

The answer depends on who's supplying it. Townsend has an abundance of fans and critics. "She is able to separate wheat from chaff," says Deputy Attorney General James Comey, an unabashed admirer. "There's a tendency in the counterterrorism arena, because of the stakes and because of people's worries about making mistakes, not to prioritize among pieces of information. Fran Townsend has the ability and the courage to say: 'This is important; this is not important. Focus on the important thing.'"

~snip~

Townsend's career began as a prosecutor in the Brooklyn district attorney's office, but it took off when she moved to the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan, where she began prosecuting corporate and mob cases for Rudolph Giuliani. Comey, a young prosecutor there, remembers the disappointment of some of Townsend's witnesses when he was asked to take over one of her Mafia cases. "You know," he says, laughing, "they were all depressed when I became their handler, and I don't think it's because I'm any less attractive. It's just that she had a great rapport with people--great people skills."

~snip~

~snip~

"She was a wannabe FBI agent; she loved the FBI. She reveled in that," says a knowledgeable source. Townsend developed a unique perspective on al Qaeda because of her close personal friendship with a legendary FBI agent and al Qaeda expert named John O'Neill, who retired from the bureau but lost his life on Sept. 11, 2001, just days after starting his job as security chief at the World Trade Center.

~snip~

Another of Townsend's mentors is former FBI Director Louis Freeh, who encouraged her to accept a sensitive Justice job that turned into a hornet's nest. In 1998, at Reno's request, Townsend became the head of the powerful Office of Intelligence Policy and Review. The OIPR enforces a controversial statute known as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, under which the FBI or other agencies can obtain special wiretaps and other search and surveillance warrants to track spies and terrorists. A FISA court meets in secret to approve requests for the wiretaps and warrants. Since FISA warrants are intended primarily to gather intelligence, not prosecute criminals, there was tension and confusion at the time over whether the information they produced could be shared with agents or prosecutors working on criminal cases. Townsend found herself in the middle of that debate over how much of a "wall" should exist between intelligence-gatherers and prosecutors, and her tenure at OIPR remains controversial today ...

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/041206/6town...

(Previously posted on another related thread)

edited to add text

[Me.]

87. Excellent n/t

[Rex]

93. I'm sure he will leave peacefully in 2009.

Series!

[Me.]

95. That Would Be Hugh!!! n/t

[SemperEadem]

96. In other words, usurp the constitution and declare himself King

[Rosa Luxemburg]

101. If the 'attack' is anything like Katrina or worse how could he deal with it?

Bush has been proven inept in dealing with such disasters.

[Tellurian]

107. If the Bush Gang aren't here..what do they care?

America's fortress embassy

· Vatican-sized bomb-proof structure to cost £300m

· Builders in Green Zone already insurgent targets

Monday May 21, 2007


When the idea of building a new US embassy in Baghdad was first mooted by the American administration in the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq, there seemed to be a grandiose logic to it.

The compound, by the side of the Tigris, would be a statement of President Bush's intent to expand democracy through the Middle East. Yesterday, however, the entire project was under fresh scrutiny as new details emerged of its cost and scale.

Rising from the dust of the city's Green Zone it is destined, at $592m (£300m), to become the biggest and most expensive US embassy on earth when it opens in September.

It will cover 104 acres (42 hectares) of land, about the size of the Vatican. It will include 27 separate buildings and house about 615 people behind bomb-proof walls. Most of the embassy staff will live in simple, if not quite monastic, accommodation in one-bedroom apartments.

The US ambassador, however, will enjoy a little more elbow room in a high-security home on the compound reported to fill 16,000 square feet (1,500 sq metres). His deputy will have to make do with a more modest 9,500 sq ft.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,329883673-103550,00....

...seeing this building is scheduled for completion in Sept.. and in the OP's article, Bush's directive just submitted is scheduled for guideline announcments in just 90 days, and Bush had given Blackwell's mercenarys permission to substitute for National Guard Troops on American Soil. There is definitely going to be a major incident somewhere thereabouts right around Labor Day or soon thereafter, that will qualify as catastrophic to the Nation which will be the trigger to kick in this new FEMA power Bush has just given himself.

The Fortress pictured above is the newly built American Embassy in Iraq. The perfect hideaway to protect our illustrious dictatorship until all the rebellious, disloyal citizenry are under control. imo, of course.