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evanharos

evanharos

I'm lost
May 2007

JUN 03, 2007 01:20 PM



With all the talk of future terrorist attacks, nuclear weapons and ecological disasters, we Americans have plenty to worry about. But now thanks to President Bush, one thing we don’t have to fret over is the continuity of our Constitutional Government.

With scarcely a mention in the mainstream media, President Bush has ordered up a plan for responding to a catastrophic attack. 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.



Anybody who paid attention in school (or "Schoolhouse Rock"wink knows the US Constitution mandates that the People be governed by three coequal branches of government (Executive, Legislative and Judicial) a system of checks and balances that despite all the problems is the oldest functioning constitutional government in the world at over 230 years. But that could change in case of a “catastrophic emergency” which is defined in the new document 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.”



Seems a bit open to interpretation but Attorney General Alberto Gonzales likely has it all worked out. NSPD 51’s main function is Continuity of Government and says that in the event of some major catastrophic event, whether it be a terrorist attack or some other disaster, the President has the power to take any action he wants despite the Congress and Supreme Court. This makes sense when thinking of a doomsday scenario where America gets nuked and civil society faces instability. But with the way this thing is worded, Homeland Security could take over the next time there’s a Playstation riot!

No need to get all conspiracy-stressed, its not as if this is the only Administration to feel a little of that Dr. Strangelove vibe. President Clinton issued a similar COG plan 1998 but Bush’s new directive makes the Clinton act null and void. Presumably Bush/Cheney have a better plan but naturally its a secret. One thing can be certain thanks to NSPD 51: if a major terrorist attack were to occur, say another 911 or even another Hurricane Katrina, the President now has the legal power to suspend the US Constitution in favor of “ensuring constitutional government.” That’s a relief!

punk

punk

Phoenix, AZ
January 2004

JUN 03, 2007 06:03 PM

No.

Cigarette

Cigarette

Cleveland, OH
April 2004

JUN 03, 2007 06:06 PM

evanharos said:
if a major terrorist attack were to occur, say another 911 or even another Hurricane Katrina...



Who perpetrated the Katrina attack? Al Qaeda? Dr. Wily? God?

Cassiel

Cassiel

Aurora, CO
September 2004

JUN 03, 2007 06:07 PM

...and all the loonies come outta the woodwork...Year Zero, man...

Bicycle_Samurai

Bicycle_Samurai

York, ON
September 2003

JUN 03, 2007 06:07 PM

Haha. You're shitting me.

Short

Short

Sacramento, CA
September 2005

JUN 03, 2007 06:07 PM

just when you thought the bush administration ran out of "worst ideas ever".

Formus

Formus

Milwaukee, WI
May 2007

JUN 03, 2007 06:16 PM

Wasn't this the basis of Emperor Palpatine's rise to power in Episode 3?

Zarth

zarth

Seattle, WA
December 2004

JUN 03, 2007 06:17 PM

Section 5 (a) reads, specifically, that one of the "National Essential Functions" that the President's duty is to maintain is explicitly identified as,

Ensuring the continued functioning of our form of government under the Constitution, including the functioning of the three separate branches of government.


Emphasis added.

Reading the document was pretty painful, but it doesn't look exceptionally sinister to me - this is nowhere near on the level of the Patriot Act, for instance. Nor is it on the level of the torture memos or domestic spying. The worst that could be said about it, really, is that it empowers a fantastically incompetent and unqualified executive to coordinate the national response to a severe crisis - and (well, this is probably the worst) to define what a "severe crisis" is.

Still, though, I certainly didn't read it as overturning the Constitution.

starguitar

starguitar

Canada
August 2004

JUN 03, 2007 06:26 PM

Cigarette said:

evanharos said:
if a major terrorist attack were to occur, say another 911 or even another Hurricane Katrina...



Who perpetrated the Katrina attack? Al Qaeda? Dr. Wily? God?



Doesn't matter: "...any incident, regardless of location..."

emotedcreations

emotedcreations

Germany
July 2006

JUN 03, 2007 06:27 PM

Despite Zarth's well reasoned response:

ButtBoi

ButtBoi

Boulder, CO
August 2006

JUN 03, 2007 06:32 PM

Presidential Decision Directive 67 (PDD 67) issued by president Clinton, of which the text of PDD-67 has not been released, and there is no White House Factsheet summarizing its provisions, was classified to a greater extent than President Bushes plan. The only difference between the 2 documents seems to be that PDD 67 was based on a pre 911 world situation.

Nothing to see here folks, move along.

Zarth

zarth

Seattle, WA
December 2004

JUN 03, 2007 06:34 PM

starguitar said:

Cigarette said:

evanharos said:
if a major terrorist attack were to occur, say another 911 or even another Hurricane Katrina...


Who perpetrated the Katrina attack? Al Qaeda? Dr. Wily? God?


Doesn't matter: "...any incident, regardless of location..."


As much as I hate to agree with someone called ButtBoi,

(2) (b) "Catastrophic Emergency" means 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 functions.


Insofar as with a disaster on the scale of Katrina or even 9/11, the President can already declare a state of emergency and deal with those mechanisms in place, it's fair to assume that Section 2 (b) there refers to exactly what it says it's referring to - something genuinely apocalyptic, like a nuclear strike.

MrCrisp

MrCrisp

I'm lost
August 2004

JUN 03, 2007 06:36 PM

wow, i just got into an argument with my republican roommate about this.

him: "so that means, if he bypasses the 3-branch system that he can make decisions faster."
me: "yeah, but it's more complex than that."
him: "how is it more complex? it's faster."
me: "there's more to it than it just being faster."
him: "didn't you just agree that it was faster?"
me: "yes, it's faster, but that's not all."
him: "what the fuck are you talking about? how could it be more than that?"
me: "'bypassing' the 3-branch system is basically ignoring the constitution and the democratic process to put himself in complete control of the government. that's a dictatorship, isn't it?"
him: "yeah, but it's faster."
me: "fine, yeah, it's faster, but there's more."
him (yelling now): "how can there be more to it if it's faster? who cares about anything else? it's faster! he gets to do what he wants, what's so bad about that?"
me: "you're completely missing the point!"
him: "no, you are! it's faster, what else does it matter?"

holy shit, are all republicans this simpleminded and obnoxious? blackeyed

Zarth

zarth

Seattle, WA
December 2004

JUN 03, 2007 06:39 PM

MrCrisp said:
wow, i just got into an argument with my republican roommate about this.

him: "so that means, if he bypasses the 3-branch system that he can make decisions faster."
me: "yeah, but it's more complex than that."
him: "how is it more complex? it's faster."
me: "there's more to it than it just being faster."
him: "didn't you just agree that it was faster?"
me: "yes, it's faster, but that's not all."
him: "what the fuck are you talking about? how could it be more than that?"
me: "'bypassing' the 3-branch system is basically ignoring the constitution and the democratic process to put himself in complete control of the government. that's a dictatorship, isn't it?"
him: "yeah, but it's faster."
me: "fine, yeah, it's faster, but there's more."
him (yelling now): "how can there be more to it if it's faster? who cares about anything else? it's faster! he gets to do what he wants, what's so bad about that?"
me: "you're completely missing the point!"
him: "no, you are! it's faster, what else does it matter?"

holy shit, are all republicans this simpleminded and obnoxious? blackeyed


He's not bypassing it, though - at least not on the basis of the document itself. The fact that your roommate supports a dictatorship (which this directive does not establish) bodes far more ill for the future of democracy in this country than the directive itself.

Oh, and no. Not all. Just most. Some are smart and obnoxious.

MrCrisp

MrCrisp

I'm lost
August 2004

JUN 03, 2007 06:43 PM

if i hear the word "faster" one more time, my head is going to explode.

Zarth

zarth

Seattle, WA
December 2004

JUN 03, 2007 06:45 PM

Faster?

emotedcreations

emotedcreations

Germany
July 2006

JUN 03, 2007 06:46 PM

But it's faster!

Zarth

zarth

Seattle, WA
December 2004

JUN 03, 2007 06:46 PM

But is it faster?

attn_ho

attn_ho

Brooklyn, NY
February 2004

JUN 03, 2007 06:54 PM

im sure glad its not lent.

im not much of a faster.

MrCrisp

MrCrisp

I'm lost
August 2004

JUN 03, 2007 06:54 PM

faster is better?

Zarth

zarth

Seattle, WA
December 2004

JUN 03, 2007 06:55 PM

Well, it's faster.

MrCrisp

MrCrisp

I'm lost
August 2004

JUN 03, 2007 06:59 PM

so no matter what the decider lays down, it's better because it's faster?

Taban

Taban

Oklahoma City, OK
September 2005

JUN 03, 2007 07:01 PM

Formus said:
Wasn't this the basis of Emperor Palpatine's rise to power in Episode 3?



Bush = Sith Lord..

makes sense to me

emotedcreations

emotedcreations

Germany
July 2006

JUN 03, 2007 07:02 PM

faster!

Zarth

zarth

Seattle, WA
December 2004

JUN 03, 2007 07:02 PM

MrCrisp said:
so no matter what the decider lays down, it's better because it's faster?


It's faster, what else does it matter?

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