Man if thats all it takes, you better get some good talc for this one.
http://infowars.com/articles/ps/bush_nspd51_gives_bush_dictatorial_power.htm
Given the number of running threads about US federal leadership and policy, could we have a discussion about **states** charging sales tax for internet purchases? Too late. Been hijacked.
And oh my, why did I even bother to follow the link? Did anyone read the directive? Actually, there's no need to. The experts wailing about "dictatorial powers" cite this as evidence of conspiracy and doom:
e) "Enduring Constitutional Government," or "ECG," means a cooperative effort among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the Federal Government, coordinated by the President, as a matter of comity with respect to the legislative and judicial branches and with proper respect for the constitutional separation of powers among the branches, to preserve the constitutional framework under which the Nation is governed and the capability of all three branches of government to execute constitutional responsibilities and provide for orderly succession, appropriate transition of leadership, and interoperability and support of the National Essential Functions during a catastrophic emergency;"
Yup, during a catastrophic emergency the President coordinates a cooperative efforts among the three branches and with proper respect for the separation of powers. He's president. Perhaps they should name me to coordinate instead.
The above comes from the definitions. From the first part of policy, we read:
(3) It is the policy of the United States to maintain a comprehensive and effective continuity capability composed of Continuity of Operations and Continuity of Government programs in order to ensure the preservation of our form of government under the Constitution and the continuing performance of National Essential Functions under all conditions.
The federal government has a policy of keeping disaster plans. This is good.
Implementation Actions
(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.
...a) Ensuring the continued functioning of our form of government under the Constitution, including the functioning of the three separate branches of government;
(b) Providing leadership visible to the Nation and the world and maintaining the trust and confidence of the American people;
(c) Defending the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and preventing or interdicting attacks against the United States or its people, property, or interests;
A fine plan, says I.
Our federal government has a disaster plan. Better still, the feds think it's a good idea to update that plan to account for new realities. All organizations should have a
well maintained and updated disaster plan. Disaster plans are good. In my experience I have found most government and corporate disaster plans to be fairly useless because they were written when dinosaurs roamed freely. Sometime after said dinosaurs became extinct, those organizations ceased to follow stipulated preparation procedures. When needed, the plan has not been updated since those dinosaurs became oil. Disaster comes. Preparation is non-existent. Plan is out of date.
For those keeping score at home, George Bush did not invent disaster plans. Remember "Looking Glass?" If not see Wikipedia. Were there to be a disaster and no plan to be implemented, whom would we blame? Well, the local officials in Mississippi squandered all money, time and effort that could have been devoted to preparing for the disaster they eventually received. Who took the blame? Again, for those keeping score at home, how many natural disasters -- of same or greater magnitude of Katrina -- required an equal or greater amount of outside support effort? Preparation and planning in Mississippi would have saved much.
Well-planned and well-maintained disaster plans are not only good, but they are also prudent. Please read the entire directive. It's not very long, and it seems to be a fairly well thought out plan -- with many aspects that deal with the nature of current threats. The directive certainly seems much better than other corporate and government disaster plans I've seen. Nevertheless, I'll wager -- and I hope I'm wrong -- that the directive itself will largely go unread amongst the discussion here.
Lastly, here's the Cliff Notes answer in response to the breathless question posed as to who decides what is a "catastrophic emergency." In a matter of dispute, the Supreme Court does. Always has.
Burmashave. Out.
