If Catastrophic Emergency Should Occur, Bush Wants Full Control of Federal Government

This piece of news is not surprising at all as we are all familiar with President Bush's enormous appetite for power and control. What is surprising is the lack of response and/or reaction from the media to this alarming piece of news.

The Framers designed our system of government with the knowledge that there never was a democracy that did not commit suicide. During a time when distractions were few and politics were almost a form of entertainment the way sports are today, the Framers were well aware of the importance of a vigilant, informed and educated citizenry to maintain what they created. Considering the technological advances that have taken place since that time, it's amazing our republic is still in existence but it's only a matter of time before this "timeless" masterpiece, our Constitution, is destroyed if we continue to ignore what our leaders are up to.

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.”

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.” Read more...