The "National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive," with the dual designation of NSPD-51, as a National Security Presidential Directive, and HSPD-20, as a Homeland Security Presidential Directive, establishes under the office of president a new National Continuity Coordinator.
Click on the link and read what this means. Some highlights for those who hate politico speak:
- "National Essential Functions" of all federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal governments, as well as private sector organizations to continue functioning under the president's directives in the event of a national emergency.
- The president, and he alone, will determine when a catastrophic incident has occurred and he can take over all government functions and direct all private sector activities to ensure we will emerge from the emergency with an "enduring constitutional government."
- This directive supersedes the National Emergency Act by creating the new position of National Continuity Coordinator without any specific act of Congress authorizing the position. In essence, the President has taken the oversight of Congress out of the equation.
- This directive makes no reference whatsoever to Congress. The language of the May 9 directive appears to negate any a requirement that the president submit to Congress a determination that a national emergency exists, suggesting instead that the powers of the executive order can be implemented without any congressional approval or oversight.
- The President makes the determination as to when an incident exists that qualifies as catastrophic, i.e. 9/11 or Katrina, and also decides when the danger is over thereby relinquishing his near dictatorial powers.
Bush can declare this anytime, for any reason he wants (all he has to do is decide something is catastrophic and poof), without Congressional oversight, with the ability to control all government and private institutions until he deems the danger is over.
Historically, can anyone provide an example of a leader being granted this level of power and then relinquishing them? The last leader that I know of to be granted this power was Castro when he argued that until the threat from the USA was over, he would assume emergency powers. He has yet to relinquish those powers.
"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;" This can be interpreted many ways, and "extraordinary levels of mass casualties" could mean the amount in 9/11 or the amount in the recent Tornado devastation in Kansas, its up to the President to decide.
Bush once said that being a dictator would be easier. We all thought he was joking, well I guess the jokes on us. Let's all hope we don't have a "Catastrophic Emergency". Ever. Or else our freedoms are history.
