Posted on 05/23/2007 7:00:50 AM PDT by cbkaty
LAW OF THE LAND
Order for emergencies apparently gives authority without congressional oversight
President Bush has signed an executive order granting extraordinary powers to the office of the president in the event of a declared national emergency, apparently without congressional approval or oversight.
The order was signed May 9 without any announcement, says Jerome R. Corsi in a WND column.
Titled, "National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive," it was issued with the dual designation of NSPD-51, as a National Security Presidential Directive, and HSPD-20, as a Homeland Security Presidential Directive.
The order establishes under the office of the president a new national continuity coordinator whose job is to make plans for "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.
"Catastrophic emergency" is loosely defined 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 functions."
Corsi says the president can assume the power to direct any and all government and business activities until the emergency is declared over.
The executive order says the assistant to the president for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, currently Frances Fragos Townsend, would be designated as the national continuity coordinator.
Corsi says the executive order makes no attempt to reconcile the powers created for the national continuity coordinator with the National Emergency Act, which requires that such proclamation "shall immediately be transmitted to the Congress and published in the Federal Register."
A Congressional Research Service study notes the National Emergency Act sets up Congress as a balance empowered to "modify, rescind, or render dormant" such emergency authority if Congress believes the president has acted inappropriately.
But the new executive order appears to supersede the National Emergency Act by creating the new position of national continuity coordinator without any specific act of Congress authorizing the position, Corsi says.
The order also makes no reference to Congress and its language appears to negate any a requirement that the president submit to Congress a determination that a national emergency exists.
It suggests instead that the powers of the executive order can be implemented without any congressional approval or oversight.
Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke affirmed to Corsi the Homeland Security Department would implement the requirements of the order under Townsend's direction.
The White House declined to comment on the order.
Dear God this is the frame work for the end of the Republic.
WTF is he thinking?
But, even in the Cold War, there wasn’t a policy like this. There were plans for the POTUS and members of Congress to evacuate to a secure location to provide at least a Rump version of the three branches. This is something like the old Roman’s had, with out the time limit.
IF there is such an attack, and it can be shown, or even can be persuasively suggested, that it came through the Southern borders, one of two things will happen.
1) Dictatorship or "new world order"
2) Utter destruction of RINOs for 40 or 50 years.
But the order could be due to an impending attack on Iran, and he knows of the sleeper cells; or due to imminent H5N1 "avian flu"...
NO cheers, unfortunately.
Bush Swallows.
LOL!
“What would we say if this were Clinton?”
Let’s all work hard to ensure that it’s not Clinton.
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