Bush's Continuity Of Operations Plan Casts An Ominous Shadow

Toogood Reports ^ | Wednesday, March 6, 2002 | Lee R. Shelton IV

[tberry]

Bush's Continuity Of Operations Plan Casts An Ominous Shadow

Lee R. Shelton IV

Are you a conspiracy theorist? Have you long been a critic of big government? Amid reports that there is a "shadow government" operating in secret, are you enjoying that rare but pleasurable sensation known as vindication, or are your palms sweating profusely while you desperately search for a secure phone line to call Fox Mulder and Art Bell?

Yes, it´s true. The Bush administration has dispatched a shadow government of about 75 to 100 senior civilian managers, and it is currently operating out of an undisclosed location along the East Coast.

This clandestine group — a product of Cold War-era paranoia — has officially been functioning since the grim, early hours of September 11. It seems that with the lack of communist superpowers in the world and the apparent demise of Soviet expansionism, the fear of terrorist attacks has supplanted the fear of nuclear annihilation.

There are many professing conservatives who think this is a stroke of genius on the part of the president. I imagine their reasoning to be, "A covert government acting as a back-up in case something happens to the current government? Wonderful! Absolutely brilliant! Now we can rest easy knowing that our bloated government in Washington will remain firmly intact. That Osama guy thought he had us on the ropes but we'll show him!" Or something like that.

According to President Bush, this extraconstitutional entity is part of a Continuity of Operations Plan, vital to the survival of the nation. He told reporters in Iowa, "I have an obligation as the president and my administration has an obligation to the American people to put measures in place that should somebody be successful in attacking Washington there is an ongoing government."

But the president left out one important fact: a secret, back-up government is unnecessary, if not unconstitutional. We already have a procedure to follow should something ever happen to the president and other high-ranking executive officers.

As it stands now, the succession of the presidency is as follows: the vice president, the Speaker of the House, the president pro tempore of the Senate, and then the heads of the various executive cabinets, based on the dates their offices were established. So you see, a "Continuity of Operations Plan" already exists. We don´t need some underground organization calling the shots.

"But," some would argue, "there are executive cabinet officers on rotating shifts in this so-called shadow government. This is merely a precaution to ensure that someone is ready to step up and fill the role of president if necessary."

According to a Washington Post report , "the underground government would try to contain disruptions of the nation's food and water supplies, transportation links, energy and telecommunications networks, public health, and civil order." This indicates that the "underground government" is more than just a method of preserving the rules of succession. We have every reason to believe that this is a fully functioning arm of the executive branch, and that it is ready to step in and take over in the event of a national crisis, bypassing constitutional restrictions.

The very fact that there are people who firmly believe that we actually need a back-up federal government should raise a red flag among concerned citizens. The federal government — the very government that failed to protect us from the devastating terrorist attacks in the first place — is not the most valuable resource we have as a nation. To treat it like something that needs to be protected at all costs is an insult to the legacy of our forefathers who fought against the idea of a self-perpetuating central government. Our main concern is to preserve the spirit of freedom as set forth in the Constitution, not to ensure the existence of a burgeoning bureaucracy.

Let´s look at it realistically. If every single member of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches were eliminated in one, terrible incident, would there be complete and utter chaos? Hardly. The Constitution would still be the law of the land and the responsibility of maintaining it would fall upon the people of the United States. Federal vacancies would be quickly filled and order would subsequently be restored. Sound impossible? Remember, following our secession from the British Empire we had to start from scratch. Implementing a government such as the one envisioned by the founders was a relatively new idea at the time.

If we have reached the point where a temporary cessation of government activity at the federal level would mean the end of the United States of America, then we are in worse shape than I imagined. Would a fresh start in Washington really be all that bad for this country?

March 6, 2002

[Jen]

Speaking of ominous (and odious) shadows...

Two, four, six, eight!
Do you appreciate --
Free Republic?

The longer the FReepathon lasts, the longer you'll see me! Oh the horror! Donate now. Do it 'for the children.'

Have a Heart! Do Your Part!

[NMC EXP]

The "Continuity of Government" program came into being at the same time as the Civil Defense program. The COG has gotten bigger. Civil Defense died long before the Soviet Union did. The message is clear; the ruling class is not expendable, the peasants are.

Reminds me of the amended version of the animal's constitution in Orwell's 'Animal Farm'; "All animals are created equal...but some are more equal than others".

If the Dr Strangelove scenario comes to pass, I wonder if the ruling class has a plan as to just who they will tax to support themselves when they emerge from their bunker to a world without peasants?

Regards

J.R.

[sinkspur]

Shelton is a simpleton.

Comparing the United States now to the United States in the 18th century is beyond ignorant.

If Shelton doesn't know what "Continuity of Operations" means, he should look on the Internet.

It's not the tinfoil version he would like to believe.

Now you know why he's considered a "KOOK".

[Grampa Dave]

Your comments about this pyscho who dreams about the end of America as per his comments: Would a fresh start in Washington really be all that bad for this country?

Let me translate what this creep is really saying, "I and my miserable followers hate America and would like to see it destroyed to make us feel good!"

80% of Americans believe in America and our President as he works to keep the Islamic murderers from killing our families and destroying America.

We will improve America, not wish for its destruction.

This so called article could have been written by Tommy Da$$hole. Probably the same anti America think tank wrote it for both of these losers in life!