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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.
What would we say if this were Clinton?
It will be--eventually.
This sucks.
It is something that we as a nation should be prepared for....but it needs the input of all three branches of government...if they are capable of discussing it.
Bush has gotten to completely out of control, I’m starting to miss Clinton.
Get ready for planet X.
lol
Are you serious?
LOL!
ominous, if a democrat were to issue an EO along the likes of this, there would be howls of protest here.
I recall the latter days of the clinton presidency when this website was rife with rumours and handwringing over clintons “imminent” power grab...along with EOs, FEMA, and civilian detention centers
I know, don’t tell me, it is a different world now and the adults are now in charge, not to worry.
“Corsi says the president can assume the power to direct any and all government and business activities until the emergency is declared over. “
Corsi has been so out on the edge recently, I can barely seem him. I don’t know if I would believe much unless a lot of reputable sources back him up.
I’m not saying he is lying or anything, some of the stuff I’m hearing would take a bit of research to confirm. Is he angling for Art Bell’s audience?
So many conspiracies and too little time...
That is not how you should look at this.
We should say the same thing; NO!
Probably what the democrats are saying now.
Laying the foundation for the Hildabeast?
There was a thread posted yesterday that linked to the document itself. Posted on the White House website. Corsi's fallen off the edge.
& The White House declined to comment on the order.
Hummmmmmmm... Indeed, I say, taking a break from the salt mines.
That is always the problem with what this congers up...
If we suddenly found the Islamic Terrorists/North Korea/Hugo Chavez/etc... had nuked DC and a few other cities and/or set off one 100 miles up over the Midwest, causing widespread loss of all power via the nuclear EMP, we would need fast, firm action.
While I do not always agree with W, I would follow his orders whether the Dems cried unconstitutional or not.
A Benign Dictatorship has always been touted as the most efficient form of government even when fully recognizing that absolute power corrupts absolutely...
In that light, I would not blindly obey anything I could not do in my own good conscious. Of course, a lot of what I consider in my own good conscious would make any liberal Democrat squirm, sweat and smell like 5 pounds of manure squeezed into a two pound sack.
That aside, authority like this is only as good as the authority applying it. With just about any Conservative Republican hereabouts, I could follow their lead. However, just about any and all the Dems (outside Zell Miller or Joe Lieberman) and RINOs I consider just a hair above the Islamic Terrorists/North Korea/Hugo Chavez/etc...
The main thing that bothers me about this is the parts I posted above. This was done not in secret, but it was done very, very low key. And neither the Demos nor the Drive By Media have jumped on it. That makes me sweat a little...
What do they know we don't know...
It makes me a little jumpy as I expect we are due another hit. We have not done all we can to either win this war or protect our borders and even with the best of intentions, we have to be 100 percent alert 100 percent of the time and be at the right place at the right time each and every time. Our foes have to be in the right place at the right time only once...
I live 56 miles south of Dallas and during the cold war I knew the prevailing winds would blow the fallout from a DFW nuke blast right down my alley. I am having that same fear once more...
Okay, now I must get back to sorting, packing and whatsnot...
Wonder what Congress would have said about Truman just before the big bomb went off.
Other than a few minor victories here and there, Bush has done nothing but disappoint. His ridiculously weak leadership is destroying the Republican Party.
You think 2006 sucked? Wait 'til 2008. The Dems will probably own the House, Senate and Presidency, and the brunt of that slaughter of conservatism will be laid at the feet of the fickle leadership George Bush.
How did eels get into the discussion?
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They were not his to grant.. per the 10th amendment. All powers not granted to the government by the constitution reside with the people.
If you recall, when Clinton was President, the GOP Congress had principle, and argued our cause forcefully in the government and in public. We defeated socialist health care, and almost closed down many government programs. If Clinton was president, this immigration bill would not be happening, the medicare bill would not have happened, etc. Because the congress would have argued forcefully against it and won in the eye of the public. Clinton would have demurred for fear of losing popular support.
Now we just have a bunch of big government jackasses all around.
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