What would you do if you knew that your government had created underground shelters for at least 1/3 of the politicians to disappear into in case of a national disaster (example)? What would you think if during this time, parts of the American Constitution was suspended?
It's time you learned more.....I highly recommend you read my blog - Recommendation 666 - it's the same thing below for Europe.
G ~
Continuity of Government
Continuity of Government (COG) is the principle of establishing defined procedures that allow a government to continue its essential operations in case of a nuclear war or other catastrophic event. First developed by the British during World War Two to counter the threat of German aerial bombing to the functions of government, COG plans really took off during the Cold War when many countries developed them to avoid leaving a vacuum at any governmental level in the aftermath of a nuclear attack, which could lead to anarchy or to an unlawful assumption of authority.
The main points of such a plan in the United States are to suspend certain parts of the United States Constitution and to allow the alternative use of federal land and buildings (including use as internment camps) by FEMA for the housing/detention of US citizens as required, as well as any rescue/recovery operations. It also allows for power in the US to be centralized to the White House and "appointment of military commanders to run state and local governments and declaration of martial law".[1]
House Democrat Jack Brooks brought up the issue during the Iran-Contra Affair hearings. Try as he might, he was not able to get the answers to his questions from Col. Oliver North, (it had been reported in the Miami Herald that North had worked on such plans)[2] as he was repeatedly requested by the Chairman to refrain from discussing the issue and to request for a (non-public) executive session if he wanted to discuss the issue at all.
The Miami Herald article claims that the Continuity of Government plan can be invoked:
- ...in the event of a national crisis, such as nuclear war, violent and widespread internal dissent or national opposition to a U.S. military invasion abroad... {Later} ...insurrection or massive military mobilization[2]
Also,
- North, they recalled, was briefly assigned to carry the "football," the briefcase containing the secret contingency plans for fighting a nuclear war, which is taken everywhere the president goes. North later widened his assignment to cover national crisis contingency planning. In that capacity he became involved with the controversial national crisis plan drafted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.[2]
and,
- FEMA's clash with (Attorney General) Smith occurred over a secret contingency plan that called for suspension of the Constitution, turning control of the United States over to FEMA, appointment of military commanders to run state and local governments and declaration of martial law during a national crisis[2]
An article entitled Back to the Bunker written by William Arkin and published in the Washington Post on 5 June 2006 includes the following statements concerning Continuity of Government.
- Then came the terrorist attacks of the mid-1990s and the looming Y2K rollover, and suddenly continuity wasn't only for nuclear war anymore. On Oct. 21, 1998, President Bill Clinton signed Presidential Decision Directive 67,[3] "Enduring Constitutional Government and Continuity of Government Operations."
- After 9/11, The Washington Post reported that President Bush had set up a shadow government of about 100 senior civilian managers to live and work outside Washington on a rotating basis to ensure the continuity of national security. Since then, a program once focused on presidential succession and civilian control of U.S. nuclear weapons has been expanded to encompass the entire government.[4]
The 9/11 Commission report confirms the invocation:
- For the first time in history, all nonemergency civilian aircraft in the United States were grounded, stranding tens of thousands of passengers across the country. Contingency plans for the continuity of government and the evacuation of leaders had been implemented[5]
Some including Amy Goldstein and Juliet Eilperin, claim they can find no federal documents that state that the knowledge (and thus approval) of Congress is required in order to invoke Continuity of Government status. It appears they have a case as members of Congress were unaware that Bush had invoked Government Contingency plans after 9/11, until it was finally admitted in 2002.[6] There is no constitutional basis for the suspension of the constitution. However, there are provisions for the continuity of government to be maintained by relocation of government operations and personnel to remote areas. But these are totally distinct concepts. Unfortunately the report does not clarify whether the operations of government were decentralised, or whether the government purported to illegally suspend the constitution.
A number of books mention the plans, one is James Mann's 'Rise of the Vulcans':
- Rumsfeld and Cheney were principal figures in one of the most highly classified programs of the Reagan administration. Under it, the administration furtively carried out detailed planning exercises to establish a new American 'president' and his staff, outside and beyond the specifications of the U.S. Constitution ...(the program was) extralegal and extraconstitutional.[7]
Apparently the Legislative and Judiciary Branches of the US Government each have similar continuity plans. However, both require the Executive to notify them before they are activated. There appears to have been no notification following 9-11 to either the Congress or the United States Supreme Court until it was finally admitted to Congress in 2002.[8]
There is considerable confusion between the use of extra-constitutional powers and "martial law" in an emergency situation, and Continuity of Government as such. Continuity of Government properly refers to processes, systems, and infrastructure whereby Government control and communications can be maintained. They involve communications systems, operating procedures, delegation of responsibility, and emergency accommodation- including bunkers.
- Each facility is counterpart to its peacetime equivalent.