I've liked some of the replies I've gotten on this thread so far, and seen some pretty poor replies from people who seem to think I know nothing of
how the nation works or how the Presidency is run, as well as suggesting that the Constitution will hold no matter what. However, since the detractors
have made a point of being so nasty and arrogant in their perspectives, I've taken some time to do some reading on all things having to do with some
of the perspectives I was mentioning in regards to the original post.
While the original intent of the first post was just more or less a proverbial "what if?" situation, some people know some of this while others do
not. Instead of stating any one person in any way, I'll just re-state the original point of the post with a few links to articles I had read before
on Wikipedia.
Wikipedia : Directive 51
Directive 51 holds that under an act of "National Emergency" that the United States can be transitioned away from the usual Executive, Judicial, and
Legislative branches of Government through the seperation of powers into what is referred to as an "Enduring Constitutional Government", without
Congressional oversight. While this sounds fairly safe and still under the usual terms of how Government operates, it is not in the least the same, as
it breaks away from Constitutional Law because it does not allow that the three branches of Government are equal, since the President can effectively
declare a Catastrophic Emergency and does not specificy who has the power to declare this Catastrophic Emergency over and done with.
Parts of Directive 51 are open for the public, while other parts are not, under the guise of "National Security Concerns", which means they do not
have to tell a soul who isn't supposed to know, including U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio who is also on the Homeland Security Committee. Seeing as
this is a member of Congress, and he's on the appropriate committee, and they will not allow him to see the undisclosed portions, this should alarm
any American citizen.
If you go and read for yourself the Wikipedia link I supplied, you will also notice that there's the "See Also" area, which are things that are
related to to this particular entry, and you will notice the following areas you might want to peruse on your own :
*
Continuity of Government
Continuity of Government, notice the verbage, the continuity of government. Nowhere is it mentioned about the continuity of society.
*
Continuity of Operations Plan
A sub-branch of C.O.G., and even more details of the program.
*
National Emergencies Act
The name says it all, or it should. Investigate it for yourself.
*
Presidential Directive
These are the President's Directives, most of these are classified, but are in essence similar to a law being signed into place, without
Congressional oversight.
*
Posse Comitatus Act
This is the act which holds that no United States military can act as a Law Enforcement agency, with exception to a National Disaster. While
organizations like Blackwater, Kroll, Dyn Corp, Triple Canopy, and any other "private military contractor" companies, essentially mercenaries, are
active, they are acting as a conduit towards bypassing the Posse Comitatus Act, with a lesser means than direct "Law Enforcement duties" while they
are acting as escorts of dignataries overseas and relief efforts like when Blackwater was in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
*
State of Emergency
This one states what constitutes a "state of emergency" for the President to utilize, if he were to decide to declare such.
*
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Homeland Security was formed shortly after September 11, 2001. What most people do not know however, is that
Tom Ridge, the first director of Homeland Security, during the Vietnam War, was operating in
Operation Phoenix, a highly controversial program for neutralizing Vietcong. Do your own
research through the link I provided, and come to your own interpretation.
*
Main Core
A database which has been kept on American citizens, numbering up to 8 million, which has financial and personal information, which is collected and
stored without court orders or warrants, since the 1980's, before the actual declaration of the War on Terror, for citizens who may be deemed as
possible threats during a time of crisis.
Add to all of this that President Bush has utilized what is called a
Signing
Statement to modify laws after he has signed them into effect, which effectively alters and or adds an addendum to the law he has signed. It is
speculated that he has done this up to 750 times since stepping into office in the beginning of his first term of Presidency.
This is in essence a major power grab on the part of the President, in trying to make the office of the highest elected official more powerful every
time he has done this.
By the way, when I speak of anything Presidential, it is not because of any hatred of a President, although I may have expressed this in the past, I
loathe politicians in general, it is because I have thoroughly done my research on such, and it has been suggested over one thousand times now that I
should run for the office of President.
Each and every time, I have laughed, and stated these people must not like me very much, because they know my perspective on politicians.
Never trust a politician to do for you, what you can do for yourself, ever.
If a politician says to trust in them, they are about to rob you blind.
Here's an interesting addition to this thread, about Blackwater going back to New Orleans for Hurrican Gustav, recruting current Law Enforcement into
the fold of "private military contractors" :
Blackwater Going Back To New Orleans
Yes, this all is relevant to the upcoming election, in one way or another.
If someone is in doubt of this, please state your questions, and I'll make it clearer.
[edit on 2-9-2008 by SpartanKingLeonidas]