WTF?? Presidential Directive 51: President Bush Can Cancel Elections ('Continuity of Operations')

[No Passaran]

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070509-12.html?pd51

Can this really happen?

[Submariner]

1. I'd like to see that asshole try it

We'll be rioting in the streets and we can then personally hand the little f**ker over to the Hague.

[No Passaran]

2. economy

(b) "Catastrophic Emergency" means 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;

[ailsagirl]

3. Yes-- he can shut down the whole country if he deems it necessary

I remember learning this during the 2004 election and it was very scary stuff

[jtrockville]

4. Bush demonstrated countless times: HE CAN DO ANYTHING HE WANTS

And there will be no consequences.

I think we're all very fortunate that he seems to have lost interest in being President of the United States.

[No Passaran]

7. Yes, but

Is he ready to hand it over to Barack Obama? If McCain can't win and polls keep showing that, will he try to "steal" it away?

[jtrockville]

11. I honestly don't think he cares about it. The RNC on the other hand...

will/IS trying to steal it. Bet your life on it.

[old mark]

28. After all, god wanted him to be president,

and Palin is annointed by god as well....

And they are all crazy enough to believe that shit.
mark

[UnrepentantUnitarian]

5. That's when our inherent duty to rise up and right the wrongs would be...

...unavoidable.

[Winterblues]

6. I didn't think there were any Federal elections.

I thought all elections were state or municiple even if they are for Federal positions.. It would be up to the state to cancel or adjust their election..

[Orrex]

8. Hell, why doesn't he just go whole hog and pick his successor?

Save the taxpayers a lot of money and effort during these economically troubling times.

[tekisui]

9. He may think he can, but he cannot.

We would revolt.

[Subdivisions]

12. You think? How many fat asses do you think will tear themselves

away from teevee and video games and American Idol and Survivor and The Amazing Race and the ball game and...

[tekisui]

18. Enough.

If the election wee canceled, hell would break loose. It would come from those who have little to nothing to lose, and number in the plenty.

[Subdivisions]

10. Yes. And now, with the deployment of the 1st CBT, 3rd ID to their

new domestic mission (whatever that is), the coup that began in 2000 is complete (Naomi Wolf). He can now do whatever he wants and if you don't like it he'll send soldiers/Blackwater/SWAT to your door and take you away - never to be heard from again. If he so chooses.

[No Passaran]

16. 1st BCT, 3rd ID is here

[Subdivisions]

20. Theyr'e in Virginia Beach? HOLY SHIT!

I'm going to be moving there soon.

I thought they were in Ft. Stewart. Anyways, their new mission is an assignment to NorthCom and they will be training and responding to civil unrest, crowd control, biological/nuclear/terrorist attacks, etc.

You know, the violent stuff we see within our borders on a daily basis...?

[No Passaran]

21. I didn't mean VA BEach

I meant US Soil. I was part of 3rd ID for six years and was very interested in this story about 1st BCT

[Subdivisions]

23. Was it your post I read that described this particular unit - about how

they are killers and mission-centric?

[No Passaran]

27. I don't know

Only one battalion out of 1st BCT I didn't like. And I remember right after OIF I my commander telling a psychiatrist (who came to see all of us as a group right before we redeployed) that he thought they were criminals.

3rd ID as a division is one honorable unit.

[catgirl]

13. Georgia-Russia conflict

Notice how they (Bush, Cheney, Rove and McCain) created the Russian/Georgia conflict? And how
McCain keeps bringing up Georgia and the Ukraine? Rove vacationed in Georgia and Cheney just
recently visited there. Also, Palin has met with some of their officials (so now she's an expert who
can handle these conflicts, not to mention having inside knowledge of Russia).

My bet is they will start another war, or at least a crisis that will exclude Obama, but include
McCain and Palin. Yikes.

[CitizenPatriot]

14. y'all this is a different one than the Martial Law directive

this was put into place in May of 07.

Pause.

Think about that.

And sadly, it does not seem as if the states wouldn't be in charge of the election. He supersedes all other branches of govt in this case. ALL.

[KamaAina]

15. Actually, it would be the "National Continuity Coordinator" who would do that

And just who, you might ask, is the "National Continuity Coordinator"?

6) The President shall lead the activities of the Federal Government for ensuring constitutional government. In order to advise and assist the President in that function, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism (APHS/CT) is hereby designated as the National Continuity Coordinator.

Um, okay, so who's the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism?

This is where things get weird. The answer: No one. The post has been vacant for nearly a year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeland_Security_Council

The Homeland Security Council, similar in nature to the National Security Council, retains a policy coordination and advisory role and is led by the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism. That role was occupied by Frances Fragos Townsend, who announced her resignation on November 19, 2007. Her position is currently vacant.

Feeling any safer? :scared:

[No Passaran]

17. Why did she resign?

[KamaAina]

24. Unclear; it may be that she was after Alberto Gonzales' AG job

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Fragos_Townsend#Career

In late 2007, her name was floated as a possible replacement for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Townsend resigned her post on November 19, 2007. In her resignation letter, Townsend paid tribute to President Bush by saying: "In 1937, the playwright Maxwell Anderson wrote of President George Washington: 'There are some men who lift the age they inhabit, til all men walk on higher ground in their lifetime.' Mr. President, you are such a man."

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[Dukkha]

19. I think he wants to leave now

he spends most of his time out of country, his own party doesn't want him campaigning for them, he's even more apathetic and lethargic in hIs presidential duties than ususal. It may have finally sunken in to him that nobody cares what he thinks and now he just wants to go home to Crawford and get drunk and play the Wii.

[KamaAina]

22. I didn't know there was a brush-clearing game for the Wii

Sounds cool. I'll have to get that. :P

[damntexdem]

25. Better not.

What a mess this country would be -- even worse than now.

[SmokingJacket]

26. If something truly awful and spectacular happened, a majority of people

would go along with it. 9-11 got the guy a 90% approval rating -- or at least 90% of people who were unwilling to criticize him -- and he didn't have to do a thing but fly around the country on his plane.

He wouldn't get that many people the second time around, but he could get 60% for at least a little while.

[ddeclue]

29. ABSOLUTELY NOT!

The Constitution explicitly defines the election process and dates - the President has NO powers in Article II Section 2 to change or ignore that - he can say whatever he wants but he has no real power to do that. If he tries he needs to be impeached and removed for violating his oath of office and creating a Constitutional crisis and abuse of power.

Remember that we've never "cancelled" an election in our history including: 1862 and 1864 during the Civil War, 1932, 1934, 1936, 1938, 1940, 1942, and 1944 during the Great Depression and World War II or 1950 and 1952 during the Korean War or 1962 (Cuban Missile Crisis in October!), 1964, 1966, 1968, 1970 or 1972 during the Vietnam War and Civil Rights violence.

Doug D.

[blues90]

30. All I can say is that directive 51 was created for some reason

was it to instill fear as a control tactic at the time it was created or does it have a purpose beyond this and an actual goal set to act upon date un-certain?