Nbadan
01-10-2005, 05:32 PM
By Noelle Straub
Sunday, January 9, 2005
WASHINGTON - With no fanfare, the U.S. House has passed a controversial doomsday provision that would allow a handful of lawmakers to run Congress if a terrorist attack or major disaster killed or incapacitated large numbers of congressmen.
`I think (the new rule) is terrible in a whole host of ways - first, I think it's unconstitutional,'' said Norm Ornstein, a counselor to the independent Continuity of Government Commission, a bipartisan panel created to study the issue. ``It's a very foolish thing to do, I believe, and the way in which it was done was more foolish.''
But supporters say the rule provides a stopgap measure to allow the government to continue functioning at a time of national crisis.
GOP House leaders pushed the provision as part of a larger rules package that drew attention instead for its proposed ethics changes, most of which were dropped. ...
Boston Herald (http://news.bostonherald.com/politics/view.bg?articleid=62564)
The Republicans can declare this plan in effect even if some of the Congress members just can't get there because of practically any reason.
Imagine some sort of attack or threat of attack during a holiday when lots of Congress is out of Washington. 'The chosen' would have warning so they could get to Washington, and could act with the force of law before the Democrats could arrive. Civil rights could be suspended and martial law declared in a matter of hours.
Between this report, and the 'less terrorists chatter' article recently, maybe we ought to be anticipating a 'terra attack'?
Post-democracy America is here. The Constitution is history.
Welcome to shadow government.
Sunday, January 9, 2005
WASHINGTON - With no fanfare, the U.S. House has passed a controversial doomsday provision that would allow a handful of lawmakers to run Congress if a terrorist attack or major disaster killed or incapacitated large numbers of congressmen.
`I think (the new rule) is terrible in a whole host of ways - first, I think it's unconstitutional,'' said Norm Ornstein, a counselor to the independent Continuity of Government Commission, a bipartisan panel created to study the issue. ``It's a very foolish thing to do, I believe, and the way in which it was done was more foolish.''
But supporters say the rule provides a stopgap measure to allow the government to continue functioning at a time of national crisis.
GOP House leaders pushed the provision as part of a larger rules package that drew attention instead for its proposed ethics changes, most of which were dropped. ...
Boston Herald (http://news.bostonherald.com/politics/view.bg?articleid=62564)
The Republicans can declare this plan in effect even if some of the Congress members just can't get there because of practically any reason.
Imagine some sort of attack or threat of attack during a holiday when lots of Congress is out of Washington. 'The chosen' would have warning so they could get to Washington, and could act with the force of law before the Democrats could arrive. Civil rights could be suspended and martial law declared in a matter of hours.
Between this report, and the 'less terrorists chatter' article recently, maybe we ought to be anticipating a 'terra attack'?
Post-democracy America is here. The Constitution is history.
Welcome to shadow government.