Military Coup’s are unfamiliar territory in the United States, but with President Bush in office one may be just around the corner. In May of 2007 President Bush signed into law a presidential directive that gives him the power to declare a state of emergency in the United States and establish martial law without the consent of Congress. Under section 2E we get this:

“(e) “Enduring Constitutional Government,” or “ECG,” means a cooperative effort among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the Federal Government, coordinated by the President, as a matter of comity with respect to the legislative and judicial branches and with proper respect for the constitutional separation of powers among the branches, to preserve the constitutional framework under which the Nation is governed and the capability of all three branches of government to execute constitutional responsibilities and provide for orderly succession, appropriate transition of leadership, and interoperability and support of the National Essential Functions during a catastrophic emergency;”

The statement I highlighted gives the power to the President to direct the entire nation, suspend elections, habeas corpus, declare martial law and surveil the American people. Comity is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as:

1. An atmosphere of social harmony.
2. See comity of nations.
3. The principle by which the courts of one jurisdiction may accede or give effect to the laws or decisions of another.

Basically it means that each branch will be ceding powers to other branches in order to keep continuity in the Constitutional Government. This matter of comity is coordinated by the president however, and therefore it’s pretty safe to assume that the Executive Branch will be doing the least amount of power-ceding. The president can basically choose to take any power he wishes, and all of this can be done without the consultation of the American People or Congress for that matter.

The definition for a situation calling for NSPD-51 to be enacted is almost as vague as it could get. Under 2B:

” (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;”
The “regardless of location” is probably the most frightening part of this clause. Seeing as such relative terms as “severely” and extraordinary” the President can declare an emergency for almost anything. Say in spring 2008 we declare war on Iran. Iran launches a counterattack which takes a few hundred American Lives. Under NSPD-51 Section 2b that could be categorized as a “Catastrophic Emergency”. Even a localized wildfire or hurricane could be classified as a national emergency. And considering no one but the President has the right to determine said emergency, we may be living under a dictator in the next year.

To truly consider the potential this directive has means one has to prepare for a revolution in the next year. Since I’ve learned of NSPD-51 I’ve been saving money for a gun. I won’t take the chance of catching myself unarmed in a coup d’etat.

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