Date: Sun, 03 Mar 2002 08:43:46 -0800
From: dewaine_mcbride@YAHOO.COM (Dewaine McBride)
Subject: Shadow Gov't Will Provide Food, Water, Transportation, Energy,
To: LIBERTARIANS@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU

Anyone worried that any terrorist attack might interrupt their phone service, or electrical service, or any other human want, can rest assured that this group of 200 or so people will be stashed away to provide all human conveniences.  This is truly a miraculously powerful government.


Shadow GovernmentSecret Continuity Plan in Effect
Since Sept. 11March 1
 They are like any other government office, with people working side by side, but their location is top secret, and they are "highly fortified."

That's how a senior administration official described the two "bunker" offices that were part of a Cold War-era plan to ensure coninuity of government in the event of a major attack on Washington. The plan was "dusted off" in the first hours after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and was put into full operation a little over a month later, the official said.
"This is serious business," President Bush said, acknowledging the existence of the two fortified, secret locations during a meeting with reporters in Des Moines, Iowa, where he gave a speech on social security and retirement.
"We take the continuity of government issue seriously because our nation was under attack," Bush said. "And I still take the threats we receive from al Qaeda killers and terrorists very seriously.
"I have an obligation as the president and my administration has an obligation to the American people to put measures in place that should somebody be successful in attacking Washington there is an ongoing government," he said. "That is one reason why the vice president was going to undisclosed locations. This is serious business. And we take it seriously."
During the administration of President Eisenhower the fear was a nuclear attack launched by the Soviet Union. Though there is no evidence that Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network or other terrorist groups have nuclear weapons, the devastation caused by the terrorists hijacking planes and crashing them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon convinced the administration that serious measures needed to be taken.
Though the plan has been in place for half a century, it was never put into full operation until after September, the official said.
So for nearly five months months, there have been "fairly senior  senior enough" government workers carrying out business in two secret locations, the official said.
"Before Sept. 11 it was a program that needed a little dusting off," the official said. "We dusted it off and now it is a fully functioning government operation where people are able to get all the same work done they would be doing in their normal offices."
Questions about the existence of such secret, protected govrnment offices have been circulating since immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks, boosted by the periodic disappearances and resurfacings of Vice President Cheney. When asked about Cheney's whereabouts, administration officials have only said that he was at a "secure location."
Using Geology for Security
Some details of the shadow government were reported today in The Washington Post, which the official said disappointed the Bush administration. The paper cited an official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"We take this issue extraordinarily seriously, and are committed to doing as thorough a job as possible to ensure the ongoing operations of the federal government," White House deputy chief of staff Joseph W. Hagin told the Post. "In the case of the use of a weapon of mass destruction, the federal government would be able to do its job and continue to provide key services and respond."
The classified "Continuity of Operations Plan" calls for high-ranking officials representing every Cabinet department as well as some independent agencies to rotate in and out of the two secret fortified offices.
The two sites, both of which are on the East Coast, take advantage of geological features to make them highly secure, according to the official. They are stocked with food, water, medicine and other supplies, and have self-contained generators to keep them operating.
The administration official confirmed the paper's report that the officials began rotating through the bunkers in late October or early November. Durig the time they are assigned to work in the fortified locations  generally 90-day stints  they spend all of their time in the secured locations, not even seeing their families, according to the official.
The number of personnel assigned to the locations varies according to the level of threat perceived by intelligence operatives, with generally 70 to 150 people assigned at one time, the official said.
Cheney Could Lead Emergency Team
In case of a disabling attack on Washington, the shadow government would first focus on maintaining essential services, such as food and water supplies, transportation links, energy and telecommunications networks, public health and civil order. Once those services were assured, it would turn to efforts to reconstitute the government.
Cheney's extended stays in secure undisclosed locations outside of Washington are in line with the plan. But Cheney, next in line behind President Bush, would need help running the government in the event that weapons of mass destruction were used on Washington.
Most of the officials assigned to the fortified locations come from the top career ranks, from GS-14 and GS-15 to members of the Senior Executive Service. There is also a "senior-level presence" to represent the White House, but other than Cheney there are no household names assigned to the bunkers, according to the official.
Because of the plan, departments such as Justice and Treasury have had to draw up plans to delegate statutory powers to officials who would not normally exercise them so the offices could continue to function legally.





Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Sports - Sign up for Fantasy Baseball