House Panel Backs Disaster Election Plan

[eek]

House Panel Backs Disaster Election Plan

Wednesday January 21, 2004 8:46 PM


By JIM ABRAMS

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - A House committee recommended legislation Wednesday that would provide for fast special elections if a terrorist attack killed or incapacitated many House members.

The measure would require expedited elections under ``extraordinary circumstances'' when the speaker of the House announces that vacancies in the 435-member chamber exceed 100.
(snip)


http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-3652128,00.html

[Zhade]

1. They're planning another 9/11. Bank on it.

This is all kinds of fucked up.

[lovedems]

2. In DC? That is interesting.

[Carni]

19. Pass me that tinfoil hat...

And I agree 100%

[leftchick]

3. Good Lord.... are they ALL in one it?!?

these people are fucked up and scare the shit out of me....

[schultzee]

14. I listened to Frum on youcallradio.com today and they are nuts.

[expatriot]

15. well the unlucky 100 of them that would have to die

for this plan to take effect are probably not in on it.

[soup]

4. More frightening than expedited elections

for Representatives-

from the article in the original message:
"The Senate would be less of a problem because governors can appoint senators when vacancies arise prior to an election."

Within the 50 states, 28 governors are Republicans, and 22 governors are Democrats.
http://www.nga.org/governors/1,1169,C_TRIVIA%5ED_2163,00.html


Edited to add cite for quote.

[rooboy]

5. Don't some states have more senators than others?

If so, then the number of R vs D governors is not so important as how many senators each of them get to appoint.

[Richardo]

7. All states have two Senators.

I remember THAT much from Civics class :D

[NYC]

12. rooboy, House members vary

according to population.

[Widgetsfriend]

6. After 9/11 it became obvious that...

if something happened and a large number of House members died at once, there was no method for them to be rapidly replaced. The thought was very scary to me as I could only imagine the power grab the Executive Branch (this one in particular) might instigate under those circumstances. The Senate could be quickly replaced by Gubernatorial appointment, as noted, but the House would take months and months to replace as new elections would be required. There were hearings on C-Span about this and a lot of ideas were batted about, but it was a problem that definitely needed to be addressed. I, for one, don't fancy a government composed of the Executive Branch and a largely ineffective judiciary, with some Senators thrown in for good measure. So, from my perspective, it is a good thing they have come up with a type of speedy replacement for Congresspeople.

[PaDUer]

18. Shadow govt...n/t

[colonel odis]

8. survivor ..... washington

now wouldn't that be quite the october surprise. these guys are insane and need to be turned out NOW. is there any way to do something before nov 2?

[reprobate]

9. Someone up there read Clancy's Debt of Honor again.

I've thought that the scenario in Debt of Honor was to be the plan for 9/11. But the timing wasn't right. Congress probably wasnt around before 9am, at least not most of them.

Of course, PNAC probably has another plan in the works to be done before november.

Sorry, but I just don't believe that Osama bin Missing could plan this all on his own. The CIA ran him, so the CIA must have been involved. After all, wasn't he visited in the hospita in Dubai by the cia station chief in june, three months before 9/11?

[candy331]

10. Should some of us be preparing to

depart this dear beloved planet earth soon? say before 11/04?

[tom_paine]

11. Sounds like they just passed their Death Warrants

Of course, I could be wrong. I keep thinking the Imperials, like the Romans before them, would want to keep the Imperial Senate for the purposes of fooling a slave people like the Imperial Subjects of Amerika that they are free.

On the other hand, the Busheviks could not have helped but notice how weak and malleable and easily lied to the Imperial Subjects are.

Sure, I could easily see "The Handmaiden's Tale" coming TRUE TRUE TRUE.

I believe the passage goes something like this, "And then someone broke into the Congress and killed all the Representatives. They said it was terrorists, but they never did have new elections."

Perhaps a Margaret Atwood fan can elaborate more specifically on what the quote actually is.

[schultzee]

13. Are they planning to get rid of congressmen who don't lock step?

[expatriot]

16. Reichstag 2004 n/t

[mikehiggins]

17. Wow. We should pass a rule that no more than two Dems

can fly on any one airplane at any time.

One jumbo jet from Washington to Boston and we've got a whole new Congress.

Delay might think that's better than even redistricting.