Summary: That radical leftist anarchist President Obama has extended our National Emergency into its 10th and 11th years. How appropriate that he does so on the anniversary of 9-11. For the US government, 9-11 was the gift that keeps on giving. With the collapse of the USSR, DoD faced hard times — as did the entire national security state that grew during the cold war. 9-11 gave them a new lease on life. One which appears likely to outlive bin Laden and al Qaeda.
Letter from the President on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Certain Terrorist Attacks
September 10, 2010
Dear Madam Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)
Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act, 50 U.S.C. 1622(d), provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date. Consistent with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register the enclosed notice, stating that the emergency declared with respect to the terrorist attacks on the United States of September 11, 2001, is to continue in effect for an additional year.
The terrorist threat that led to the declaration on September 14, 2001, of a national emergency continues. For this reason, I have determined that it is necessary to continue in effect after September 14, 2010, the national emergency with respect to the terrorist threat.
Sincerely,
BARACK OBAMA
What is the National Emergencies Act of 1976? See Wikipedia for a brief; here is the text of the law. Jason Ditz at Antiwar.com explains the significance of this:
Amongst the law’s primary purposes was to prevent a US president from creating an open-ended state of emergency. Ironically however the law provides for the annual renewal of an existing state of emergency with only a notification of Congress required. This has meant, in a state of open-ended warfare, Presidents Bush and Obama have been able to maintain a state of open-ended emergency anyhow.
The current state of emergency empowers the president in a number of manners, including allowing him to suspend officer personnel laws related to the US military, suspending all legal limits on the number of commissioned officers, authorizations to grow the size of the military beyond the legal appropriations, waive limits on reserves, and the right to recall retirees to active duty. The claim of “time of emergency” has also been cited in countless other measures taken by the presidents to expand their own power.
Articles discussing the threat from al Qaeda
- “9/11 and the 9-Year War“, George Friedman, Stratfor, 8 September 2010
- “Did the Terrorists Win on 9/11?“, Jack Hunter, American Conservative, 10 September 2010
Other posts on this topic
Esp note: The President’s big stick (domestic): his National Emergency Powers, 11 June 2010
About al Qaeda and 9-11:
- Was 9/11 the most effective single military operation in the history of the world?, 11 June 2008
- The enigma of Al Qaeda. Even in death, these unanswered questions remain important, 15 September 2008
- “Strategic Divergence: The War Against the Taliban and the War Against Al Qaeda” by George Friedman, 31 January 2009
- Can we defeat our almost imaginary enemies?, 10 December 2009
- Are islamic extremists like the anarchists?, 14 December 2009
- Stratfor’s strategic analysis – “Jihadism in 2010: The Threat Continues”, 17 March 2010
- Stratfor: “Jihadism: The Grassroots Paradox”, 21 March 2010
- A major function of our intelligence agencies is to shape the narrative. They do it well, molding history like clay on a wheel., 15 April 2010
- Stratfor: Setting the Record Straight on Grassroots Jihadism, 1 May 2010
- Today’s news about the Ak-Pak War, about al Qaeda’s strength, 1 July 2010
