What if you're a judge trying to maintain some semblance of order during the last fitful days of civilization's collapse? How do you decide who gets the last batches of life-saving medicine in the event of a contagious disease outbreak? Is it okay to permit warrantless searches of homes? Is it inappropriate to wear a respirator mask in court? Does Randall Flagg really have the authority to overturn your decisions? All those questions and more are answered in a new guidebook (below) issued by New York State to prepare courts and health officials for the task of pointlessly extending civil government's last gasps in the wake of a devastating terrorist attack or mass epidemic. And would you believe the NYCLU does not approve?
The 88-page legal manual reminds the courts and state officials that they totally have the authority to seize control of traffic, communications and utilities whenever they believe its warranted during an emergency. And if they suspect an attack is imminent, they can order mass evacuations. If contagious disease is spreading, they can slaughter all applicable livestock. Also, whatever rights they need to suspend "should not prove to be an obstacle, because federal and state constitutional restraints permit expeditious actions in emergency situations." Which reminds us, isn't Hollywood long overdue for an American remake of Children of Men, set in NYC and maybe starring Ashton Kutcher?
The guide also allows the state to "take, use or destroy any and all real or personal property, or any interest therein, necessary or proper for the purposes of civil defense... and impress persons into service for the performance of such work." Well, at least you won't have to worry about having too much time on your hands during the end times, and if you're forced to volunteer and somehow screw up the apocalypse response, you're promised "immunity from liability in circumstances where the volunteer was acting within the scope of his or her responsibilities." And if the state seizes your property, one day you can expect "just compensation must be paid to the owner of the property taken," probably in the form of a gallon gas and some rat pelts.
But once medicine supplies dwindle to the point where the last remaining vaccines are being hoarded in a deluxe bunker maintained by the Koch brothers, the guide isn't much help, merely suggesting that officials "balance the obligation to save the greatest number of lives against the obligation to care for each single patient." It's a sticky wicket because, as the guide points out, if you decide to allocate the remaining medicine to those with the best chance of surviving, you could incur discrimination lawsuits from the elderly and infirm. Unless of course, you make sure there are no survivors.
This dystopian future has NYCLU director Donna Lieberman on edge. She tells the Times the "Doomsday" guide reminded her "of the CliffsNotes pamphlets that have helped generations of 11th graders get through Macbeth." Lieberman adds, "Needless to say, this makes me a little nervous,” she said, adding that the legal issues the book raised were "nuanced, thorny and difficult, and hard to capture in CliffsNotes." Enjoy:
