What is Continuity of Government?

Steve shows up prepared, Mack drops a bombshell or two, and Anne gets wasted. REFERENCES It’s when the vase of flowers is suddenly on the left-hand side of the screen: Film Draft. “What is Continuity in Film? Definitions, Types, and Examples.” August 26, 2025. https://filmdaft.com/what-is-continuity-in-film-definition-types-examples/ It really became a serious concern with the advent of the threat of nuclear war: Tegmark, Max. “Here’s How Bad a Nuclear War Would Actually Be.” June 29, 2023. Time. https://time.com/6290977/nuclear-war-impact-essay/ During the Cold War: Britannica Editors. “Cold War.” Updated February 18, 2026. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Cold-War Including Washington, D.C.: https://washington.org/ Sate, local, tribal, territorial: FEMA. “Guide to Continuity of Government [PDF].” July 2021. https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_sltt-cog-guidance_070921.pdf For Texas, it’s not a joke that we kind of rely on HEB: HEB Newsroom. “HEB Disaster Relief.” https://newsroom.heb.com/disaster-relief/ Ye olde Continental Congress: Britannica Editors. “Continental Congress.” Updated October 11, 2025. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Continental-Congress We may have to leave Philadelphia and go to Baltimore because the British are coming: United States House of Representatives. “Meeting Places for the Continental and Confederation Congresses.” https://history.house.gov/People/Continental-Congress/Meeting-Places/ Anne was just trying to be funny. It’s quite nice: https://baltimore.org/ Basically, it’s an emergency plan. You could also call it a contingency plan: This vs. That. “The Contingency Plan vs. The Emergency Plan: What’s the Difference?” https://thisvsthat.io/the-contingency-plan-vs-the-emergency-plan In the previous episode: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-n7xcc-1ad17a2 We talked about the Twenty-Fifth Amendment: Constitution Annotated. “Twenty-Fifth Amendment.” https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-25/ The presidential succession: USA.gov. “Order of Presidential Succession.” https://www.usa.gov/presidential-succession Think about royal houses of Europe: Veldman, Sarah. “A Comprehensive Guide to the Royal Families of Europe.” Updated September 20, 2025. The List. https://www.thelist.com/1524478/royal-families-of-europe-guide/ That was “Designated Survivor,” the series: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5296406/ Mack is right. They did start doing it when Reagan was president: Su, Amelia. “The Designated Survivor Explained—Why One Leader Stays Hidden.” February 24, 2026. Los Angeles Magazine. https://lamag.com/news-and-politics/the-designated-survivor-explained-why-one-leader-stays-hidden/ At the State of the Union Address, you have the president, vice president, speaker of the house, but you also have all of Congress, most of the Cabinet, and some of the Supreme Court justices, joint chiefs: Mullery, Way and Chol, Annette. “Who Sits Where at Trump’s State of the Union Address: A Visual Guide.” February 23, 2026. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/23/politics/seating-chart-state-of-the-union-vis There have been threats (note that this list is a brief summary from 2024 so it is not comprehensive and does not include the attacks on President Trump): Congress.gov. “U.S. Secret Service: Threats to and Assaults on Sitting Presidents and Vice Presidents [PDF].” Updated October 23, 2024. https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/PDF/IF11732/IF11732.4.pdf Mack is again correct. It was for Obama’s inauguration: Reuters. “U.S. Probes Potential Obama Inauguration Threat.” January 20, 2009. https://www.reuters.com/article/world/us-politics/us-probes-potential-obama-inauguration-threat-idUSTRE50J4RT/ The documentary about the presidents’ chiefs of staff is called The Presidents’ Gatekeepers: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2331119/ The line from Mars Attacks!: https://youtu.be/HfcMl1OKJGw?si=IZwz2CgMPjVoqQ1X Like the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia: Matchar, Emily. “The Town That Kept Its Nuclear Bunker a Secret for Three Decades.” April 9, 2024. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-town-that-kept-its-nuclear-bunker-a-secret-for-three-decades-180984107/ Overnight, they lower them into a bomb shelter: Kratz, Jessie. “Protecting the Bill of Rights: the Mosler Vault.” December 17, 2015. National Archives. https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2015/12/17/protecting-the-bill-of-rights-the-mosler-vault/ Soviets got the atomic bomb sooner than people thought: Atomic Heritage Foundation. “Soviet Atomic Program—1946.” https://ahf.nuclearmuseum.org/ahf/history/soviet-atomic-program-1946/ And then the hydrogen bomb: Britannica Editors. “Thermonuclear Bomb.” Updated February 6, 2026. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/technology/thermonuclear-bomb Eisenhower was really down and depressed about the threat of nuclear war: Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home. “Atoms for Peace.” https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/research/online-documents/atoms-peace The concept of ballistic missiles: Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance. “Ballistic Missile Basics.” https://www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org/missile-threat-and-proliferation/missile-basics/ballistic-missile-basics/ Because the Nazis built the V-2: Britannica Editors. “V-2 Rocket.” Updated April 24, 2026. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/technology/V-2-rocket Sooner or later, we’re going to have intercontinental ballistic missiles: Britannica Editors. “ICBM.” Updated April 29, 2026. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/technology/ICBM They’re carrying gravity bombs: International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. “What Are Gravity Bombs and Why is the U.S. Building the New B61-13 Nuclear Weapon?” https://www.icanw.org/faq_what_are_gravity_bombs_b6113 It’s not what was in “The Day After”: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085404/ The black-and-white movies: https://youtu.be/P73Gz0TaJgE?si=tvYvoQQXg3KwHCZM Our people knew about Bletchley Park: Lewis, Robert. “Bletchley Park.” Updated April 6, 2026. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Bletchley-Park And where Churchill ran the war from: Imperial War Museums. “Cabinet War Rooms.” https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms/cabinet-war-rooms They also looked at what the Germans had: Fraga, Kaleena. “Inside the Führerbunker, The Nazi Hideout Where Adolf Hitler Lived, Got Married, and Died in the Waning Days of World War II.” Updated April 3, 2024. All That’s Interesting. https://allthatsinteresting.com/fuhrerbunker The Maginot Line: Britannica Editors. “Maginot Line.” Updated March 6, 2026. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Maginot-Line Turning into badgers: Texas Parks and Wildlife. “American Badger.” https://tpwd.texas.gov/education/resources/texas-junior-naturalists/watching-wildlife/american-badger Anne says mole people: https://youtu.be/y-dAgOWtBwM?si=0qzvJ-7dfu33JjNX We were building some fighter planes that were actually dedicated interceptor aircraft: Britannica Editors. “Fighter Aircraft.” Updated October 16, 2025. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/technology/fighter-aircraft Testing that was being done out in Nevada: Kautz, Justin. “Nevada Test Site.” Updated March 10, 2025. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Nevada-Test-Site/additional-info#history Like if you can jump in a fridge and protect yourself: https://youtu.be/jn4Vhkmb4Lw?si=9OteiSYh4lEBMnPU The headquarters for the Strategic Air Command was at Offutt Airforce Base in Nebraska: https://www.offutt.af.mil/ When they built NORAD into Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado: North American Aerospace Defense Command. “Cheyenne Mountain Complex.” April 26, 2013. https://www.norad.mil/Newsroom/Fact-Sheets/Article-View/Article/578775/cheyenne-mountain-complex/ Raven Rock, also known as Site R: Suciu, Peter. “What to Know About ‘Raven Rock,’ the U.S. Government’s Doomsday Bunker.” November 11, 2025. The National Interest. https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/what-to-know-about-raven-rock-us-governments-doomsday-bunker-ps-111125 They also built the facility at Mount Weather: Hughes, Trevor. “The U.S. Government is Upgrading a Secretive FEMA Bunker. Why? That’s Classified.” Updated May 1, 2025. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/04/30/federal-government-is-upgrading-a-secret-bunker-why-its-classified/83370527007/ Nope, it’s the Appalachian Mountains. Camp David: National Museum of American Diplomacy. “Camp David: Presidential Retreat and International Meeting Site.” July 12, 2021. https://diplomacy.state.gov/camp-david-presidential-retreat-and-international-meeting-site/ In a novel from the 1930s called Lost Horizon: James Hilton. Lost Horizon. 1933. Macmillan. FDR loved the movie: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029162/ The Dolittle Raid in April of ’42: Britannica Editors. “Doolittle Raid.” Updated April 11, 2026. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Doolittle-Raid There was an Essex-class aircraft carrier built in World War II called the USS Shangri-la: Carlin, Maya. “Shangri-la: The Essex-Class Aircraft Carrier No Nation Wanted to ‘Test’” September 23, 2024. The National Interest. https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/shangri-la-essex-class-aircraft-carrier-no-nation-wanted-test-209173 Where SAC was: Britannica Editors. “Strategic Air Command.” Updated March 20, 2023. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Strategic-Air-Command-United-States-Air-Force On September 11: Bergen, Peter L. “September 11 Attacks.” Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/September-11-attacks/The-attacks Where Airforce One went to after Florida: The White House Historical Association. “President Bush Arrives at Offutt Air Force Base on September 11, 2001.” https://www.whitehousehistory.org/photos/fotoware?id=6052da61-c33a-4d96-8209-cb3bb90b7669 WarGames-type places: https://youtu.be/s93KC4AGKnY?si=YTdCW6gQ1Y8Cqe88 A Soviet Tu-95: Gitzgerald, Clare. “Tupolev Tu-95: The Soviet-Era Bomber That Could See Nearly 100 Years of Active Service.” January 15, 2024. War History Online. https://www.warhistoryonline.com/aircraft/tupelov-tu-95.html They’re on springs: Grundhauser, Eric. “Cheyenne Mountain Complex.” September 17, 2014. Atlas Obscura. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cheyenne-mountain-nuclear-bunker Like the E-4B, it’s also known as Nightwatch: Air Force. “E-4B.” June 2024. https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/article/104503/e-4b/ Then Air Force One: Britannica Editors. “Air Force One.” Updated July 31, 2025. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Air-Force-One So like, from Independence Day: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116629/ It was a pivotal scene: https://youtu.be/yZk9abWlK5c?si=hjdW-qhe8bhAu4xx Mack is correct. Independence Day was released in 1996. The guy from “Taxi”: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002139/ Where Data worked at Area 51: https://youtu.be/fantzIbRyaE?si=9T2I4utdA2mjbtmW When Lyndon Johnson flew on the presidential Lockheed JetStar: National Museum of the United States Air Force. “Lockheed VC-140B JetStar.” https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/195808/lockheed-vc-140b-jetstar/ Marine One: Tikkanen, Amy. “Marine One.” Updated March 9, 2026. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Marine-One Remember when President George W. Bush landed on the Abraham Lincoln: History.com. “George W. Bush Declares Mission Accomplished [Video].” https://www.history.com/speeches/george-w-bush-declares-mission-accomplished Mack was close. He was flying aboard an S-3B Viking: National Naval Aviation Museum. “S-3B Viking ‘Navy One’.” https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nnam/explore/collections/aircraft/s/s-3b-viking--navy-one-.html There have been presidents that have had presidential yachts: Knutson, Lawrence L. “The Floating White House.” May 21, 2015. The White House Historical Association. https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-floating-white-house January 6th: Duignan, Brian. “January 6 U.S. Capitol Attack. Updated January 5, 2026. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/January-6-U-S-Capitol-attack When the plane hit the Pentagon: PBS. “Attack on Pentagon [Video].” https://watch.whyy.org/show/911-inside-pentagon/video/911-inside-pentagon-attack-pentagon/?tab=extra Rumsfeld: U.S. Department of War. “Donald H. Rumsfeld.” https://www.war.gov/About/Biographies/Biography/Article/602800/donald-h-rumsfeld/ Mall of America: https://www.mallofamerica.com/ Golden Gate Bridge: https://www.goldengate.org/ National laboratories: U.S. Department of Energy. “National Laboratories.” https://www.energy.gov/national-laboratories There was a book published in the early 2000s called Doomsday Scenario: Douglas Keeney. The Doomsday Scenario. Zenith. 2002. Is the phrase “continuity of government” used somewhere: White House Info. “Continuity of Government.” https://whitehouse.gov1.info/continuity-plan/ Most of that is administered by FEMA, actually: https://www.fema.gov/ FEMA was sort of the progeny of a couple of other agencies: FEMA. “History of FEMA.” https://www.fema.gov/about/history But for, “We’ve been nuked”: FEMA. “Nuclear Detonation Response Guidance [PDF].” March 2023. https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_oet-72-hour-nuclear-detonation-response-guidance.pdf Plans that would effectively suspend the Constitution: Burr, William (Ed.). “The Presidential Nuclear ‘Football’ From Eisenhower to George W. Bush.” July 18, 2023. https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/nuclear-vault/2023-07-18/presidential-nuclear-football-eisenhower-george-w-bush Like the War Production Board: Purcell, Aaron D. “War Production Board.” 2021. EBSCO. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/military-history-and-science/war-production-board#full-article The USDA: https://www.usda.gov/ Steve was close. It’s the National Resource Conservation Service: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/ They have a web soil map program: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/soil/web-soil-survey-links Let’s take COVID for an example: CDC. “CDC Museum COVID-19 Timeline.” https://www.cdc.gov/museum/timeline/covid19.html Most emergency management stuff is really run at the county level: Bexar County. “Bexar County Office of Emergency Management.” https://www.bexar.org/672/Emergency-Management Our first cocktail was Corpse Reviver (this isn’t the recipe we used, but it’s close): https://www.liquor.com/recipes/corpse-reviver-no-1/ The 12 Bottle Bar Book: David Solmonson and Lesley Jacobs Solmonson. The 12 Bottle Bar: Make Hundreds of Cocktails With Just 12 Bottles. 2014. Workman Publishing Company. The next one was Atomic cocktail: https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/115/atomic-cocktail The Savoy Cocktail Book: Harry Craddock. The Savoy Cocktail Book. 1930. Constable & Company, Ltd. Absinthe and Champagne is called Death in the Afternoon: https://www.liquor.com/recipes/death-in-the-afternoon/ Jonestown in the afternoon: Eldridge, Alison. “Jonestown.” Updated April 16, 2026. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Jonestown We at Civics on the Rocks (mostly Anne) would like to apologize for making jokes in poor taste about suicide and cults. We (again, it was pretty much Anne) meant no offense. The Texas Water Conference: https://www.txwater.org/ Treated biosolids from sewer plants: EPA. “Biosolids.” https://www.epa.gov/biosolids This isn’t from the conference Steve went to, but you know you want to see competitive hydrant assemblies: https://youtu.be/JxDhqdD8aE4?si=7uwUPx72DbfSxhKv The Edwards is not the only source of water for San Antonio: San Antonio Water System. “Water Supplies.” https://www.saws.org/your-water/management-sources/#section-1 Primarily, it was always the Edwards Aquifer: San Antonio Water System. “Edwards Aquifer.” https://www.saws.org/your-water/management-sources/edwards-aquifer/ Ground water not under the influence (yeah, no, that’s a term): West Virginia Department of Health. “Groundwater Under Direct Influence of Surface Water (GWUDI).” https://oehs.wvdhhr.org/eed/source-water-assessment-wellhead-protection/groundwater-under-direct-influence-of-surface-water-gwudi/ It is very very hard here: Hearst Newspaper Blogger Network. “How to Deal With San Antonio Hard Water in Your New Home.” March 2, 2023. https://www.mysanantonio.com/lifestyle/san-antonio-life/home/article/how-to-deal-with-san-antonio-hard-water-17816666.php San Antonio Water System: https://www.saws.org/ Softeners, which swap out the calcium and magnesium, but mostly calcium, for sodium: Swistock, Bryan. “Water Softening.” https://extension.psu.edu/water-softening One of the first, if not the first, direct potable reuse systems: El Paso Water. “Pure Water Center.” https://www.epwater.org/our-water/water-resources/pure-water-center We couldn’t find the study about the Rhine that Steve was talking about, but we believe it after learning a little bit about the river: International River Foundation. “River Rhine.” https://www.riverfoundation.org.au/prizes/river-rhine/ Corpse Reviver #2: https://www.liquor.com/recipes/corpse-reviver-no-2/ After Snowmageddon: The Texas A&M University System. “Winter Storm Uri.” https://tdem.texas.gov/disasters/winter-storm-uri Anne got a little prepper: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prepper The Sierra Club has an excellent list of things to go in a go bag: Sierra Club. “Ready to Pack an Emergency Go Bag?” https://www.sierraclub.org/emergency-go-bag There is still a website called Ready.gov: https://www.ready.gov/ And the Stargate is a stable wormhole device placed on the Earth in ancient times by aliens posing as gods. But you already knew that.