LINKS: Know Your White House (News & Info)

For future reference, including State of the Union addresses, check out the White House Web-site at:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/Welcome.html

The Presidents Cabinet (Graphic icons linking to each one -- Really Cool!!!)

http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/Cabinet/html/cabinet_links.html

Federal Agencies and Commissions (Graphic icons linking to each one -- Super cool too!!!)

http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/Independent_Agencies/html/independent_links.html

Oddly, I cant seem to find the link for the Presidents Council on Year 2000 Conversion (John Koskinen) on the White House web-site (need more explore time).

http://www.y2k.gov

You can search the White House web-site for current news and information at:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/html/library.html

Contents of This Web Site: All the web pages on this site (www.whitehouse.gov).

http://library.whitehouse.gov/Search/Query-Website.html

Archive of All White House Documents (Press briefings, radio addresses, Executive Orders, and all other publicly released White House publications.) The following categories can be searched separately:

http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov/search/everything.html

Press Briefings: All publicly released press briefings since the start of the Clinton Administration.

http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov/search/press-briefings.html

Radio Addresses: Search all of the President's Saturday Radio Addresses. (The four most recent addresses are also available for listening.)

http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov/search/radio-addresses.html

Executive Orders: Official actions, procedural changes, and organizational changes.

http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov/search/executive-orders.html

The White House web pages and documents are also a part of GovBot, a database of all government sites.

http://ciir2.cs.umass.edu/Govbot/

Note: Presidential addresses and White House press releases can also be found in the Briefing Room.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/html/briefroom.html

See also...

Current Issues and Events compiled by the United States Information Agency (Chuckles!! this off-the-white-house-site link takes you to a blank screen!! But when corrected it works).

http://www.usia.gov/products/washfile.htm

USIA Washington File Archives

http://www.usia.gov/products/pdq/wfarchive.htm

Archives -- Several years of Washington File materials in a searchable database

http://pdq2.usia.gov/scripts/cqcgi.exe/@pdqtest1.env

Happy hunting! I need to spend lots more time "on-site" so to speak. This will get interested surfers started though.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), January 17, 1999

Answers

Diane: After your days of exploring the websites, what is your summation (in 500 words or less)?

-- a (a@a.a), January 17, 1999.

Diane,

Thank you for all of your work on this. As much as you post on this forum and as many sites you discover, I'm sure you spend hours on this each day.

Thanks!

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), January 17, 1999.

Yes, Kevin, too much time. Have to shift that. Yet it also feels like a ringside seat at history-in-the-making, and much more compelling than what is happening with the Presidential trial in the Senate. (More important too).

A in answer to your question, actually Ill repost, with additions, something already answering Lindas question on another thread.

In surfing the government and several military web-sites recently, I noticed that practically "to a site" they are strongly urging their specific "industry" group or groups to prepare for Y2K. They are not taking it lightly. There are recurring terms like serious, critical to the national defense, could have grave repercussions, urging to prepare, etc. Almost a total opposite to what we see from the spin doctors, calling it all Y2K hype. This is especially true for the sites of agencies directly involved with FEMA and those linked off the U.S. Senate Y2K link list.

On the military side, it appears that their guiding direction pertains to concerns about terrorism both in cyber forms and either bombs or biological weapons. To them it is clearly NOT a question of IF, but WHEN in the United States -- this year and at the 2000 rollover. Theyve done amazing amounts of emergency response activities within major cities training the existing readiness groups. Y2K is directly linked for them, to terrorism, which is partly why we see quiet signs of mobilization. (Frankly, thats fine with me). I, know this is not a popular opinion, but I dont think this activation involves any hidden agendas. They ARE very concerned. Secondarily, their concern is for unknown Y2K repercussions. They know they wont all be ready, but if they play with words and keep shifting what is mission critical then there is the outward illusion that they will be ready in time.

As far as current strategies used with the larger mass media, the seeming governing policy appears to be, that the prime directive is to keep the "general" people unalarmed and complacent "for the greater good" and to hold the lid on possible panic and bank runs etc. until the military Total Force, including the National Guard and Reserves, are "ready" to cope with those kinds of potential disruptions.

I also, suspect the Washington chess game being played, is to assume that if they tell the industry groups, corporations and small businesses to get Y2K ready, that the ripple effect from those preparations, will result in slow and steady preparation as a whole, rather than a mass panic at once. They appear to encourage grass- roots efforts at creating community. (I would too, if I were them).

I do think President Clinton is directing the game. As to who is behind him? Who knows.

The whole board game is certainly a "different" way to handle preparedness problems nationally and internationally. Although things may shift somewhat after Clintons upcoming speech. Or not. They are all extremely concerned by the international lack of Y2K readiness.

Im also quite convinced Clinton is thinking strategically. I was watching, some Meet The Press or Washington Week in Review (cant keep em straight anymore) where Senator Barbara Boxer was responding to a question. One of her relatives is married to one of Clintons relatives so she does see him at gatherings. She made a comment that intrigued me. Paraphrased, she said he has read every biography and auto-biography of almost every President. Why is that unusual? Where else would you go for tips, pointers and training on how to be a President, than from the ones whove already been there. Like any good actor, he studied his role from the past masters. Dont underestimate him, but also Im not yet convinced that his motives pertaining to Y2K are sinister. Again, he studies. (And when he makes mistakes, they are whoppers!)

For further Gov surfing information, take a spin on the .gov and .mil sites ... "It's An Adventure!" Try the Y2K links off the U. S. Senate Y2K page at:

http://www.senate.gov/ ~y2k/index.html

Back in a few days!

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), January 18, 1999.