h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

In one of the early paragraphs the author states that the shadow government must have existed because the USSR posed a much greater threat than Al Queda. But the facts indicate the opposite...how many US civilian casualties did the USSR inflict on the US, and vice versa, in the entire history of the existence of the USSR? How does that compare with the several thousand that died in the Sept 11 tragedy? I would say that actually, based on the facts, Al Queda does pose a more serious threat.

I would agree that a shadow government probably couldn't be formed instantly. But it depends on your use of the word government. The government described by the post (consisting of such a low number of people) could easily be organized in such a short time. Although the shadow government didn't necessarily exist, plans for its creation probably did exist from the beginning of the atomic/nuclear age. of course the government probably practiced/drilled using these plans, so the formation of the shadow gov on 9-11 could easily be done quickly and efficiently.

Why is the shadow government inherently a bad thing? It seems to be a logical tacital precaution.