If I had mishandled classified material...

      Unless you live in a fog, or are living in utter denial, we all know that Trump has "allegedly" taken home boxes of super sensitive classified materials.  He claimed that he took the materials home as "home work".

     The problem with this claim is he no longer "works" at the White House (as if he ever actually did any work there!) To make matters worse, these materials have not only been mishandled, but probably compromised as well. Many folders were also found to be empty! The classified documents have either been lost, compromised, or even possibly sold.



     The question on the minds of many Americans is "Why is Trump not in custody?" He has clearly broken the law, or as Trump's supporters might say, "He's being persecuted!" To help you understand why I'm upset by this, let me tell this in my perspective:

     Back in 1980, I was a crewman onboard the USS GURNARD (SSN-662), a nuclear powered fast attack submarine. Just to be stationed here, I had to have a certain level of security clearance. By contrast, Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kusner, was denied a security cleance. Despite that, not only was Jared one of Trump's "advisors", he had an office in the White House.

     One day, while doing maintenance on some equipment, a senior petty officer pops his head into the room, hands me a folder, and tells me to study it and return it promptly. 

     I looked at the folder with awe. It was marked "TOP SECRET".  I won't tell you what it was, but it involved what is known as "HUMINT" or "Human Intelligence", i.e. information secured by a person putting him or herself at risk. This wasn't James Bond stuff. This was down and dirty, real life spy stuff. 

     Over the course of my time in the Navy, I handled allot of classified documents. Despite having a TOP SECRET clearance, I could not handle or view just any TOP SECRET material. I could only have access to materials that pertained to my duties. It's called "need to know". If I didn't need that information, I did not have access to it - no ifs, ands, or buts. 

     An example of this occurred when on deployment to the western Pacific. At one point, we picked up extra crewmen. These were crewmen skilled in intelligence gathering. During the course of the deployment, I struck up a friendship with one of the Crypto Techs. We joked about his job, but we never got into specifics. I never asked what what he was doing and he never volunteered any information. It was understood that I did not have a need to know and I did not try to find out. 

     There were times when I was assigned to handle classified documents and images, but only to assist in their collection, storage, or dissemination. It was understood that I would not share the information that I had seen with anyone.

     In another case, I had to sign a document stating that I would not share details of a deployment for a period of 20 years, that was in 1980. 

     Not once did it occur to me to take any classified materials home nor to share details of any classified materials I may have seen or handled.  If I had, I would have ended up in prison - just like "Johnny Walker Red".



     Who is "Johnny Walker Red"? John Walker was a former U.S. Navy Chief Warrant Officer and communications specialists who, for years with accomplices, provided the Soviet Union with vital U.S. Navy communications information. He died in prison. They put him in a hole and threw away the hole.

     There have been others who have betrayed America. Here's a brief list of traitors.

     Some of the documents recovered from Mar-a-Lago reportedly pertain to foreign intelligence sources. These comprimised documents could set back American intelligence gathering for years or decades. Due to Trump's security leaks, foreign informants gathering information for U.S. intelligence are reportedly being captured and possibly executed. 

     Trump is possibly the greatest security leak in history. Likely, Trump has personally profited from his "alleged" malfeasance. The afore mentioned John Walker was well paid by his Soviet handlers. 

     People are already comparing Donald Trump to Benedict Arnold, in fact the two names are becoming synonymous. Trump belongs in custody awaiting trial. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Strangest Photo I Have Ever Taken (so far!)

Image
     After over years it's really hard to remember details. I do remember that it was Hong Kong, back when it was a British Crown Colony. I remember it being a warm, cloudy, and humid that day. I don't recall the exact date, but I think it was January of 1981. The tropical climate of Hong Kong makes for very nice winters!       The exact details of that day are a blur of activity. You wake up in the morning, shower, get dressed, leave the ship via water taxi, land at the pier, go ashore, exchange money, and then hit the streets.      There is lots to do and see in Hong Kong. Every street was a story waiting to be told. The air was filled with strange languages and strange odors. At markets and street corners, vendors were selling strange foods. At that time, the Navy recruiting commercials proclaimed, "It's not just a job, it's an adventure;." Well, this was the adventure part.      ...
Read more

The Contender

Image
     The light was so bright, all he could see was white. The pain in his eyes faded as the light subsided. Slowly, colors came into view. The blue of the floor stood out. A table with items in various colors sat to his left. The wall had no color. It was a light grey.      Slowly things came in to focus. The grey wall was now a cinder block wall which was painted in a smooth, glossy, light grey paint. The table also came into focus. A stack of neatly folded towels were on the table as were a number of metal boxes. He could now see that there were several notices hung on the wall in front of him. To his left was another wall with a row of hooks. Upon each hook were satin robes of various colors.      Juan noticed that he was sitting on the long edge of a long, narrow table. The table had a thin cushion of the same dimensions and was covered in a white sheet. He also noticed that his feet were dangling about a foot from the floor. ...
Read more

The Mexican lullaby.

Image
     In the American tradition, you have "The Boogey Man", a mythical figure of uncertain appearance and equally uncertain characteristics. It was used as an implied threat to children to force compliance to a certain behavior or to get them to avoid doing things they shouldn't do.      Parents might say, "Don't go there or the Boogey Man will get you!" As far as I know, no one ever says what the Boogey Man will  do to you. Just the threat of the Boogey Man getting you is enough of an incentive not to do things.      In Mexican culture, we have two scary creatures. The first is "El Cucuy." This creature originated in Spain and Portugal and was known as "El Coco." Like the Boogey Man, El Cucuy is used to scare children into compliance.       There is also a female scary figure in Latin America - "La Llorona" or "Crying Woman."      Legends vary, but generally, she is the ghost of a women who committed a ...
Read more