By Sherman Frederick/Properly Subversive
Pardon me if I’m still shocked by the news that the Joe Biden administration raided ex-President Donald Trump’s home and confiscated boxes of documents the government said belonged in the National Archive.
Before we get started, let me comment on journalists who say we shouldn’t call it a “raid.” Call it a “search.”
I’ve got no tolerance for that kind of deception. The operation was carried out in the dark without prior notification to Trump. FBI agents with assault rifles would not allow any Trump representative to watch what was taken. That’s a “raid,” ladies and gentlemen. And, if the party affiliations were reversed, it would still be a raid in my book.
Subsequently, the Justice Department leaked to media outlets unfriendly to Trump that the ex-president had taken super-duper top secret information on nuclear weapons.
Seriously? With the intent of doing what with it?
Trump, by the way, says he declassified everything in his possession before he left office. We’ll have to see about that, too, given Team Trump left White House in total disarray, kicking and screaming all the way to the street.
What I can tell you is that the government classification system has long been FUBAR. (Google FUBAR if you are unfamiliar with this ever-apropo WWII term.)
For example, when I was a young whippersnapper in the U.S. Navy, we had a room – a closet, really – filled with classified information. It contained stuff that went anywhere from “confidential” to “Top Secret.” For a while, I babysat the room, which meant I was inside this tiny space by myself and responsible for every piece of paper in it. And, trust me, the Navy could put the fear of God into a 19-year-old when it came to classified information.
So, one day as I carried out my duties, I came across a file that contained multiple editions of the Berkeley Barb, an alternate newspaper of the day that opposed the war in Vietnam. Each one was stamped “Confidential.”
I read them, page by page. No further markings inside to indicate what, exactly, made these publicly available newspapers confidential.
Over coffee one day, I brought it up to the officer in charge of our little classified records section in the South Pacific. He was a combat helicopter pilot assigned to search and rescue, which meant he was a little pissed off most of the time, even more so when he had to be in the office talking to me.
He explained, in his mid-20s wisdom, that there were different classifications within the traditional classifications in this man’s Navy.
The Berkeley Barb was obviously “Confidential – Ridiculous,” he said. “Wait until you read the ‘Top Secret – Mickey Mouse’ stuff.”
I tell this story to maybe put this Trump raid into some kind of perspective. We don’t know what the FBI took from Trump’s home. We only know what is leaked to us by the decidedly “get-Trump” DOJ and the national press. What we do know is that the current administration just conducted an armed raid at the home of an ex-president and political rival.
Unprecedented, ladies and gentlemen, doesn’t begin to describe the times we live in.
WHAT I’M WATCHING
Amazon is streaming an interesting flick called “Thirteen Lives.” Catch it if you can. You’ll know the story because it made big world news at the time. But even if you follow the news closely, you will learn something new in this movie. I did, anyway.
It’s the true story of 12 boys on a Thai soccer team and their coach who explore the Tham Luang cave when an unexpected rainstorm traps them in a chamber inside the mountain. A team of world-class divers navigate through miles of dangerous cave networks to discover that finding the boys is only the beginning.
NICE TO BE MISSED
Editor Eric Dahlberg passed along a couple of notes, one from a Sparks couple and another from a Hawthorne reader. Both said they missed my column a few weeks back.
“My husband and I have subscribed and supported the Sparks Tribune for several years,” the Sparks note read. “It is our hometown and we enjoy reading local news in Sparks. My question is why was the opinion article by Mr. Frederick omitted in the August 10 edition? We look forward to his column which is entertaining, thought provoking and humorous. Will his column be returning?”
The Hawthorne reader said: The fact that you didn’t have an article in the Mineral County Independent News last week made me feel like I didn’t get my 75 cents worth out of that paper. Yeah, I like your sense of humor! Thanks for the laughs. Don’t stop.”
Thanks for the notes, guys. The Trib and the MCIN labor in the fields to keep those community newspapers truckin’. They do the Lord’s work.
As for me, it’s nice to be missed. Thanks.
ONE MORE THING
– I am experimenting with how many apples I need to eat each day to keep everyone away, no matter their profession.
– I hate it when people try to act all intelligent and talk about Mozart when they have never even seen one of his paintings.
– My neighbor just received a huge water bill and can’t afford to pay it. So, I sent him a “Get Well Soon” card.
My apologies to grandmothers everywhere. (If you’re lucky, you are one.) Thanks for reading. Support this community newspaper, and until next week, avoid soreheads, laugh a little and always – always! – question authority.
(“Properly Subversive” is commentary written by Sherman R. Frederick, a Nevada Hall of Fame journalist and co-founder of Battle Born Media, a news organization dedicated to the preservation of community newspapers. You can reach Mr. Frederick by email at shermfrederick@ gmail. com.)