Why the Classified Documents at Mar a Lago is a Bad Thing

Full disclosure. I have voted as a Democratic in most elections since I was 18 years old. However, since I was 25 years old, I have worked for U.S. government institutions that required a "non-behavioral" altering political perspective, in order for us to do our jobs proficiently. I found this to be rather easy to accomplish early on because I realized that the different sides of the political spectrum, did not totally encompass everything I cared about 100 percent. Rather it was a choice that made the most sense, and I among others who have served as soldiers, police officers, and intelligence operation specialists, were fighting and protecting more than one political party. We were (and are) fighting to protect the country as a whole.

It has been my long-standing opinion that no man or woman should run for the U.S. Presidency, who has not previously served in a government job or NGO of some kind, in which your primary responsibility is to serve other people directly without profiting from those same people.

Yes, a good man or woman who has spent all of their adult life focusing on projects and people to earn them money may not be ill-equipped to be a U.S. President. However, I think a person is of a highly unique quality if they become a U.S. President and truly understand putting "COUNTRY BEFORE SELF" if they have never served anyone besides themselves.

This brings us to the 45th President and this debacle over classified documents at his home estate/resort at Mar-a-Lago. Firstly, I want to say that for those of you who are not within the intelligence community and likely don't have much of an understanding of what it means to have a classified Special Access Program in your basement closet; there is no judgment but let me explain.

1. The U.S. Government and its people have enemies and or nation-states (think Russia, China, N. Korea, Iran, etc.), who have varying interests in our country that range from taking all of our intellectual property when it comes to our best military programs, to literally wiping us off the face of the earth. Those in the latter crowd, likely could not do it if they wanted to, and likely do not have the means to do it. However, those who do have the means to do it, understand that the repercussions would be similar on their side, and they rather just see us implode from the inside and take all of our valuables on the way out. Keeping this in mind, consider that a former U.S. President had some of our most valuable "SECRETS" in a bedroom closet within an open resort-like home, in which he has been known to entertain people all the time.
2. This is significant because ANY Intelligence officer from around the world and specifically the "other side" worth anything, would easily find a way to enter such an open residence. However, it is my belief that they likely did not have to do anything so "JASON BOURNE" in order to ferret away secrets away from our former President.
3. The Intelligence risk. According to Wikipedia: components of counterintelligence are the following: "It includes gathering information and conducting activities to prevent espionage, sabotage, assassinations or other intelligence activities conducted by, for, or on behalf of foreign powers, organizations or persons.

In this writing I will not dig deeply into this subject as it may cross a line, I am unaware of; however, I have worked for the intelligence community in one capacity or another for about 18 years. During that time, I have learned what it means to perform counterintelligence activities to safeguard programs, organizations, and the country. The raid that occurred at Mar-a-Lago, was performed to safeguard the latter, and we have to ask ourselves how many times are we going to pretend that the 45th President was an unknowing buffoon and that whatever he's done was an accident out of ignorance?

The country is already under attack guys; we are already compromised in our social media, our television media; and now within our own towns and homes. Everybody has picked or is picking a side because that's what we do as humans to survive. It is instinctive because we know what's coming. However, there is a chance that we the people can look at our situation from a distance and see the big picture.

I write this article now so that someone, stops, and takes a long look at what we have been, and what we are becoming. It's never been pretty or easy to be an American, but what it's always been is an opportunity to be our best selves and to create a society that's better than us individually but represents the best of us collectively.

WE THE PEOPLE. Have to find our way back to that belief and away from these horrible people and sub-rosa activities before it's too late.