Check out # 20 .
Good post, Art in Idaho.
Posted on 04/28/2016 10:34:01 AM PDT by blueunicorn6
Those of us who have handled Classified government information are aghast at how Hillary Clinton handled Classified government information in such an intentionally careless way. We, including Hillary Clinton, were very specifically informed that the careless handling of Classified government information would result in imprisonment by, or killing by, the government. It is life and death serious. There is nothing more serious. We know how wrong her behavior was. But, does the average Democrat voter understand how wrong her behavior was?
It is critical that some words and concepts are understood by all Americans. Hillary Clinton is basing the defense of her misdeeds on the fact that most Americans do not understand certain words and concepts instrumental to understanding how Classified government information must be handled.
What does "Classified" mean concerning government information?
"Classified" government information is information that must be protected. As a bank vault protects your money, "Classifying" government information protects that government information. It makes that government information unavailable to just anyone. Only certain people are allowed to know Classified information. To be given access to Classified government information is to be given special trust by the government. The people of The United States trust that you will protect this information.
Is "Classified" just a word on some paper?
No. It is the information that is Classified or protected. The ink, the electrons or the air passing over vocal chords is not protected. It is the information that must be protected. So, if you read Classified information on a computer screen and then take a picture of that computer screen, the photo in the camera is now to be protected. The information is to be protected. If you see Classified information on a piece of paper and then tell people not entrusted to know that information what you saw and read, then you did not protect that information. You betrayed the trust of the citizens of The United States.
What is a "Security Classification"?
It is a word used by our government to signify who may be entrusted to know and protect that particular government information. Some of these words are "Confidential", "Secret" and "Top Secret". The words provide a common understanding to those handling protected government information as to who can see or know this information. These words are often placed at the top and bottom of any page that contains Classified government information to be a reminder to the reader that only people entrusted by the citizens of The United States to know that information may see the document. Again, it is the government information that must be protected, not the Security Classification by itself.
Is other information in our society "Classified" or protected?
Yes. The information between a lawyer and a client is protected. in adversarial or contested venues, much information is protected. Many employees in the business world are required to sign "Non-Disclosure Statements" and they are forbidden by their employer from not protecting certain business information. We live in an adversarial world. Every other nation competes with us economically and militarily.
Would Hillary Clinton understand that not protecting Classified government information is wrong, dangerous and criminal?
Of course she knew. She went to law school. She was a lawyer. She knew right away that certain information is to be protected. She was taught about protecting information from clients. She also, throughout her adult years, has attempted to protect certain information that she thought necessary to protect. Her dealing with Whitewater comes to mind. She was also, as the President's wife and as a United States Senator made fully aware that some government information must be protected. Some information is "Classified" and meant for only trusted people to see and know.
Did Hillary Clinton have access as the US Secretary of State to communications systems that were protected?
Yes.
Did she use them exclusively with protected government information?
No. She had her own communication system installed that did not protect Classified government information.
Why did she do that?
I don't know and it really doesn't matter. She willfully sent and received Classified government information on a non-protected communications system. That instantly makes her guilty of espionage. Espionage is giving access to protected government information to people who have not been entrusted by the citizens of The United States to have that government information. It does not matter if that was done carelessly or willfully. That would only play a part in determining the severity of the punishment given for the espionage.
Hillary Clinton did not protect Classified government information. She allowed anybody on the street to come into the bank and take your money.
Very good points. The words inadequacy, ineptitude and 'subseqent unequivocal disqualification from consideration for President' hit the nail on the head. Trump should repeat 24/7.
You watch.
(I happen to agree with every word you posted but that is irrelevant)
The excuse for not prosecuting her will be that there is always another layer of the onion to peel back and they cannot proceed unless and until they’ve explored all of them. Meanwhile...there are probably 10 offenses/crimes that should have life terms affixed to them. And I am being generous.
That’s WITHOUT any probe of the Clinton foundation. That’s WITHOUT any exposure of covert gun sales to ISIS or whomever it was at the time in Libya.
The sheer disclosure of national security secrets WITHOUT ONE IOTA of regard for the consequences, where they lead, who got killed/exposed....times at least 1300 instances last I heard...is a dozen life terms.
Regarding your 'peeling the onion' example, can't they proceed with 10 charges and keep peeling, or is there some feeling that they only have one shot and have to do it all at once?
The WITHOUT ONE IOTA of regard for the consequences issue you mentioned is really psychopathic. Justice. . will we ever see it with the Clintons?
We're either a Nation of Laws, or We are Not. You know, in the big picture, our whole national heritage history and our nation's future, this case is Big and very precedent setting. Comey and Lynch better get it right. I don't mind them taking their time, just get it right and proceed.
“can’t they proceed with 10 charges and keep peeling...”
I’m not a lawyer (I work with several of them and have significant paralegal experience) but they do not do that. They have their ducks all in a row before embarking. They will not go anywhere if they believe they can be surprised by something.
You and I imagine “what extenuating surprise could there possibly be that would negate selling top secret nat’l security info...when she doesn’t need to SELL to be in serious violation of the law...the mere EXPOSURE of same is full on treason. I would bet that this is the crux of the FBI’s dilemma. They probably cannot prove that she sold this secret for this much money. The speeches she gave were legit work (yeah, right) that she collected fee(s) for. The exposure of the secrets, egregious as it may be, was a matter of carelessness, so is forgivable for a nice lady with a grandchild. So, lacking the A > B > C linear connection, they are or would be stuck prosecuting her for mere carelessness and everyone has their bad days, right?
It may be time to shake the etch-a-sketch.
Banging head against the wall. . If it comes down to that, then we are done as a nation. Read somewhere her intent has nothing to do with a lot of the violations, or as you said, the mere EXPOSURE of same is full on treason.
So, we'll see what they come up with. If, as you say, that have to have all of the onion peeled, then the Clinton Foundation/Global Initiative investigation may take years. Can't they do the email/server case separately and do the other after Trump is in? . . Or are they all part of the onion? FBI lawyers really have their work cut out for them. Like I said, this is Big, so they can't screw it up. Will be precedent setting case law 200 years from now. If the big cheezes are exempt, we might as well start over.
That's for sure. I'm actually scared of her becoming president. Her psychopathic email/server history plus the, "By God, I'll show them a woman can make War," may get us into an unnecessary war. Also her "You're not going to tell me what to do" demeanor as she walks in the room is not going to play well with Putin and other world leaders. The constant woman card would get old quickly, just like Obama's constant race card.
Etch-a-sketch sounding better and better.
Great stuff - AND you're right about the pent up anger of the American people... it's too much. If she was a man she'd be in jail...
Check out # 20 .
Good post, Art in Idaho.
During my time in the military, I worked with materials classified at the levels she had sitting around unsecured on her 'server'. It was Ft. Leavenworth Prison time if I mishandled a fraction of the classified material she did. She should be in jail, not running for president.
Absolutely right. I didn't handle TS stuff but certainly Secret and Classified. Always was nervous around it and double checked it to make sure it was put away or sent back, etc. I knew the penalties. Yes, she should be in jail now.
The fact that our system even allows Hillary to even run for President is a testimony on how broken the qualification process is. Goes back to the DNC and democratic party. Don't hold your breath.
As SOS Hillary was one of the people appointed to determine what is classified, her claim that any communications weren’t marked classified is an outright lie. Nothing had to be marked, she decided whether it should be marked, and knew when she saw/wrote it that it was classified.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/executive-order-original-classification-authority
I went to a school in the military to learn how to fix binoculars. I had to have a Secret clearance, mostly because the school had a periscope laid out for us to see, and text books on how to disassemble, clean, reassemble and adjust it. I still can’t tell you a thing about a periscope 40 years later, except that it has a reticle (crosshairs) and compass, you can see that in the movies. I can’t tell you what its magnification is (not that I remember anyway), or anything else about it that I may or may not remember. There were other aspects of this school that I still cannot discuss. All classified Secret. I didn’t even risk taking notes out of the building...
That would land me in jail, and it’s just a fraction of what Hillary has done. Just the lies alone are monumental...
I never sent or received any classified communications
I never sent anything marked classified
I only used one device
My server was in a room protected by the Secret Service (as if this made it secure)
And of course there are all the unrelated lies...
We landed in Bosnia under sniper fire
Chelsea was jogging around the World Trade Center on 9-11 (safely in a building miles away)
We were dead broke when we left the White House (Bill had a $200,000 per year pension and a $8 million advance on a book deal in his pocket) I wish I was that broke...
We could barely pay pour mortgages (see above, and...mortgages PLURAL??? And have you seen those houses? The monthly payments were probably more than the average person makes in a month. They currently own 4 mansions, worth around %35 million total)
My husband will be exonerated, he never did anything wrong (impeachment era speech)
And that’s the short list...
It won’t be long now, Trump will most likely be bringing all of this and more to the attention of the voters...Hillary might not be prosecuted, but she’s about to hit a major speed bump in her political career...
Art this is doubtless one of the very finest critical examinations of Hillary that I have ever read. You missed nothing! I will only add that Hillary began her life of crime under the DNC Watergate Investigations Committee. The director of same fired her rather than expose the fact that Hillary altered and forged official documents, and lied repeatedly to her supervisors. Forty years of criminal behavior followed. I take my hat off to you, and with your permission, I will spread the post, albeit without your FR handle.
I just hope finally justice is done with the Clintons. I knew she did shenanigans during the Watergate hearings but didn't know she "altered and forged official documents, and lied repeatedly to her supervisors." That's big, and yes, 40 years of criminality since then.
Time to PAY
Yes indeed!
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