Checking Them Out
When I go to the library, I have to show a proper library ID in order to check out a book. There is a bar code label within the book, and when they scan my ID, then the book, they have a record that I am the one who has physical possession of the book, on loan.
As we learned last year when the FBI raided the home of a former president, that’s how classified documents work, too. Each one has a code so they can be tracked and officials can know what’s missing and where it is at any given time.
If that’s the case, then how is it that any documents can be missing for any period of time. I know rules have been relaxed in recent years, but it used to be that if you failed to return a library book…you couldn’t check out another one until the first one was checked back in. You used to even have to pay a fine for not following the rules.
Never mind unequal treatment, never mind partisanship…how is it that any classified documents can just walk away, like apparently is done regularly, without follow up in real time?
And if there are that many classified documents floating around, maybe we should re-evaluate what documents need to be labeled in that way. Just because some glory seekers like to tell those they’re trying to impress that they have clearance for classified documents doesn’t mean we should be over-classifying things so there’s an ever-ready supply.
Again, this has nothing to do with the current situation, the two most recent presidents under special investigation for mishandling classified documents. But that fact should lead us to ask…why is it harder for me to check out a library book than it apparently is to do the same thing regarding classified documents?
