The latest White House security breach begs a serious question: how serious is the Secret Service about protecting the president?
The secret service has been tasked with protecting the president since 1901. In the 114 years since then they have protected democrats and republicans in wartime and peace during feast and famine without regard to race creed color or religion.
The most basic understanding of the job description is this: you must be willing to take a bullet for the president. Weve always understood this. This is not respect for the office or the preservation of the institution; its about the individual in the office. The job certainly requires a dedication to the principles and notions of our republic that is commonly expressed as patriotism but unlike a soldier you are expected to die for another individual that you really dont know personally. In this lies a potential conundrum in 2014.
More than any time in our history since the civil war we are a divided nation. Under this president the rights of citizens have been trampled on a huge scale: NSA domestic spying gun control by executive order the assassination of American citizens IRS targeting of political enemies etc. At the same time the power of the executive branch has expanded beyond the limits of the constitution: illegal aliens are given amnesty Americans are forced purchase of health insurance under threat of prison the executive has instituted military action without the consent of congress etc. This president apologizes for us and bows to other world leaders. He eschews self sufficiency American exceptionalism and traditional Christian moral values and yet acts as apologist for Muslim extremists when they commit the most heinous acts against our countrymen.
Lets say you dont believe any of this is wrong. You love him and think hes doing a great job - it doesnt matter because a LOT of people do not. Serious people; people who love this country and its founding principles. The same kinds of people you often find in jobs that require you to put your life on the line defending it. Obama is a polarizing figure and those on his side of the fence are not lining up for these kinds of jobs
I have no doubt there are people perhaps even people in the Secret Service who would willingly die to protect Barak Obama. He seems to inspire that kind of loyalty in some people. However it is no secret that many people consider him traitorous and a danger to the United States. How many of those people are in the Secret Service? How many in the presidential protection detail? How many of them buy into his message that there is nothing special about the United States and no longer find a compelling reason to die or kill in its service? Maybe thats the REAL secret of the Secret Service.
I am certain this administration has taken pains to staff the Secret Service with loyal and more importantly sympathetic people. However this kind of purging is never complete and cant be thorough given the nature of the information you would need to do it properly.
How many agents are assigned to the Whitehouse detail is unknown but with a budget of almost 2 billion dollars it is not small and they are well armed. YET a guy with a knife climbed the fence ran across the lawn walked in the unalarmed front door and into the rear of the building before being stopped by an off duty agent.
Do you think the president should feel safe?
The latest White House security breach begs a serious question: how serious is the Secret Service about protecting the president?
The secret service has been tasked with protecting the president since 1901. In the 114 years since then they have protected democrats and republicans in wartime and peace during feast and famine without regard to race creed color or religion.
The most basic understanding of the job description is this: you must be willing to take a bullet for the president. Weve always understood this. This is not respect for the office or the preservation of the institution; its about the individual in the office. The job certainly requires a dedication to the principles and notions of our republic that is commonly expressed as patriotism but unlike a soldier you are expected to die for another individual that you really dont know personally. In this lies a potential conundrum in 2014.
More than any time in our history since the civil war we are a divided nation. Under this president the rights of citizens have been trampled on a huge scale: NSA domestic spying gun control by executive order the assassination of American citizens IRS targeting of political enemies etc. At the same time the power of the executive branch has expanded beyond the limits of the constitution: illegal aliens are given amnesty Americans are forced purchase of health insurance under threat of prison the executive has instituted military action without the consent of congress etc. This president apologizes for us and bows to other world leaders. He eschews self sufficiency American exceptionalism and traditional Christian moral values and yet acts as apologist for Muslim extremists when they commit the most heinous acts against our countrymen.
Lets say you dont believe any of this is wrong. You love him and think hes doing a great job - it doesnt matter because a LOT of people do not. Serious people; people who love this country and its founding principles. The same kinds of people you often find in jobs that require you to put your life on the line defending it. Obama is a polarizing figure and those on his side of the fence are not lining up for these kinds of jobs
I have no doubt there are people perhaps even people in the Secret Service who would willingly die to protect Barak Obama. He seems to inspire that kind of loyalty in some people. However it is no secret that many people consider him traitorous and a danger to the United States. How many of those people are in the Secret Service? How many in the presidential protection detail? How many of them buy into his message that there is nothing special about the United States and no longer find a compelling reason to die or kill in its service? Maybe thats the REAL secret of the Secret Service.
I am certain this administration has taken pains to staff the Secret Service with loyal and more importantly sympathetic people. However this kind of purging is never complete and cant be thorough given the nature of the information you would need to do it properly.
How many agents are assigned to the Whitehouse detail is unknown but with a budget of almost 2 billion dollars it is not small and they are well armed. YET a guy with a knife climbed the fence ran across the lawn walked in the unalarmed front door and into the rear of the building before being stopped by an off duty agent.
Do you think the president should feel safe?