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April 20, 2018

Secrets. Can Anyone in the White House Keep One?

By Susan Trotter

Only time will tell how the leaks from the current White House will hurt or help the Trump administration.

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Secrets.

Everybody has them.

Some tell them to anyone that will listen.

Strangers, their neighbors, even the salivating New York Times.

Others -- faithfully -- will carry them to their grave.

It doesn't matter how big a secret is in the grand scheme of things. They can be little, or large enough to change the course of a nation or destroy just one person's life. The real question is -- what makes one keep it?

Leaks are pouring out of the current White House at record numbers; just count the books. The ones that make it to our ears aren't what most of us would rate Top Secret. Would you say a call from the President to Vladimir Putin, should be classified? If so, we have to ask -- why?

Each time a new administration enters the White House they profess more transparency than the prior one. This one is no different -- but it seems they're working a lot of overtime trying to keep their secrets, well, secret.

Just think about how many times you've been told a secret in confidence by someone that told you they weren't supposed to tell anyone. My guess is, it's a fairly common occurrence. And, I myself, feel a little uncomfortable when the torch of confidence is passed on to me.

What if I drop it? What if it's something others, or at least one person, should know? Where does my allegiance lie?

When working as a secretary I was occasionally told to tell callers the boss was out of the office and I didn't know when he would return. I wasn't allowed to say he was busy at the moment or use some other excuse. I was instructed to say he wasn't there, even when he was. Clearly wrong, but it seems hiding things is an accepted occurrence in the working world.

Hiding things can get to be a habit.

Have you noticed how easily the GOP clan defend their behavior even when it's questionable to maintaining the future of our democracy?

There seems to be a different set of rules for those running the cash register and those that own one.

While we watch the White House flop around like a dry-docked fish we have to keep an eye on who makes the effort to toss it back into the water.

When statesmen feel they have to keep something as mundane as a congratulatory phone call under wraps we can only suspect there are bigger monsters hiding under the bed.

Just like Trump's Tweets, I say let the leaks flow. Here's hoping it's because someone feels compelled to keep America abreast of what's going on right under its nose. But even if it's just someone pouting at the president's brash style, does it really matter, as long as we know the truth?

If transparency isn't at the forefront of an administration let anyone that can provide what the people should know have at it. Protecting the President's pride isn't what running a government is about, though the Republicans have done a magnificent job at keeping his scars bandaged and clean.

They're more concerned about the action of the leaks than the actual content exposed.

That's not good. This shows how much leaks are needed, and dare I say, encouraged, by those seeking truth and transparency.

I know the White House is old, and according to its current resident, a dump, but please, don't seal up all the cracks just yet; that swamp needs to drain out from somewhere.



Authors Bio:

Former Sun Newspaper Group correspondet, occasional Op-Ed and essays in The Orlando Sentinel. Recognized short fiction winner and former library president. Professional photographer and co-owner of an internationally heard music production company.


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