I've supported Ken's work in the past. But your question: "Who directed Klippenstein to seek out these records, and why?" has been plaguing me in part because I've been researching intelligence agency tactics through the years and the "tip" to a journalist noted for his skill with FOIAs looks like a classic manipulation tactic. Which a guy like Ken would tell me I'm a paranoid UFO nerd for thinking, I'm sure. I'm also the son of a man who worked in military intelligence and a journalist who built my career on scooping the entire New York media establishment. I know the art of digging up shit too, and it's hard work, and in the past that was why I respected Ken and his work.
On a personal level, this whole thing gets under my skin because using someone's mental health against them this way strikes me as cruel—a move designed to publicly humiliate them, and as far as I know at the moment, whatever flaws Grusch has, he doesn't deserve *this*. Add in Ken tweaking people who don't share his arch skepticism of, well, everything—and it looks less like a guy doing his job and reporting a story that *may* be in the public interest and more like reporting with a healthy dose of trolling thrown in.
He’s lucky he wasn’t disappeared. Or death by defenestration. Hit by a speeding car. Killed in a random armed robbery. Suddenly fell ill and died…no trace of poison found in autopsy.
As someone who worked as a subcontractor to the federal government from 2005 - 2017, I interacted with many federal workers and executives at all levels of clearance. There were conversations over the years about what was required to get clearances. One person shared he had taken hallucinogenic drugs throughout college. When interviewed for an IC job he shared the fact. He still has a high-level clearance at the CIA.
What are the big red flags for getting high-level clearance? I was told financial issues that might lead an individual to be subject to accepting money from a nefarious source. Lying. If you are honest about where you failed or fail most agencies view the applicant in a positive light.
I did hear rumblings that if someone had affairs outside of committed relationships, clearances would be stripped. Case in point, General Petraeus at the CIA. Again, it appears honesty in personal relationships is paramount.
When I was in DC, a high-ranking Pentagon military official was stripped of his rank, dismissed, and lost his pension after a 3-year undercover investigation confirmed he was having an affair outside marriage with a woman who had connections to a major military contractor. Taboo. I saw the written indictment with names redacted. Wow. He had been warned twice to sever relations with the woman. He just couldn't do it. So, he lost everything he had worked for. Men. They should think with the brain brain. Right?
So honesty in actions and solid money management count above all else,
not substance abuse unless it interferes with the job, not depression or PTSD since the fallout from Viet Nam vets.
You are too young to remember Senator Eagleton in the early 70s. He was considered for the VP position in the McGovern run for President. The GOP released private medical information on Eagleton's depression treatment. Eagleton was forced to withdraw. It was an awful smear campaign.
Americans know that Abraham Lincoln suffered from melancholia his entire adult life when there were no antidepressants or psychiatrists. He was honest about his struggles. He was one of the best Presidents this country has ever had.
Media and politics are ruthless in their desire to destroy. We are sick people where there are no rules. No boundaries. Not just in America. It's a species-wide problem.
Spot on. And when you marry the business model of the media with that intention, the desire to destroy (for example, the sleazy draw of a misleading headline) makes for an easy path to monetization. Get those clicks, get those ads, repeat.
I've supported Ken's work in the past. But your question: "Who directed Klippenstein to seek out these records, and why?" has been plaguing me in part because I've been researching intelligence agency tactics through the years and the "tip" to a journalist noted for his skill with FOIAs looks like a classic manipulation tactic. Which a guy like Ken would tell me I'm a paranoid UFO nerd for thinking, I'm sure. I'm also the son of a man who worked in military intelligence and a journalist who built my career on scooping the entire New York media establishment. I know the art of digging up shit too, and it's hard work, and in the past that was why I respected Ken and his work.
On a personal level, this whole thing gets under my skin because using someone's mental health against them this way strikes me as cruel—a move designed to publicly humiliate them, and as far as I know at the moment, whatever flaws Grusch has, he doesn't deserve *this*. Add in Ken tweaking people who don't share his arch skepticism of, well, everything—and it looks less like a guy doing his job and reporting a story that *may* be in the public interest and more like reporting with a healthy dose of trolling thrown in.
This is very disturbing. I have been a Ken Klipp fan for a long while. Thank you for sharing.
He’s lucky he wasn’t disappeared. Or death by defenestration. Hit by a speeding car. Killed in a random armed robbery. Suddenly fell ill and died…no trace of poison found in autopsy.
As someone who worked as a subcontractor to the federal government from 2005 - 2017, I interacted with many federal workers and executives at all levels of clearance. There were conversations over the years about what was required to get clearances. One person shared he had taken hallucinogenic drugs throughout college. When interviewed for an IC job he shared the fact. He still has a high-level clearance at the CIA.
What are the big red flags for getting high-level clearance? I was told financial issues that might lead an individual to be subject to accepting money from a nefarious source. Lying. If you are honest about where you failed or fail most agencies view the applicant in a positive light.
I did hear rumblings that if someone had affairs outside of committed relationships, clearances would be stripped. Case in point, General Petraeus at the CIA. Again, it appears honesty in personal relationships is paramount.
When I was in DC, a high-ranking Pentagon military official was stripped of his rank, dismissed, and lost his pension after a 3-year undercover investigation confirmed he was having an affair outside marriage with a woman who had connections to a major military contractor. Taboo. I saw the written indictment with names redacted. Wow. He had been warned twice to sever relations with the woman. He just couldn't do it. So, he lost everything he had worked for. Men. They should think with the brain brain. Right?
So honesty in actions and solid money management count above all else,
not substance abuse unless it interferes with the job, not depression or PTSD since the fallout from Viet Nam vets.
You are too young to remember Senator Eagleton in the early 70s. He was considered for the VP position in the McGovern run for President. The GOP released private medical information on Eagleton's depression treatment. Eagleton was forced to withdraw. It was an awful smear campaign.
Americans know that Abraham Lincoln suffered from melancholia his entire adult life when there were no antidepressants or psychiatrists. He was honest about his struggles. He was one of the best Presidents this country has ever had.
Media and politics are ruthless in their desire to destroy. We are sick people where there are no rules. No boundaries. Not just in America. It's a species-wide problem.
Spot on. And when you marry the business model of the media with that intention, the desire to destroy (for example, the sleazy draw of a misleading headline) makes for an easy path to monetization. Get those clicks, get those ads, repeat.