![\"Mar-a-Lago\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vweisfeld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Mar-a-Lago.jpg?resize=347%2C304\")
Dear New Trump Administration Members, Friends and Hangers-on:<\/p>\nDear New Trump Administration Members, Friends and Hangers-on:<\/p>\n
I propose an easy, entertaining way to enhance your understanding of how the world of secrets actually works. Read (or watch) a few of the many highly regarded thrillers for key lessons. They may spare you more of the embarrassments of the past few weeks.<\/p>\n
Trust no one.<\/strong><\/span> There are no secrets.<\/strong><\/span> Leaving aside the debate about whether Snowden should have snagged our stuff, what about the content of his revelations? What does Flynn think NSA\u2019s $1.5 billion data storage facility<\/a> at Camp Williams, Utah, is for, anyway? He should have read\u2014and maybe somebody over there still ought to: The terrace of a resort isn\u2019t the best place to strategize about national security.<\/strong> <\/span>(See photo above). AND, WHILE YOU’RE AT IT, DEVELOP BETTER POLICIES, BECAUSE . . . <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Climate change is real.<\/strong><\/span> The War on Drugs is a loser.<\/strong><\/span> On the theme of resurgent ill will between the U.S. and Russia, reminiscent of the bad old days of the Cold War, see “Spy Fic: Freshly Relevant.” <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dear New Trump Administration Members, Friends and Hangers-on: I propose an easy, entertaining way to enhance your understanding of how the world of secrets actually works. Read (or watch) a few of the many highly regarded thrillers for key lessons. … Continue reading
\nThe initial reaction of ousted Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort<\/a> to the possibility he\u2019d engaged with Russian spies\u2014\u201cIt\u2019s not like these people wear badges that say, \u2018I\u2019m a Russian Intelligence officer\u2019\u201d\u2014was LOL funny to thriller fans. When you\u2019re dealing with a power whose aims differ from yours, anyone<\/em> may be a spy. To get his paranoia up, Manafort shoulda read:
\nThe Shanghai Factor<\/a><\/em> by Charles McCarry
\nThe Increment<\/em> by David Ignatius
\nJohn le Carr\u00e9\u2019s \u201cSmiley\u201d novels, newly relevant<\/p>\n
\nIf Manafort caused chuckles and head-shaking, the allegations against ousted National Security Agency Director Michael Flynn was jaw-dropping. Not <\/em>because Flynn had premature conversations with Russians, not <\/em>because he lied about them, but because he apparently didn\u2019t know<\/em> his conversations would be monitored, recorded, transcribed, and become fodder for a political debacle. Surely the head of the NSA would understand the reach of the nation\u2019s security apparatus.<\/p>\n
\nNo Place to Hide<\/em> \u2013 Glenn Greenwald (non-fiction)<\/p>\n
\nTechnology\u2019s ability to \u201clisten\u201d by supersensitive microphones and by monitoring phone traffic and to \u201csee\u201d via miniaturized cameras and screen captures of compromised electronics far exceeds what participants in that meeting apparently supposed. Do all the Mar-a-Lago wait and kitchen staff have security clearances? Do the members? Are they tested for common sense? Apparently not, since a number of them recorded the confab. Worst was club member Richard DeAgazio, who posted a picture on Facebook<\/a> of himself with \u201cRick,\u201d the service member who carries the nuclear launch codes for the President\u2014the \u201cnuclear\u00a0 football.\u201d One hopes Rick, now identifiable by millions, has a safe new assignment.
\nEye in the Sky<\/a><\/em> \u2013 film by Gavin Hood
\nGhost Fleet<\/a><\/em> by P.W. Singer and August Cole<\/p>\n
\nDewy-fresh EPA director Scott Pruitt believes the debate about climate change is \u201cfar from settled.\u201d While \u00a0recent heavy rains have alleviated most of California\u2019s drought for now, the long-term trend persists. A fight over water in the U.S. Southwest is not inevitable, but its ugly consequences can be prevented only if the problem is squarely faced through regional<\/em> strategies, which are what federal governments promote.
\nThe Water Knife<\/a><\/em>, by Paolo Bacigalupi<\/p>\n
\nThis ill-conceived “war” has led to untold misery in Mexico and created a strong motive for illegal immigration. No wall will stop the drug flow<\/a>. Fix this.
\nThe Cartel<\/a><\/em>, by Don Winslow
\nDown by the River<\/a><\/em>, by Charles Bowden (non-fiction, not new, but harrowing. We\u2019ve learned nothing.)<\/p>\n