The Birth of the Deep State: A History

The Birth of the Deep State: A History

https://www.aier.org/article/the-birth-of-the-deep-state-a-history/

Excerpt: The same deep state which is dogging Trump also prevented Obama from closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. But where did the American deep state come from? Has it always been there? In fact, the evolution of the deep state (and this choice of term, “evolution” as opposed to “creation”, will be explained later) is — some might say ironically — found in a nearly 140-year old  anti-corruption “reform” measure; one that was explicitly focused upon depoliticizing the civilian component of the United States government. (...) No orders are issued, and there is no chain of command. It communicates by example: leaks reported in the news beget more leaks, anonymous tips spawn a rash of new tipsters. No lofty conspiracy theories are necessary; a massive army of bureaucrats in an era of free/highly affordable burner phones, file sharing services, and document scanning apps are more than sufficient to gum up the wheels of executive action.  There are no secret codes, no dead drops, and no shadowy agents meeting in parking garages in the dead of night: perhaps more dauntingly, the deep state coalesces from among a seemingly incalculable number of nondescript men and women with families and homes in the Virginia and Maryland suburbs of Washington D.C. It receives a salary every two weeks, drawn upon the United States Treasury. Its atomic elements — individuals — coach Little League, go to Zumba classes, and generally have mainstream opinions. Many, no doubt, dismiss the very notion of a deep state. Even when they send an anonymous email, shred a document intended for other eyes, or impishly pass a tip to someone with a second- or third-hand relationship in the media, most of them probably see the deep state as something larger, above and beyond themselves. Yet they are the deep state. [OMFG! This may be the most important article you read today. It’s a coherent, cohesive explanation of what has happened–and why–to our “professional federal service employees.” And, it’s likely happening at the state and local levels, as well. Prepare yourself to be unsettled. Ron P. Addendum: When I was a small child in the late 1940s, one of the local gossipy stories that was frequently told was that the local US Postmaster in our very small Kentucky town of about 100 souls had been fired in the mid-1930s because he couldn’t read. The job was immediately filled by his wife, who could read. She was paid the same amount as a rural letter carrier, which wasn’t much. Instead, the way she made “big bucks”–relative to the times–was by renting out to the federal government space for a Post Office in her livingroom. She continued in her job and renting that space until she died in the early 1970s. True story. Ron P.]