How it works

Since I seem to be on a clandestine operations kick this morning, I figured I'd give you an insight as to how shit really works by someone who's been there. I probably used his product when I was in (unbeknownst to either of us). While I was an end-user of intelligence, CAFKIA gathered it and explains about the 'right' and the 'need' to know.

Thirty years ago, I was in the United States Navy. I was in a corner of the Navy known as the Naval Security Group. I will not explain it any further than to say that we did stuff that required me to have a high level clearance.

[. . .]

The hard and fast rule in the intelligence community is "Need To Know." What that means is that the mere fact that I had a top-secret clearance did not mean that I could look at anything classified top secret or below. What it meant was that I was allowed access to such information as was necessary to do my job, and no more.

[. . .]

It is also important to note that simply confirming the veracity of a piece of classified information to an unauthorized individual was considered to be essentially the same as disseminating the information. So not being the first source on a bit of information is no defense if you could be considered a confirming source.

[. . .]

I could pull excerpts all day. Instead I suggest you read his aritcle in full. Informative and in depth.

And while I'm on it, it's time for this to be cleared up too.