I have a confession. I was a member of the deep state. Yes, I am a retired civil servant, a retired federal employee, and proud to add a former member of the deep state. I was there to do a job and I think I did it well. I worked in the area of public health.

I was never a whistle blower but think federal employees who see something that seems wrong need to bring it to the attention of those who can look into it. It is important to catch problems before they get too big or cause more harm.

We need to pay attention to whistle blowers and protect them.

I love the idea that there are people who try their best to perform their jobs in difficult situations. I like that there are people within the Public Health Service who care about public health. There are others in the Environmental Protection Agency who care about the environment. There are people in the Justice Department who care about justice. The list goes on but you get my general idea.

There is an opinion piece in today’s New York Times that begins:

President Trump is right: The deep state is alive and well. But it is not the sinister, antidemocratic cabal of his fever dreams. It is, rather, a collection of patriotic public servants — career diplomats, scientists, intelligence officers and others — who, from within the bowels of this corrupt and corrupting administration, have somehow remembered that their duty is to protect the interests, not of a particular leader, but of the American people.

Read it. You might appreciate the deep state and wonder why President Trump and many of his fellow Republicans are attacking these patriotic public servants.