TSA Subpoenas Bloggers, Demands Names of Sources

[depakid]

Source: NY Times

As the government reviews how an alleged terrorist was able to bring a bomb onto a U.S.-bound plane and try to blow it up on Christmas Day, the Transportation Security Administration is going after bloggers who wrote about a directive to increase security after the incident. TSA special agents served subpoenas to travel bloggers Steve Frischling and Chris Elliott, demanding that they reveal who leaked the security directive to them. The government says the directive was not supposed to be disclosed to the public.

Frischling said he met with two TSA special agents Tuesday night at his Connecticut home for about three hours and again on Wednesday morning when he was forced to hand over his lap top computer. Frischling said the agents threatened to interfere with his contract to write a blog for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines if he didn't cooperate and provide the name of the person who leaked the memo.

''It literally showed up in my box,'' Frischling told The Associated Press. ''I do not know who it came from.'' He said he provided the agents a signed statement to that effect. In a Dec. 29 posting on his blog, Elliott said he had told the TSA agents at his house that he would call his lawyer and get back to them. Elliott did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment. The TSA declined to say how many people were subpoenaed.

...The TSA directive outlined new screening measures that went into effect the same day as the airliner incident. It included many procedures that would be apparent to the traveling public, such as screening at boarding gates, patting down the upper legs and torso, physically inspecting all travelers' belongings, looking carefully at syringes with powders and liquids, requiring that passengers remain in their seats one hour before landing, and disabling all onboard communications systems, including what is provided by the airline.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/12/30/us/politics/AP-US-Airliner-Attack-TSA-Supoenas.html

[naaman fletcher]

1. uh..

As the government reviews how an alleged terrorist was able to bring a bomb onto a U.S.-bound plane and try to blow it up on Christmas Day,

Uh, he shoved the stuff in his pants, and there is no system to detect that. I hope they aren't spending a lot of money trying to figure that out.

[AllHereTruth]

5. Thank you for this.

It baffles the mind that so many people do not understand certain things can not be prevented.

[No Elephants]

7. Everyone says body scanners would have detected what he had in his undies.

Maybe even what he had shoved up his rectum. And the Netherlands would have scanned him, except that US does not want the scanners used on those flying into the US.

Whether we want body scanners used on all passengers is a separate issue, of course.

But, we did have reason to have put this particular passenger on an extra scrutiny list. Not sure what the point of a "watch list" is if no one actually watches the people on it when they try to fly into our country. And he was on a British no fly list.

Heck, even Obama says we messed up on this one.

[LiberalFighter]

2. Screw the TSA

If they really are serious about security it should be handled by the FBI

[RedCloud]

4. Or rename them Tough Shit Assholes!

[Demeter]

3. Seems to Me Public Safety Would Be the LAST Thing to Keep Secret

just saying, doesn't do anybody any good if nobody knows about it.

[trungpa ricochet]

6. I know how to solve the problem:

Start a new Cabinet position...the Department of Fatherland Security.

Oh, Bush already did that.

:think: :puke:

[No Elephants]

8. IMO, the original reason for all these separate bureaucracies, if any, is outdated.

The FBI, CIA, Secret Service and Homeland Security and maybe even the enforcement division of immigration, should be combined.

Yes, there should be different units and specializations within the agency, but they are all concerned with security and criminals. The duplication, failures to share info, and other inefficiencies and rivalries are counter productive and dangerous today.

[MH1]

9. I think alot of people expected that was what "Homeland Security" was going to be

Then we found out that it wasn't going to even involve the most important agencies whose failure to communicate played a major role in 9/11. WTF? Then we found out that at least one of Bush's main objectives with DHS was union-busting. Add that to the really creepy sounding name "Homeland Security" and it really does seem like a bad dream that we should be waking up from any minute now.

I do agree with your main point ... my point of course is that so far that seems to have nothing to do with DHS.

[notadmblnd]

10. obviously it wasn't a bomb. Some exlposives yes, but it was never a bomb without a blasting cap.