TSA subpoenas bloggers, demands names of sources

[babylonsister]

TSA subpoenas bloggers, demands names of sources


WASHINGTON – 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.

more...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091231/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_airliner_attack_tsa_subpoenas_1

[Buzz Clik]

1. Typical diversion. Rather than accepting responsibility, they want to subpoena the uninvolved.

The buck stops elsewhere.

[FarCenter]

2. The notion that you can send a memo to everyone involved in passenger screening

and not have it leaked to the internet is pretty naive.

[LiberalAndProud]

3. Maintaining confidentiality is a job requirement for TSA.

Naive, my ass. Somebody will be fired over it, as they should be.

[FarCenter]

4. Did this only go to TSA? Or to contractors? Airports around the world? Their contractors?

[Tesha]

5. The question, ultimaely, is how far down the chain of command and how widely outside the agency...

...this memo was intended to be distributed. It also will hinge
on legal fine points such as whether it was properly marked with
the intended security classification and whether that classification
was valid given the intended distribution list.

I wouldn't bet money on any prosecution, or even on whether a
person with civil service job protections loses his or her job;
the government (especially the TSA) has proven itself to be
pretty incompetent at all of this stuff.

Tesha

[liberal N proud]

6. The directive was not supposed to be disclosed to the public?

How are travelers supposed to be prepared to arrive earlier at the airport to clear security and what will now be restricted?

:wtf: