TRANSPORTATION SECURITY AGENCY PAYS BLOGGERS A VISIT

After reports of a first hand account that the underwear bomber attempted to board Northwest Flight 253 without a passport, this story about the TSA going to the home of two bloggers for posting the contents of an email they received is a bit disturbing.

WIRED reported:

Two bloggers received home visits from Transportation Security Administration agents Tuesday after they published a new TSA directive that revises screening procedures and puts new restrictions on passengers in the wake of a recent bombing attempt by the so-called underwear bomber.

Special agents from the TSA’s Office of Inspection interrogated two U.S. bloggers, one of them an established travel columnist, and served them each with a civil subpoena demanding information on the anonymous source that provided the TSA document.

The document, which the two bloggers published within minutes of each other Dec. 27, was sent by TSA to airlines and airports around the world and described temporary new requirements for screening passengers through Dec. 30, including conducting “pat-downs” of legs and torsos. The document, which was not classified, was posted by numerous bloggers. Information from it was also published on some airline websites.

The term, "Heavy Handed" absolutely appears to apply here. It seems like the more militant Muslims attack, the more our citizens' rights are infringed upon. These bloggers were at home with their young children.

It would seem that one of the bloggers makes a very valid point:

“They’re saying it’s a security document but it was sent to every airport and airline,” says Steven Frischling, one of the bloggers. “It was sent to Islamabad, to Riyadh and to Nigeria. So they’re looking for information about a security document sent to 10,000-plus people internationally. You can’t have a right to expect privacy after that.”

Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Suzanne Trevino said in a statement that security directives “are not for public disclosure.”

Typical bureaucrat. Avoid common sense at all costs; just cite policy.

Lastly, I found some definte irony in the underwear bomber, who is a Muslim, prompting talk of full body scans for law-abiding, non-Muslim citizens.

h/t to HA