TSA tougher on pajama bloggers than bloomer bombers

The system works... the system to cover your TSA arse:

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 said late Wednesday he could not comment until the legal issues had been resolved.

The TSA declined to say how many people were subpoenaed.

The new TSA meme... bloggers bad, bombers not so much.

Sigh.

Crossposted(*).

Comments

[Paul]

If you read, the TSA is rightfully looking for the person who released the information againest its own rules, create when established in 2004.

I am glad to see them pursue the link. However a Blogger should be protected under the 5th amendment and not required to quote source.

I also wonder where the zeal was in looking for leaks under the previous administration.

What the bloggers must defend is either the right to not reveal a source or that the document in question was not a strategic one.

Otherwise a good read.