In the aftermath of a terrorist attack on an airliner on Christmas, President Obama chose to keep quiet. Two days later, Janet Napolitano was dispatched to announce that the Christmas attack proved the aviation security system "worked." Meanwhile, TSA agents were being sent to intimidate bloggers for reporting leaked information about new security procedures.
Now, additional information is shedding light on exactly how TSA agents pressured blogger Steven Frischling into turning over his laptop. For starters, the agents were armed and they appeared at his door at 7pm:
“They were indicating there would be significant ramifications if I didn’t cooperate,” said Frischling, who was home alone with his three children when the agents arrived. “It’s not hard to intimidate someone when they’re holding a 3-year-old [child] in their hands. My wife works at night. I go to jail, and my kids are here with nobody.”
Frischling, who described some of the details of the visit on his personal blog, told Threat Level that the two agents drove to his house in Connecticut from DHS offices in Massachusetts and New Jersey and didn’t mention a subpoena until an hour into their visit.
“They came to the door and immediately were asking, ‘Who gave you this document?, Why did you publish the document?’ and ‘I don’t think you know how much trouble you’re in.’ It was very much a hardball tactic,” he says.
When they pulled a subpoena from their briefcase and told him he was legally required to provide the information they requested, he said he needed to contact a lawyer. The agents said they’d sit outside his house until he gave them the information they wanted.
Source: Wired
In other words, while Frischling's wife worked at night to offset the effects of President Obama's failed economic policies, Frischling was being bullied by armed agents while he tried to watch his children. Of course, this is the Obama administration - so you know there will be ample servings of incompetence to wash down all that ugly thuggery:
The agents searched through Frischling’s BlackBerry and iPhone and questioned him about a number of phone numbers and messages in the devices. One number listed in his phone under “ICEMOM” was a quick dial to his mother, in case of emergency. The agents misunderstood the acronym and became suspicious that it was code for his anonymous source and asked if his source worked for ICE — the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The agents then said they wanted to take an image of his hard drive. Frischling said they had to go to WalMart to buy a hard drive, but when they returned were unable to get it to work. Frischling said the keyboard on his laptop was no longer working after they tried to copy his files. The agents left around 11 p.m. but came back Wednesday morning and, with Frischling’s consent, seized his laptop, which they promised to return after copying the hard drive.
Source: Wired
Amazing! It's like a lost scene from "Burn After Reading." If you haven't seen "Burn After Reading," here's a taste:
In a post titled, "The Tyranny of Government and Our Duty of Confidentiality as Bloggers," tech guru Michael Arrington is slamming the TSA's tactics:Last week two bloggers, Steven Frischling and Chris Elliot, were visited by TSA agents and threatened with jail time if they did not reveal their source of the TSA Travel Directive that they each published shortly after the attempted terrorist attack on Christmas day. Frischling caved immediately and handed over his computer. Elliot did not. Since then the Department of Homeland Security has dropped the subpoenas, but there is a bigger issue here. The protection of sources is a cornerstone of our freedom of speech.
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I’ll never be surprised by a tyrannical government. In a sense, it’s their job. It’s our job as bloggers to stand up to that tyranny, even if our liberty has been threatened. Journalists have gone to jail rather than disclose their sources. If bloggers want the same level of respect, and protection from government by the courts, they need to stand up for what’s right.
Source: TechCrunch
By the way, has the TSA, DHS or President Obama made any announcement on the last TSA leak?
