TSA goes after bloggers
Yeah, TSA is shown to be a bunch of incompetent boobs by a third world nincompoop so what’s the first thing they do? They target bloggers – read the story at Blackfive written by Laughing Wolf and at The Washington Times.
So what does this have to do with us, besides the fact that we’re also bloggers? Well, the same thing happened to This Ain’t Hell early last month. While they should have been investigating the Fort Hood shooter, Army Criminal Investigation Division agents were flying around the country with a search warrant signed by a Federal judge trying to solve the mysterious and life threatening case of Major Hasan’s Officer Record Brief making it to the internet.
Keep in mind that when we posted the ORB, Hasan was dead according to reports, and soon after we posted it and made it clear we weren’t taking it down, he was reanimated. Funny how that worked.
The Army CID showed more interest in tracking down the electronic route of an unclassified document than tracking down Hasan’s connections with terrorism. One of us had all of his computers confiscated and the hard drive was copied by Army CID, just like the two bloggers in the TSA incident. He noticed that the screen names of the other two bloggers of TAH were on the search warrant – but neither was visited by CID.
So, apparently, this government is more interested in bullying bloggers to keep our traps shut than they are in keeping us safe from terrorists.
Expect more on this story in the future.
Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden, Bloggers, Terror War
Word to the wise…
If you are surfing around, posting and commenting, I would suggest you save your data to an external hard drive, and wipe your internal with a 7-pass cleaner after every session. If they come with a warrant for your computer, you can give it to them knowing there’s nothing a value on it, and your external drive is tucked away in a closet.
Tim you know they’d rip the drywall off the walls if they even thought there was something hidden, right? I don’t save anything I post.
CID FBI dropped the ball. They should be tracking down the Supervisory Agent at the FBI that did not inform the Army who johnny jihad was talking too. Take that SOB to the wall and charge his GS15 step 8 heavy weight ass with conspiracy to commit murder, and a few dereliction of duty charges.
Sorry this had to happen to you to make some pencil dick CID one star deflect attention.
Let me state clearly, its not the guys in the field that did wrong. They have jobs to do. Its the brass at the top that is the true problem, using their investigators as fallout/ cover up.
UpNorth is spot on. There will be a hole in between every stud in your house. Your backyard will look like a landing site for the navys 5″ guns.
Wow,just wow…”Army Officer” sure holds a grudge,don’t he Jonn? I mean,it’s as if he blames everyone for him being born with a tiny,little,mouse d**k…Who’d a thunk it?
CID doesn’t just choose what they investigate; they investigate what they are required to, and they always keep in close coordination with SJA. If a report is received, they are required to take certain steps to follow up on the information; it is not a personal choice they make. It is the nature of the job of a CID agent to sometimes have to investigate things regardless of one’s personal opinions.
I’m sure they have plenty of agents to handle everything. So IMO, your criticism of CID is unjustified. I have no doubt that their private feelings about Hasan are the same as yours. (Just my personal take on the matter; not that I had know anything about it or had anything to do with it.)
That said, I’m really very sorry to hear about what happened, which came as a shock to me…though in retrospect, I could have seen it coming.
On the other hand, I’ve been through enough recent mandatory Information Assurance Awareness training to know that you shouldn’t do that kind of thing, even in an off-duty blog. I believe your judgement may have been clouded due to your anger over what happened. Totally understandable.
Still, the thought comes to mind is that this is indicative of a training gap somewhere. Maybe the Army needs to re-evaluate the effectiveness of their Information Assurance Awareness program to see what went wrong.
I hold the writers of TAH in high esteem, even if my personal opinions might sometimes differ, and I hope the matter is resolved for you.
Hey, you junks supervising CID-
FUCK. YOU.
Its going to come out exactly what you guys are up to. And who your ‘instigators’ are. Our intel is as good, if not better, than yours. Probably better.
Where the FUCK is your integrity? SPYING and coercing the very people who are supposed to be on YOUR side?
Annonymous2, how the heck can you look yourself in the mirror anymore? Take a good, hard, look at what you just wrote- you seem to be VERY conflicted. I’ll give you props for coming out- but I’ll take points back for letting it continue. Grow some nads. We are tired of this crapola.
Most of the ‘enforcement’ community in DoD has totally lost ANY of their integrity lately- TSA, goes for you too.
2010 will be a watershed year. JUST.YOU.WAIT.
Jonn and Mr. Wolf – LOVE YOU!
Anonymous2 – did they teach you how to spell REMF in those classes? Good Lord.
Homeland Secrurity, the TSA and now the Army CID must prove their worth. They can’t catch a terrorist, maybe they can catch a blogger. That’s the most comical happening in 2009. Is there anyone in government with a 3rd grade or above education? Sure doesn’t appear so since Jan 09.
Why since Jan 09?
Hey Debra, go to B5 and read the post on the latest happenings with the Blackwater 5. Especially read the judge’s comments on the government’s case and conduct. It’s enlightening. I think the judge’s words were “contradictory, unbelievable and lacking in credibility.”. Seems to describe the cluster going on since January ’09 perfectly.
UpNorth, I am looking at this…and I am more on your side that what you realize, even while holding long-standing contrary views on certain subjects. For example, I did join the facebook group in support of the Navy SEALS case. But I also have some conflicting thoughts and feelings on certain things as I try to look objectively to determine what the truth is. Some here don’t make it any easier for me to be objective because your attitudes suck. Sometimes. Life is already hard enough the way it is; why treat potential allies with disrespect. I’m also still grappling with Jim Hanson’s view regarding the shift in the war on terrorism to the law enforcement mentality (the recent article that he wrote). I can’t seem to find my way clear on his view, even while recognizing that he’s saying something very important. I feel there is something missing in his analysis, but I’m not there yet. My question about what you describe as the cluster going on since Jan 09 – what I don’t see is that this all just started as of Jan 09. You are insinuating, it seems, that it is because of the current administration. I was never a Bush supporter in the first place and I am even less an Obama supporter. I think both served, and are serving, interests contrary to the defense of freedom in many respects, even as it is under that guise. And Bush set the stage to usher Obama in; what a catastrophe. Please remember, though I’m an Army veteran, an ex-military spouse, a Navy mother-in-law, and connected currently to the military as a civilian, I’m also someone who has, in the recent past, spent years in the civilian world in the non-governmental sector and, as such, have fully exercised citizen rights to free speech in that world. I came out of the antiwar movement, which I’ve been very upfront about. I’m searching for common ground with you all; not looking for a battle. This is very difficult to do. Well, this could get to be a very complex discussion… Read more »
“The Army CID showed more interest in tracking down the electronic route of an unclassified document than tracking down Hasan’s connections with terrorism.”
Kill the Messanger or CYA will be the M.O. of this government in the future.
But how do you know that they weren’t tracking down Hasan’s connections with terrorism? See, that’s why I don’t understand your attacks on the integrity of the CID. Not to mention, while I don’t know all the internal changes relating to jurisdiction and roles and responsibilities that have taken place since 9/11, to my knowledge, I think that part falls to the FBI, and it is probably their failing to provide the necessary information to the Army.
Again, I’m only conjecturing from a very outside place, but I do know that CID has always operated in a very specific way and they are very thorough, following up on leads far beyond what most agencies would do. Not to say the CID is perfect, but they definitely have some strong points that are lacking in the FBI (IMHO). But they do not step beyond what is their jurisdiction. I’m sure of it. Though, again, I don’t mean to be talking about anything I may not know about.
Bottom line, Debra–this is politically motivated from the get-go, as bad (if not worse) than anything pulled in the Clinton DOJ, and even worse than Nixon’s “Enemies List”. I challenge you to show me ONE left-leaning blogger that was harassed under the Bush administration in a similar manner.
Just one.
Hmm…Well, I don’t know about the cyber world, but on the streets, I can tell you I was definitely watched and activities I was involved in had undercover elements present. Appearances aside, I’m not left-leaning, not even remotely, but my associates at that time were.
Debra (I still think of you as Debbie, sorry), what is missing in your analysis is this: The DHS has had a hard-on with right of center blogs and especially Vets and Vet blogs since this administration has come into being. That’s not a secret since they purposely painted the “threat” to the country with a very broad brush in a “retracted” DHS report earlier this year. Whether they retracted it is not the point, the point is it came out and their first draft was actually their true feelings about us. Where the military comes into this, including CID, is when the Ft. Hood murdering scum Hasan was thought to be dead and his ORB was published here. It had nothing to do with trying to find scumbag’s terrorist connections, but rather the fact that truth was put out to refute the lies being spread for political and sensationalistic gain by the media. Remember, the report may have been retracted, but that doesn’t mean they have just erased it from their biased memories. Plus, when you have a 4 star General that makes a statement that his first reaction is that he’s worried about losing diversity instead of the 13(14) dead tells a lot about the political aspects within the military. Couple that with the SEAL case and you can start to see the pattern of poiliticization taking place. Yes, it even infects the military, because there are always going to be ticket punchers and they are the ones calling the shots. The fact that they are taking terror scum away from military tribunals and taking them to civilian courts, along with not calling the terror act of Hasan a terror attack leaves me (I can’t speak for everyone else) believing that the calls are coming from the top and there are many more examples I could cite, but it would take too long. That they would rather spend their time going after blogs instead of legitimate terror investigating should make everyone’s blood boil, knowing that our security is now on our own shoulders, instead of those we pay… Read more »
Thank you. Very well said and I share your view on most of that.
On my name…I probably have multiple personality disorder…Debra, Debbie, Deb, DJ…all the same person actually. 🙂
I think Sparky hit it on the head in #14, this is a political witch hunt, and has been from the get-go.
As to UJ’s view and the shift in the WOT from, you know, war to a law enforcement problem, I think that many people just aren’t convinced that this is a civil matter, which should be handled like the proverbial barking dog, or parking complaint, or armed robbery.
I pointed out what the Fed judge had to say about the Blackwater 5, because these same people are telling us that KSM and his buds will be a slam-dunk. I think somewhere back in time, Holder said about the same thing about the BW5. Does the attitude and competence of these people worry me? Hell yes!!
OldTrooper’s last sentence in #16 pretty much says it all, and very well, too.
is anyone following up on the search warrant?
There must have been some criminal basis, no? Is it criminal to share unclassified information?
Lonetown; You’re right there was no criminal act, no one has been charged with anything. I don’t know how a federal judge was convinced to sign a search warrant, but the only reason that I can think of to make a federal case out of this is intimidation.
[…] the governments attempts to shut down bloggers, not only the travel bloggers but also this ain’t hell, reminds us why the 2nd Amendment exists. To protect the […]
Another thought on this: We all knew this was coming. It was mentioned by a fine military officer that took the time to come on here and chastize the owners and bloggers of this site, back when this happened. At the time, emotions were running pretty high, me included as was borne out by my rather salty posts at the time, but over time, the salt has run thin in my own mind and I have begun to turn a little analytical about it. What I posted, above, was just my observations over the past few months and it is a compilation of my own opinions on the matters involving not just the Ft. Hood scumbag, but the many other actions and inactions by this administration. That this administration has returned to treating terrorism acts as “law enforcement” rather than war says something about the mindset of this administration and how they are going to approach all aspects of this war. We are now in charge of our own individual security, that’s a fact that has been confirmed by “Big sis” several times over the latest incidents. However, since they are also treating these attacks as a law enforcement situation, expect for bloggers and others to be treated as a pain in the ass, instead of partners in information, by this administration. I heard a fitting adage, recently, that goes “truth and news are not the same thing” and it ties into a lot of this in that many bloggers put out things the government doesn’t want you to hear, since their propaganda organs i. e. “the news” is putting out what they want you to hear. TSA is tryin to intimidate some of the passengers from that flight, because they publicly stated that another man was detained from that flight. Big sis denied it for a few days, but they have now admitted it. It’s not rocket science, folks, all it takes is connecting the dots and common sense. Be observant and aware of your surroundings, because you are the only one looking out for your security. Keep abreast… Read more »
See the articles about Erroll Southers, 0’s nominee to head the TSA. He ran background checks on his ex’s boyfriend, and lied to the Senate about it. And, Dingy Harry Reid wants his nomination “fast-tracked” now? Now, that’s a criminal act, but it’s ok, because he’s on team 0?
So, Jonn, if there was no criminal act involved, why/how did they justify the search warrant? What specifics were outlined in the search warrant, if that info is available?
Old Trooper,
There’s another angle at play here. The MilBloggers have their collective ears tuned to the message coming out of the AO and can filter out a lot of the BS that accompanies such data. They also have contacts who can, mostly, support or knock down such information.
The blogging community is collecting, packaging, and disseminating data, mostly pretty accurate data, at a rate almost as fast as the government can. Sometimes faster and better.
The real stick-in-the-craw stuff, is that these MilBloggers are doing it without anywhere near the resources that the big government folks are, and that makes many of those GS10’s very nervous about their jobs.
You’re right, though, that this administration is all about containing stories and putting them out with their particular spin on the issue. To them, it’s not about governing. It’s about control, and imposing their ideas, policies, and will on the nation.
Bloggers in general, and MilBloggers in particular, are a direct threat to this administration and I suspect things are going to get much more worse, dirty, and nasty as long as Obama’s marxist sycophant enablers are in Washington.
This is just what us bloggers would have needed, the government telling us what we can and can not publish on our blogs. I find it ironic how quickly TSA dropped the idea of Subpoenas.
Mr. Wolf commented that 2010 will be a watershed year, while OldTrooper said that our security is now on our own shouldes instead of those we pay for it.
With those thoughts in mind, I was struck by the similar tone and sentiments expressed by an aquaintance of mine in the libertarian movement, Thomas L Knapp, who wonders if 2010 will be the year of the anarchist (referring to individualist anarchism or market anarchism, not the far-left variety). Among other things, Knapp says it’s time for non-government security and defense agencies. Article can be found on the website of the Center for a Stateless Society: http://c4ss.org/content/1617
then
There is also a whole website devoted to the subject of Homeland Stupidity, available at http://www.homelandstupidity.us/
Personally speaking, I’m pretty jaded in my outlook on all fronts, nonetheless, the concept of being responsible for our own security is a very interesting subject to explore. In the academic world, Randy Barnett offers, “The Structure of Liberty: Justice and the Rule of Law,” which is related to that subject. He is also the author of, “Restoring the Lost Constitution: The Presumption of Liberty.” (Easily found at multiple sources through Google.)
Also of interest, and which is available online to read, is a paper written several decades ago by a friend of mine, George H. Smith, “Justice Entrepreneurship in a Free Market,” available online here, https://mises.org/journals/jls/3_4/3_4_4.pdf with follow-up comments by the aforementioned Randy Barnett available here: https://mises.org/journals/jls/3_4/3_4_5.pdf, then followed by George H. Smith’s lengthy comments in response here: http://mises.org/journals/jls/3_4/3_4_8.pdf
Some very interesting reading, for those who don’t mind investing time looking over academic papers. I think the subject is strongly relevant to some of the themes popping up here.
Dang, Debbie, ya caught me. My libertarian streak came out of hiding, briefly, and you noticed it. I’ll try harder to keep it hidden from now on 🙂
While I have come to the conclusion that we are now tasked with our own security, I am also a law abiding citizen that feels that our security agency charged with taking care of our national security is politicized to a fault and hampered by political correctness. It comes straight from the top.
I see that the attorney in the AG’s office, who was going ahead with an investigation and possible civil rights violation charges concerning the New Black Panthers party members, who happened to be videotaped carrying weapons at a polling place in Philly, for the express purpose of voter intimidation, was pushed out of DC and sent to South Carolina. Eric Holder had halted the investigation and dismiss the complaint agains the NBPP members. Now, the fact that there is physical evidence of voter intimidation, rather than the usual “complaints” of such coming from the leftists and dems every election cycle with no proof. Here was actual proof and it is dismissed out of hand by this administration and the attorney pushing it is sent packing to South Carolina. Does that sound a little politicized to anyone else?
I’m watching things unfold that I really don’t like and I personally believe are counter to what our founding fathers and the Constitution stand for.
I’m not a fan of anarchy and the ones who call themselves anarchist, aren’ really anarchists, but rather juvenile delinquents that need to be taken to the woodshed, since they know little of what a true anarchist is. They just like to create a little chaos and act like spoled brats. But that’s just my take on it.
Haha, OldTrooper – yes, I’m very good at catching that kind of thing. 🙂 On your statement that those who call themselves anarchists aren’t really anarchists, but juvenile delinquents, if I hadn’t seen what I’ve seen and heard for myself firsthand, I might have thought you were exaggerating, but what you say is true with regard to those anarchists that are most visible. I even have a free-market anarchist friend who made virtually the same statement to me during an email exchange earlier last year after I had to enlighten him as to the reality of the way things really are, on the streets and brewing in backrooms, when he expressed concern about police preparedness for that type of thing based on the ungrounded conclusion that it must be overkill. (IMO, the armchair philosophers are not always in touch with the real world.) It’s like as though there is one word, anarchism, which can apply to different political philosophies that are as far apart in ideology as are the extreme radical left and the moderate right. The more visible type, which correctly comes onto the radar screen of those charged with the public safety, are indeed like juvenile delinquents. It’s almost impossible to even put that picture out of mind to turn one’s mind to seriously consider a philosophy that is using the same term to describe itself, even as it may be talking about something entirely different. Again, I think it’s an interesting subject to explore for those interested in the theoretical realm, and I think it would be great to own one’s own island in the Caribbean and and be in control of one’s own life and environment, living without government in accord with the will of God and the laws of nature. (This is why John Locke’s “Second Treatise on Civil Government” is one of my favorite books — because of the vision it inspires in me when I dwell on this imaginary thing he calls “the state of nature.” :-)) Well, maybe in the next world. In this one, I see private security agencies already showing… Read more »
By the way, I see now that my post #26 got screwed up as I was typing it and is missing some words. I don’t remember now exactly what I was originally writing, though it seems to still be mostly comprehensible anyway. (My laptop keyboard doesn’t always work right and deletes portions of my typing sometimes. Guess I ought to plug a regular keyboard back in.)
The information you are providing about the Army CID is spot on. The field agents are, for the most part good people but the command is screwed beyond belief. Many of the commander’s are not CID Agents but are allowed to make decisions. How the CID is allowed to lie to Congress, file false reports and the alike is beyond me. If the officer from CID is a commissioned officer, i.e. MAJ, LTC, COL or General, they are Military Police and not CID Agents. Warrant Officers are the actual Special Agent in Charge. The powers that be are out of touch much like our present administration and will do whatever they can to save and help the career of another officer.
The DOD seriously needs to scrap their law enforcement program and revamp with professional organizations from the ground up. The problems under the current and past schemas would require a book. Investigations need to be uncorrupted at all levels. It doesn’t matter if MPs deal with local commanders or CID has to deal with Army top brass, the bottom line is some non-lawyer, non-cop, non-investigator is going to make the decisions no matter what kind of case exists. If a Major General wants to influence something he is going to have absolutely no problem in coloring the conduct or progress of a case and NO one is going to put their neck on the chopping block to challenge that. Add to this the incredible limits on developing really good cops in the military and you have the military version of Mayberry RFD in suits. Sorry, but that is just how it is and all the P.R .in the world isn’t going to change things. I am an absolute advocate of civilian oversight of the military law enforcement game and could write that book *grin.
The problem with CID is that the Commissioned Officer’s (CO’s) are not CID Agents therefore they make decisions and are protected by the useless individuals at the Army Inspector General’s Office (IG). These CO’s can commit crimes and are protected but if an agent has a minoe infraction, their career is ruined. The CO’s can lie to Congress and move on with their career but heaven forbid a CID Agent use his/her instincts for they will be ruined. It makes little sense a law enforcement officer cannot use their instincts for this is something which canno be taught in school…
That the commanders of CID are simply Military Police commissioned officers with no special expertise or experience in conducting investigations is the way it’s always been in CID since it became a command, as far as I’ve ever known – though to my recollection, they do still carry the gold badge and credentials of CID agents, in spite of not being actual CID agents (I mean, in terms of possessing the actual training and experience). I wasn’t a CID agent that long since I got out only three years into the program to be a full-time mother at home, however, I did have opportunity to work under one CID commander in Germany (albeit indirectly, i.e., on the JDST – and if you were CID, you know what I’m talking about) who was very respected by the CID agents and was the one who helped usher me into the CID program. Then there was my commander at my first duty station following CID school when I was a probationary agent who was the one who swore me in when I became accredited. He was very much liked as well as respected as a CID commander and I think if they were all like him, there would be no problems. He never attempted to compete with the expertise of CID agents, nor direct them in how to do their investigations; he took a hands off approach with regard to that and trusted the agents to do their job. He wasn’t detail-oriented like that (which was a good thing), but rather fulfilled the role that we most needed – to be our public relations guy out in the military and civilian community to do the higher-level politicking for us and smooth the way to make our job easier. If there was ever anything underhanded going on, I certainly was never aware of it, and I think I usually picked up on most of what the guys were thinking and talking about. Only once was I ever upset with him (which he didn’t even know), but even that wasn’t his fault, but rather the… Read more »