Comments on: TSA aims subpoena at bloggers, seizes laptop

By: Jimmy Burnett

Jimmy Burnett — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 02:45:32 +0000

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.

By: Tristan Benz

Tristan Benz — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 01:33:32 +0000

Dennis, Richard and Bill cracked me up!

Prediction: the most frequently used word (er, acronym) in America for 2010 will be FUBAR (at the very least, until November…).

By: MonroeL

MonroeL — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:43:52 +0000

…the TSA does not have subpoena power under the U.S. Constitution, nor does Congress or the President.

The power of ‘subpoena’ is strictly a judicial power.

Article III clearly states that Federal ‘judicial power’ resides only in the U.S. Supreme Court and lower courts.

A subpoena (order to appear before a government official) is an obvious, direct infringement upon a person’s liberty. The 5th Amendment guarantees that no person shall be deprived of personal liberty without due process of law… meaning a formal judicial process with normal rights and legal safeguards.

A TSA bureaucrat spitting out a subpoena on his word-processor ain’t legal or Constitutional.

By: VMS

VMS — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:50:49 +0000

This is reminisent of the Pentagon Papers fiasco, but in a much smaller scale.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_Papers

http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0403_0713_ZO.html

By: CT_Yankee

CT_Yankee — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:07:26 +0000

The reporter may have 1st Amendment protection against prosecution, but the news is only as good as the sources. People who have access to the right information are almost always intimidated by the consequences of speaking to reporters. Make it big news that we will do ANYTHING to get whoever released the documents, and in the future there will be nothing for reporters to report on.

By: A.W.

A.W. — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:24:40 +0000

well, i would say this. yes, they can be subpoenaed, but not they can’t be prosecuted for publishing it. my view of the first amendment is that a reporter is free to report whatever the hell they want. their conscience is their limitation, and libel laws.

But that doesn’t mean no one committed a crime giving the doc to them. and that can and should be punished. and in the process of investigating, yes, they should be subpeonaed.

By: Dennis

Dennis — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:31:03 +0000

They can’t catch terrorists, so they go after those who expose their incompetence.

TSA is FUBAR!

By: Richard Nieporent

Richard Nieporent — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:24:38 +0000

He should have hid in a place where they could never find him – an airport.

By: Bill H

Bill H — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 09:24:53 +0000

Of course they can take immediate action on bloggers- how many of them do you know wear Semtex underwear?