I’ve been on the phone all day for the last 2 days with reporters and journalists of all kinds, including the big bad MSM, and one South Florida reporter told me that he had been “strongly cautioned” by the TSA not to cover my viral YouTube video showing TSA nude body scanners to be completely worthless. Absolutely unbelievable:
Update: The name of the TSA spokeswoman who attempted to intimidate this journalist is Sari Koshetz.
Update 2: Second journalist comes forward in comments on this post: SmarterTravel March 8, 2012 at 3:34 pm | #11 Reply | Quote | Edit We were also “strongly cautioned” not to cover the story. We did anyway at SmarterTravel: http://tinyurl.com/7te5wj8
The TSA is clearly no fan of the 4th Amendment, nor of 5th Amendment due process rights, and now this blatant attempt to manipulate the free press with “strong caution” hits at Amendment the First. Why strong caution? Are there repercussions for journalists that fail to heed this “advice?” Because, you know, if I were a member of the free press and the federal government asked me to censor myself, I’d happily comply . . . . . . . . . riiight.
I have news for the federal government: Americans will not take censorship in any form. We thought we made this clear when you tried to force SOPA on us.
So what should we do about this? If you’re a journalist who has received any kind of similar warning, please contact me. Everyone else, please take a moment to contact your local mainstream media outlets (Fox, ABC, NBC, CNN, etc.) to request that they cover the original story. The Internet has been absolutely amazing as have large alternative programs (Alex Jones, for example) and I do believe that we have successfully spread the word. But, if the TSA doesn’t want the MSM to cover it, there’s probably a reason, so let’s take the battle there!
March 9, 2012 at 7:01 am
The real test of what that strong caution amounts to will be the next time a journalist who ignored it tries to get on an air plane.
My bet is they’ll find themselves on a no-fly list for being an “enemy” of the United States.
March 9, 2012 at 7:08 am
Yeah don’t bother mentioning any details. Like, you know, WHAT THE STORY IS that you’re not supposed to cover.
March 10, 2012 at 2:37 am
It is in the first paragraph… Even has a link to the video
March 9, 2012 at 9:01 am
Figured, damn TSA always stepping on our toes!
March 9, 2012 at 10:23 am
Don’t count on the mainstream media to cover this. They’re owned by the same big corporations that lobby our government and they would never air something that would go against the establishment.
Try contacting smaller and more independent media including international ones like Democracy Now. They may have a better chance of covering it.
March 9, 2012 at 10:41 am
You may have seen it, but, for those of you who haven’t, I will post TSA-hole Man on here.
Pete
TSA-hole Man (tune of Secret Agent Man)
Pretending to be keeping you from danger,
He’s just a perv who likes to grope a stranger.
With each exam he makes, another bag he rakes,
Odds are you’ll see what’s missing by tomorrow!
TSA-hole man,
TSA-hole man,
Your clothes he’ll disencumber,
Before you board your plane.
Taking all nail clippers that he finds,
Oglin’ image-scans of behinds,
Oh, be careful what you say, around the TSA,
Or odds are you’ll be gate-raped ‘till tomorrow!
TSA-hole man,
TSA-hole man,
Your clothes he’ll disencumber,
Before you board your plane.
(guitar solo)
TSA-hole man,
TSA-hole man,
Your clothes he’ll disencumber,
Before you board your plane.
Gropin’ granny at the airport one day,
Then harassing travelers boarding trains the next day,
Oh no, DHS let it slip, there’s more work for this drip,
The odds are he’s at WalMart by tomorrow!
TSA-hole man,
TSA-hole man,
He’ll fondle your cucumber,
Before you board your plane.
TSA-hole Man!
March 9, 2012 at 11:15 am
At least I know where to come if I need a lesson in proper sentence structure and grammar.
March 13, 2012 at 11:21 am
You mean where to go.
March 9, 2012 at 11:17 am
It’s worse than I’m betting you’re willing to acknowledge.
March 9, 2012 at 11:18 am
OK, enough comments already! There are 87 comments and not *ONE* of them blame Bush for what is going on.
What, do you really mean to tell me Bush is not a fault here?
Am I the only one who can draw the map that leads directly to Bush being the actual person to blame? I don’t think so. I am not going to waste my time drawing up a 72 point map showing how the e-mail more than likely came directly from Bush, not the TSA.
But I don’t need to. This is American and we are not dumb. We know this is the fault of Bush and that is all that needs to be said. IBB.
I
Blame
Bush
March 9, 2012 at 11:34 am
can you say “I am an idiot”?
No, no: Let me: You are an idiot.
March 9, 2012 at 11:58 am
you do realize he is being sarcastic, right?
March 9, 2012 at 4:06 pm
Bush is the reason for the season!
March 9, 2012 at 7:54 pm
*you’re
March 10, 2012 at 12:04 am
“You’re” is the contractive form of ‘You are’, as is “didn’t” is to ‘did not’ or “they’re” is to ‘they are’. Saying either one interchangeably is acceptable; In fact ‘you are’ is more formal than “you’re”. That being said, make sure that you know what you are talking about before you start correcting everyone’s grammar.
March 9, 2012 at 11:46 am
Blame: no where near as important as a solution to the problem.
March 9, 2012 at 10:14 pm
This.
March 9, 2012 at 11:59 am
yes he started it, Santorum voted for it, Gingrich & Romney believe it was a good idea, and Obama expanded exponentially.
Bush started it, but Obama has fully embraced this movement against the entire bill of rights.
Guess who has been railing against this for the past 30+ years?
Ron Paul.
March 9, 2012 at 4:09 pm
1) TSA hasn’t existed for 30+ years.
2) Obama didn’t expand TSA. In fact, they’re at the same staffing levels as they were in 2004.
3) The truth is that you neo-con idiots attempt to use stuff like this to promote political gain for the Paulestinians. Its such a joke that Ron Paul doesn’t even pay you any attention anymore.
4) THE GUY WHO MADE THE VIDEO SEEMS TO FORGET ABOUT THE EXPLOSIVES THEY HAVE FOUND ON PASSENGERS, AND THE LITANY OF OTHER PROHIBITED ITEMS THAT THEY FIND EACH AND EVERY DAY; MAKING OUR SKIES SAFER.
fucktards.
March 10, 2012 at 12:55 pm
Obama did not expand the TSA, but the scanners did not come into full use until after he became President so there was some opportunity to keep it from happening. So, while staffing is the same, the intrusion on our rights from its use has expanded exponentially..
March 13, 2012 at 5:09 pm
most ballinest playere, you were on a roll until you showed your liberal crassness by name calling.
As for making skies safer, with the federal government’s agenda I’m reminded of a quote from a man who was one of the first militia men who trained ordinary citizens in arms, “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
What you’re implying is that the state should have the right to search anyone anywhere anytime without probable cause or court warrants. Some of us believe in the Bill of Rights, even if the only Amendment still intact is the Third, so far.
March 9, 2012 at 2:08 pm
Our freedoms have been eroding for years – decades – even under freedom-espousing Reagan – and now, Shrub and O’Bummer have brought the issue to a head.
It is pointless to argue about who is to blame. Don’t people realize that is exactly what Washington wants – for us to squabble with each other? As long as we waste our energy fighting with each other then nothing changes in Washington.
They are ALL to blame. And WE are to blame for letting it happen.
March 9, 2012 at 3:05 pm
that’s because one man can’t do this much damage to freedom and liberty, nor could his 8 year term. the real blame should be placed on the american public for continuously allowing these atrocities without stepping up to the plate and saying “ENOUGH!!!”
March 9, 2012 at 5:56 pm
Actually, Cheney is to blame. Do you honestly thing Bush was smart enough to plan any of this? Fact is, he was nothing more than a sock-monkey puppet for Cheney for 8 years.
March 11, 2012 at 9:02 am
Wow seriously think about it. He was acting he was stupid so people like you wouldn’t blame him for the shit he caused (WAR).
March 13, 2012 at 5:12 pm
Steve w, is your IQ over 125? Please don’t equate intelligence with wisdom.
March 13, 2012 at 5:25 pm
Noface, so Hussein didn’t violate the Gulf War agreements; use WMDs killing over a million people; refuse to cooperate with nuclear inspection teams; try to get nuclear materials; attack four countries over oil; wasn’t tied to terrorism; say he wanted to go after Bahrain, UEA, Qatar, and finally Saudi Arabia to establish a Pan Arab nation to corner the oil producing region so as to get nuclear weapons to attack Israel and the US?
I guess I got my history wrong. Likely it was all made up by Bush, right?
March 9, 2012 at 6:58 pm
It’s obama’s fault.
Always has been and always will be.
What’s going to be your next loser statement – ‘wait till next year’?
March 9, 2012 at 8:21 pm
What year is it again?
March 13, 2012 at 3:34 pm
Yes, Bush started this. And Obama decided to continued it. They are both equally culpable.
No surprise – there is a large overlap between the policies of fascists and communists.
March 9, 2012 at 11:48 am
I believe you’re putting yourself in some danger and while I appreciate your work and your uncovering more of the TSA scam and sham, watch your back man.
March 13, 2012 at 11:02 am
Well now… If we all thought that way, this country would have been gone a long time ago.
Thank God for the Bravehearts and the heros!!! “UNITED WE STAND”
March 9, 2012 at 12:47 pm
Is it just me or is he using IE?
March 9, 2012 at 1:07 pm
Not only using Internet Explorer but also OWA which also appears to be running on the same server as the primary email gateway. Shame that CEO of a tech company would reveal such information in a public forum like that. Lesson: Be aware of what you post BEFORE you post it.
As far as TSA, whatever. Media should cover what news is news.
March 9, 2012 at 12:55 pm
Sari K contact info is posed on the TSA site here:
http://www.tsa.gov/press/releases/2010/1004.shtm
Her nubmer is 305-432-0076
September 16, 2014 at 5:30 pm
Thought you’d like to know that over 8,000 people have clicked this link to see Sari’s contact information. Incredible. 🙂
March 9, 2012 at 1:41 pm
Actually you use a comma before the conjunction “and”, when you have a list of items that are unrelated to the other, and you want to draw distinctions between them.
For example:
1. I went to the store to buy coffee, donuts and arsenic.
2. I went to the store to buy coffee, donuts, and arsenic.
The first sentence shows murderous intent. The second sentence means that the household probably has a rat problem.
March 9, 2012 at 4:05 pm
Actually, MLA standards now say that you should exclude that second comma in example #2.
March 9, 2012 at 4:47 pm
Well, then, MLA can go die in a fire.
March 9, 2012 at 5:47 pm
A sentence with or without an oxford comma can mean entirely different things. MLA standards dictate that you do what makes sense. Allow me to demonstrate:
March 9, 2012 at 8:04 pm
Oxford comma, eh?
Just sayin’
March 9, 2012 at 9:38 pm
How many pizzas would you buy if I asked for cheese, pepperoni and sausage?
March 13, 2012 at 5:31 pm
If in doubt about clarity; punctuate. It makes comprehension so much easier. Too many posters make good points but lose effectiveness because of poor grammar and spelling.
By the way, I need a spellchecker such is my atrocious spelling.
March 9, 2012 at 2:18 pm
This is certainly a very interesting story, but to my mind there is a government response that is appropriate and one that might not be. From the evidence produced here, I am not sure which is at play.
Is the TSA threatening journalists who ask questions suggesting that they are going to write about the evidence that TSA machines are easily evaded, or just trying to persuade them that the claim is meritless and that the blogger making the claim has an ax to grind (don’t we all?)?
The email reproduced could be in the former category, although the words “strongly cautioned” have a more sinister implication. The strong implication in the blog is that the Smarter Travel” newsletter is who was strongly cautioned, but Smarter Travel has told me in no uncertain terms that it did not send the email reproduced in the blog and, in fact, has not claimed to have been “strongly cautioned”.
I’d like to see what the TSA’s actual words were before making a firmer judgment. I wonder if you are free to reveal the actual words transmitted by the TSA.
March 9, 2012 at 2:37 pm
Hopefully you have picked this up. Ken at popehat got a response from Sari Koshetz
http://www.popehat.com/2012/03/08/in-which-i-strongly-caution-the-tsa-to-snort-my-taint-and-probably-get-on-the-no-fly-list/
March 9, 2012 at 4:04 pm
Well, considering “bloggers” aren’t journalists… that should tell you something.
Real journalists have already dispelled 99% of these myths.
March 9, 2012 at 6:26 pm
There is no difference between bloggers and journalists, they both write with bias and opinion.
It is comparable to, say, a mechanic that went to school and a backyard neighbourhood mechanic. Both will fix your car, and both are considered ‘mechanics’.
If not, then do explain what your argument is for drawing the line between bloggers and journalists.
March 9, 2012 at 3:05 pm
What IS the original story?
March 9, 2012 at 4:03 pm
there isn’t an original story here. its just some kid who wants to scare everybody with the same logic he is attempting to vilify.
March 9, 2012 at 5:48 pm
You haven’t been paying attention, have you?
March 9, 2012 at 4:02 pm
First of all, your video is a joke. Second of all, it contains a lot of inaccurate information. Sure, you can sneak your makeup through the checkpoint…
But who really cares about you, your “first” lawsuit that went nowhere, and this Ron Paul-esque approach to dealing with your problem with authority?
The truth is that you’re trying to grab attention. And, Blogger Bob was right. Thanks for showing us what an unpatriotic American looks like.
March 9, 2012 at 4:15 pm
“Drop your pants and grab your ankles!” is apparently the “new patriot”.
Keep at that, guy. Let’s see how far that gets you. Oh…wait. I forgot. You and the rest of the complacent masses that share this mentality already have been taking us all for this ride. A ride to $15 trillion in the whole and criplling the founding principals of the country.
Mission accomplished, bub.
March 9, 2012 at 5:50 pm
This response is hilarious!
You must work for the TSA, because this is the exact same dismissive attitude used there and shows they are incapable of any critical thought.
March 9, 2012 at 5:56 pm
I got douche chills reading your post. Its like having a brain without a conscious stream of critical thinking.
March 9, 2012 at 9:59 pm
i really liked how “blogger bob” dumbed down that blog post so the flouride heads could understand too. I wrote blogger bob a question– i asked him why, according to eye witness testimony and testimony of the Under Sectary of Transporation that the under wear bomber was allowed on the plane sans passport by…..(wait for it)…………UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT…. Yup here is the video of the testimony before congress….
still no response.
March 9, 2012 at 5:40 pm
Why did you use Alex Jones as an example? He’s a paranoid half-wit. Including his name can only weaken the impact of the story.
March 9, 2012 at 9:54 pm
4 million radio listeners every day of the week. Plus Cable news show and utube channel.
Alex Jones is New Media.
March 11, 2012 at 9:00 am
Millions listen to Fox news. Does that mean they are reputable?
March 9, 2012 at 5:58 pm
bush, obama,clinton,bush….blah blah blah blah…….more control is all your gonna get. wait till the MITT gets in, and the American people ask….WHY is nothing changes, were we fooled AGAIN……………LOL……….no shit, your brains are MUSH !
March 9, 2012 at 6:01 pm
Blue ball been played… jump off a bridge you commiserate bastard! YOU IS DUM! LOL.
March 9, 2012 at 6:05 pm
Oh yeah! Go watch your Fox news… BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
March 9, 2012 at 6:24 pm
Contact the Daily Show, they’re the only credible news organization
March 9, 2012 at 6:47 pm
What have they done to the Earth?
What have they done to our fair Sister?
Ravaged and plundered and ripped Her and bit Her
Stuck Her with knives in the side of the Dawn
And tied Her with fences and dragged Her down……
March 9, 2012 at 6:52 pm
I “strongly” advise you not to mention Mr. Alex Jones if you want to maintain any credibility here. Just sayin’
March 9, 2012 at 10:03 pm
Jones is far more reliable than the msm.
August 13, 2012 at 10:26 pm
Not exactly saying much now, is that? And I actually read/watch some of his stuff and agree that people have lost their GD minds. Guy seems borderline strawman, though. I mean seriously, I get the area 51 aliens vibe from him half the time and see verified/documented stuff the other half.
March 9, 2012 at 7:17 pm
“The Natural Law Remedy to TSA Airline Security Groping” provides the law underlying TSA searches, and some approaches you can take. E.g., it is against state laws to touch children because of harm; children cry at TSA’s hands. The parent as GUARDIAN cannot cannot waive the child’s right to be free of molestation.
The dilemma of harming children to protect society does not occur in a free society.
Free download: naturallawremedy.com/Downloads.htm.
Also see “How to Disobey Unjust Laws”
March 9, 2012 at 8:19 pm
Is he wearing Sennheiser HD800?
March 9, 2012 at 8:32 pm
This is somewhat unrelated, but I was curious… Is it illegal or would I get kicked out of the airport for liking the pat down? Like, enjoying it? I mean, not seriously, but to make the agent feel awkward… If they have to do it, I might as well enjoy it…
March 9, 2012 at 9:23 pm
If you couldn’t help it, what can they do? Generally crimes require intent. 🙂
March 9, 2012 at 10:11 pm
TSA is a joke