TSA Disputes Embarrassing, Unethical Conduct Described by Former TSA Agent in Chicago

Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The TSA has strongly criticized a screener’s account of unethical practices, including poking fun at body-scan images, at the agency, The Los Angeles Times reports. Former TSA Agent Jason Edward Harrington wrote in Politico that TSA agents at Chicago O’Hare International Airport had low morale, targeted certain people for pat-downs and made fun…

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Former Stanford University Student Successfully Sues to Be Removed from No-Fly List

Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A former Stanford University student became the first person to successfully challenge placement on a government’s no-fly list, Wired.com reports. U.S. District Judge William Alsup said Thursday that an FBI agent “erroneously nominated” Rahinah Ibrahim to the list in 2004. The agent, Michael Kelly, “checked the wrong boxes, filling out the form…

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Throwing Stars, Skull Fragments, Grenades: You Won’t Believe the Items Confiscated by TSA in 2013?

Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The better question might be – what wasn’t confiscated from U.S. airports in 2013? The TSA discovered guns, grenades, throwing stars and human skull fragments on travelers at checkpoints, WSBT.com reports, citing a TSA blogger. Security found a stun gun in a cane and pepper spray disguised as lipstick.  “Our officers regularly find…

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Alejandro Mayorkas Closer to Winning Confirmation for No. 2 Job at Homeland Security

Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com President Obama’s pick for the No. 2 job at the Department of Homeland Security advanced to the next stage after getting approval from a Senate panel, the Los Angeles Times reports. Now Alejandro Mayorkas, head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, needs confirmation from a majority of the Senate. Republicans have objected…

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