Archive for March, 2008

Monday, March 31st, 2008

Harvard’s Jim Crow Gym

On Friday, a piece I wrote for Pajamas Media, "Harvard's Segregated Gym," published. Many people have written to me wondering if I really played ice hockey for Princeton, which I did. My maiden name was Soininen. Here's a photograph of me, as Tiger Captain, playing in a match against Harvard 19-years ago. (I look different […]

No Comments » - Posted in Behind the Scenes by Annie Jacobsen

Friday, March 28th, 2008

Pilot’s Gun Goes Off in Cockpit, Who’s to Blame?

Last weekend, a gun belonging to a pilot went off inside the cockpit of a US Airways plane as the aircraft was landing in Charlotte, North Carolina. This kind of "accidental discharge," is incredibly dangerous for a whole host of reasons which are painfully obvious to everyone except the U.S. Federal Air Marshal Service.  
"We […]

No Comments » - Posted in U.S. Homeland Security by Annie Jacobsen

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

Explosion Near Los Angeles Airport Kills Firefighter

One firefighter has been killed and a second firefighter and a civilian have been injured by a powerful explosion near Los Angeles Airport (LAX). No official cause yet, only that the explosion appears to have come from underground.
WESTCHESTER (KABC) — One of the firefighters injured in a Westchester explosion has died, according to Mayor […]

No Comments » - Posted in U.S. Homeland Security by Annie Jacobsen

Tuesday, March 25th, 2008

TSA Censoring Posts on CNN Air Marshal Story

This just in from an Air Marshal who wrote:
The following was sent on the TSA Blog at 4:05 PM Eastern Time. It was blocked and at 4:15 PM, [TSA Blogger] Chris White put his own blog post instead, with more of the typical propoganda. Please bring to the attention of the public that TSA is […]

No Comments » - Posted in Federal Air Marshals by Annie Jacobsen

Tuesday, March 25th, 2008

Rare Marshals

Air Marshals are leaving the agency in droves. Less that 1% of flights are now covered by armed marshals, a CNN investigation reveals: "Air Marshals Missing From Almost All Flights."
Don't miss the broadcast story tonight at 10:00 p.m. EST. 
"Of the 28,000 commercial airline flights that take to the skies on an average day in […]

No Comments » - Posted in Federal Air Marshals by Annie Jacobsen

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008

Newsweek: Two Top Counter-Terror Jobs Still Vacant

Interesting, albeit embarrassing, article in Newsweek. "Help Wanted. Why Can't the President Fill Two Top Terror Jobs?"
Frances Townsend, former Homeland Security advisor to the President, resigned last January and so far no one's taken her place. Former TSA Under Secretary Admiral James Loy is among those who's said 'no' to the job.
The same […]

No Comments » - Posted in U.S. Homeland Security by Annie Jacobsen

Monday, March 17th, 2008

FBI Watchlist Outdated Says Inspector General

An audit by the Inspector General for the Justice Department reveals that "for nearly three years the FBI gave outdated, incomplete and error-riddled data about terror suspects to be added to the government's watchlist," according to the Associated Press.
[The audit] found that the FBI has proper controls in place to help make sure names of […]

No Comments » - Posted in U.S. Homeland Security by Annie Jacobsen

Sunday, March 16th, 2008

World’s Most Popular Blog Picks Up on TSA Scandal

Boing Boing, ranked "the most popular blog in the world" by Technorati.com picked up on the article I wrote yesterday for Pajamas Media and asks the question Congress needs to ask:
TSA officials running illegal private consultancy?
Posted by Cory Doctorow, March 16, 2008 12:33 AM | permalink
Two top TSA officials — both decorated by the administration […]

No Comments » - Posted in U.S. Homeland Security by Annie Jacobsen