The TSA was a lot more than just small-minded in picking on CNN reporter Drew Griffin. They were wildly shortsighted.

First they put Griffin on the watch list after his "Keeping the Honest" broadcast segments embarrassed the already unpopular agency. Then they tried to deny he was on the list. Finally they had Assistant Secretary for Policy at DHS, Stewart Baker, write a lengthy denial (in response to an earlier piece I wrote) saying that Drew Griffin was just plain paranoid:

"So why does Griffin think he’s being retaliated against?…If the passenger is prone to paranoia, of course, nothing looks random; screening is treated as confirmation that there really is a government conspiracy against the passenger."

Did TSA not realize that belittling Griffin was a very bad idea? That in doing so, they kicked down their own door? Now, everyone and their uncle, five-year old son, attorney, commercial airline pilot and helicopter pilot has an empathetic ear in CNN — a national forum to voice their why-am-I-watch-listed concerns? Like this one from today:

WASHINGTON (CNN) — For Erich Scherfen, being on a government terror watch list isn't just a matter of inconvenience. It could end his career.

Scherfen served in the U.S. military for 13 years, as an Army infantryman in the first Gulf War and then as a helicopter pilot in the National Guard. After receiving an honorable discharge, he was hired as a pilot by Colgan Air Inc., a regional airline operating in the Northeast and Texas.

In April, Colgan informed Scherfen that he was on a government list and would be suspended from his job. He was told he faced termination on September 1 unless he was able to clear his name. 

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