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TSA puts commercial pilots on no-fly and terrorist watch lists
Here are a couple of accounts of commercial airline pilots, one of whom has been put on the TSA's no-fly list and the other is on the terrorist watch-list, for reasons that no one will disclose. A Gulf War veteran and his wife say they've been unfairly placed on a federal list that limits their commercial flight access and threatens his job as a commercial pilot. To fight back, the couple, who are Muslim, filed a lawsuit today against a host of U.S. government agencies. "We don't know why they're on the list. They don't know why they're on the list. The government won't tell us why they're on the list," said Amy Foerster, an attorney with Saul Ewing, who is providing pro bono counsel and working with the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and the Schuylkill County couple on the case, which was filed in U.S. district court... James Robinson is a retired Air National Guard brigadier general and a commercial pilot for a major airline who flies passenger planes around the country. James Robinson is a retired brigadier general and a commercial pilot. His name is on the terrorist "watch list." He has even been certified by the Transportation Security Administration to carry a weapon into the cockpit as part of the government's defense program should a terrorist try to commandeer a plane. But there's one problem: James Robinson, the pilot, has difficulty even getting to his plane because his name is on the government's terrorist "watch list." Robinson is one of many James Robinsons on the list, including a 5-year-old. Good news, though -- all you need to do to avoid the secondary screening is fly under your initials, rather than name. Better hope the terrorists never figure that out. Ho ho ho. Airline captain, lawyer, child on terror 'watch list', Grounded pilot, wife sue over 'no-fly' list (via MeFi)...
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TSA inspector breaks airplanes by climbing on them using instruments as handholds
A TSA inspector decided to get a closer look at some American Eagle jets at O'Hare, so he climbed up on them, using a fragile, vital instrument (the Total Air Temperature probes) as handholds. He damaged the craft so badly that the regular maintenance crew grounded them -- and if they hadn't noticed, the lives of everyone on-board could have been endangered. Remember, folks, the "S" in TSA stands for "Security." Citing sources within the aviation industry, ABC News reports an overzealous TSA employee attempted to gain access to the parked aircraft by climbing up the fuselage... reportedly using the Total Air Temperature (TAT) probes mounted to the planes' noses as handholds. "The brilliant employees used an instrument located just below the cockpit window that is critical to the operation of the onboard computers," one pilot wrote on an American Eagle internet forum. "They decided this instrument, the TAT probe, would be adequate to use as a ladder." Commuter Flights Grounded Thanks To Bumbling TSA Inspector (via MeFi)...
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Beijing: "Alive in Baghdad" videoblogger among US citizens detained in pro-Tibet protests
Following up on two previous posts today about the detention of tech-art protesters in Beijing, we now have word that videoblogger Brian Conley of "Alive in Baghdad" has also been taken in by authorities. Conley and others previously announced as having been detained were working with the group Students for a Free Tibet to document pro-Tibet protests in Beijing. Here is SFT's statement: Beijing - Brian Conley, creator of the well-known videoblog, Alive in Baghdad, was detained with his friend, Jeffrey Rae, early Tuesday, August 19th in Beijing. Their detention appears to have taken place at the same time as that of international artist James Powderly, whose detention was reported Tuesday. Three other bloggers and activists, Jeff Goldin, Michael Liss, and Tom Grant, have also been missing since Tuesday morning. Conley, 28, Rae, 28, Goldin, 40, Liss, 35, Grant, 39 are all American citizens. The five “citizen journalists” and activists were in Beijing to support and promote human rights, freedom of expression, and freedom for the Tibetan people. They and numerous others have acted as an independent media centre for the dozens of pro-Tibet activists in Beijing who have sought to draw attention to the Chinese government’s occupation of Tibet during the Olympics. Rae and Conley shot and released online high-resolution photographs and footage of the recent protest by Students for a Free Tibet supporters at the Chinese Ethnic Culture Park. Beijing: Citizen Journalists, Videoblogger, Activists Detained (SFT) Previously: * Beijing: Five US activists detained after lighting up "Free Tibet" LED Throwies banner near Olympics site* GRL's James Powderly detained in Beijing for planning pro-Tibet "L.A.S.E.R. Stencil" art protest Below: Video shot by Detainee Brian Conley of “Ethnic Park” Protest on August 13th, 2008....
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Your Favorite Little Podcast: Episode Thirteen
Here's the latest episode of Derrick Bostrom's "Your Favorite Little Podcast," featuring a terrific playlist of unusual, forgotten, underrated, and ignored music. Derrick's podcast, along with The Casbah ("an eclectic rock & roll and rhythm radio show featuring surf-instrumentals, garage, blues and more"), and Little Steve's Underground Garage on Sirius Radio, take care of about 95% of my music listening needs. From Derrick's show notes: I also love it when the wrong people visit this site by mistake, venting their disorientation and discomfort in the comments. I especially love it when they use terms like “elevator music” as if this was incisive criticism. After all, some folks still obsess over “authenticity,” preferring “immediacy” and “spontaneity” above all other concerns. Somehow, the soundtrack to a long-defunct Saturday morning kids show or a 30-year-old vanity pressing from an unknown lounge singer just doesn’t work for them But for those of you who just want a little mundane background music for your misanthropic existence, a little something to listen to while you put your pants on one leg at a time (just like the next guy), I hope this podcast fits the bill. Your Favorite Little Podcast: Episode Thirteen...
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Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse
I haven't read Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse by Victor Gischler, but this description, sent to me by the publisher, makes it sound good. If you've read it, please post your review in the comments. Mortimer Tate was an insurance salesman on the verge of a nasty divorce when he holed up in a mountain cave in Tennessee and rode out the end of the world. Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse begins nine years later, when he emerges into a bizarre landscape filled with hollow reminders of an America that no longer exists. Since “The Fall,” highways are lined with abandoned automobiles, for which there is no fuel. Houses stand empty and what little civilization remains revolves around a string of strip clubs called Joey Armageddon’s Sassy-a-Go-Go, where the beer is cold, the lap dancers are hot, the bouncers are armed with M-16s—and electricity is generated by indentured servants pedaling stationary bicycles. Accompanied by his cowboy sidekick Buffalo Bill and two gorgeous and lethal women named Sheila and Tyler, Mortimer journeys to the Lost City of Atlanta—and an explosive final showdown that just might determine the fate of humanity. Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse...
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