The Washington Times has a new Aviation Security Blog written exclusively by U.S. Federal Air Marshal P. Jeffrey Black and former U.S. Air Marshal Jeffrey Denning.

These two have unique insight into the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), its bizarre bureaucratic policies and its even more suspect ideas for the future.

Like their most recent post. In "Want Some Torture With Your Peanuts?" Black and Denning reveal DHS interest in a government-funded, GPS tracking bracelet for each airline passengers to wear from door to destination, one which can stun the wearer on command. 

A senior government official with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has expressed great interest in a so-called safety bracelet that would serve as a stun device, similar to that of a police Taser®. According to this promotional video found at the Lamperd Less Lethal website, the bracelet would be worn by all airline passengers.

This bracelet would:

• take the place of an airline boarding pass

• contain personal information about the traveler

• be able to monitor the whereabouts of each passenger and his/her luggage

• shock the wearer on command, completely immobilizing him/her for several minutes

So what exactly does it mean when these guys say DHS "has expressed interest" in the "so-called safety bracelet?" Unfortunate for any embarrassed DHS official who might wants to deny the veracity of the claim, Black and Denning have posted a copy of part of the letter on their Washington Times blog. 

According to a letter from DHS official, Paul S. Ruwaldt of the Science and Technology Directorate, office of Research and Development, to the inventor whom he had previously met with, he wrote, “To make it clear, we [the federal government] are interested in…the immobilizing security bracelet, and look forward to receiving a written proposal.” The letterhead, in case you were wondering, came from the DHS office at the William J. Hughes Technical Center at the Atlantic City International Airport, or the Federal Aviation Administration headquarters. 

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The Office of The Inspector General (IG) issued a report Tuesday regarding ongoing employee problems at the TSA. The results are not surprising. Low morale among screeners is compromising national security.

"Given their frustration, employees may be distracted and less focused on their security and screening responsibilities," the IG report says.

Also not surprising, TSA Chief Kip Hawley says it's all untrue.

Thomas Frank writes about the report for USA Today, but a more interesting take comes from Michael Grabell at ProPublica who explains how the Office of The Ombudsman, meant to be a confidential safe haven for screeners to discuss problems, works more like the barnyard in Animal Farm.

At one airport, a TSA employee was reportedly reprimanded by his boss for complaining to the ombudsman about work conditions. When the employee complained to the ombudsman about the reprimand, he was reportedly reprimanded again.

At another airport, screeners said a manager wrote down the names of employees attending a group meeting with the ombudsman.  A manager reportedly told one employee being considered for a promotion that attending the meeting "was a career move."

And when ombudsman staff tried to reach out to employees and identify workplace concerns, some TSA officials blocked them from visiting the checkpoints.

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In a major blow to Israel's airport security, an Israeli policeman apparently shot and killed himself while guarding a farewell ceremony for French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy at the Ben Gurion Airport.

Also in attendance were Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Shimon Peres.

The Ben Guiron International Airport is often referred to as one of the safest airports in the world. It is guarded by both police forces and the military — uniformed and undercover. That one of Israel's own policemen killed himself with his duty weapon in the presence of three world leaders is an unprecedented security breach for the airport. 

From The Jerusalem Post:

After hearing about the shot on their radio earpieces, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) agents immediately went into action, surrounding the prime minister and rushing him into a bullet-proof vehicles. Peres was also escorted to a separate secure vehicle.

Sarkozy's security guards whisked him onboard the plane. In a panic, Sarkozy's wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, rushed up the stairs ahead of her husband.

A spokesman for Peres's security detail said bodyguards had followed an emergency procedure.

The Associated Press reports that the suicidal policeman was on a roof top 100 yards from Sarkozy's plane and that he fell to the ground after shooting himself. A spokesman for the police has not confirmed the suicide.

(photo credit: Reuters/Avi Ohayon/GPO/Handout) 

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Steve Emerson spoke with FOX News' Shepherd Smith to discuss Israel's recent military exercises which some perceive as "a dry run for an attack on Iran."  

SHOW: FOX NEWS - STUDIO B (6/20/2008)        

HEADLINE: ISRAELI MILITARY HELD LARGE-SCALE EXERCISE IN MAY    

SHEPARD SMITH: Well a hundred fighter jets, a team of rescue helicopters and to paraphrase one Pentagon official, a message that Israel wanted Iran and the rest of the world to hear loud and clear. It's our top story.

Sources in the Israeli military confirming a massive military exercise last month, while Israel is not saying its mission was a dry run for an attack on Iran, one detail seems especially telling. An Israeli pilot says he was part of the drill, flying about 900 miles west from Tel Aviv across the Mediterranean Sea, and that is roughly the same distance from Tel Aviv to a uranium enrichment plant in Iran. The Natanz enrichment plant. Israel says Iran is trying to use that facility to build nuclear weapons.        

Steve Emerson's here now, Middle East and counterterrorism expert, good to see you.So is this a dry run in earnest or this an effort, a show of military force and capability to try to intimidate or pressure Iran.        

STEVE EMERSON: I think it's both. And there's a third factor also. It's to let the world know and especially the United States that if the West doesn't act, the Israelis will act, so maybe it's a combination of all three. 

Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told an Arab television station that an Israeli military strike on Iran would create a "ball of fire" in the Middle East. 

You can read the FOX News transcript at The Investigative Project for Terrorism. 

(photo: AFP/Getty) 

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National Geographic has produced a documentary about the hijacking of Indian Air 814 which happened on Christmas Eve, 1999. The hijacked aircraft was flown around the Middle East, made three emergency landings and was ultimately taken to Kandahar, Afghanistan where the Taliban took control of the situation.

Passenger Rupin Katyal, who was on his honeymoon, was killed during the ordeal. Two other passengers were stabbed but survived their injuries.

The documentary is up on You Tube in five parts.

I have written previously about the hijacking here and here and have interviewed Dr. Jeanne Moore, the only American on the flight.   

India's former Foreign Affairs Chief, Jaswant Singh, calls the hijacking of Indian Air 814 a "dry run" for the terrorist attacks of 9/11. 

Singh led the negotiations with the Taliban and the Pakistani terrorists which resulted in a prisoner-for-hostage exchange. After the hijackers killed passenger Katyal, the 166 remaining passengers were swapped for convicted terrorists Omar Sheikh, Maulana Masood Azhar and Mushtaq Ahmed Zagar. All three men were being held in Indian prisons.

Omar Sheikh has since been sentenced to death by a Pakastani court for his role in the kidnapping and slaying of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

The hijacking of Indian Air 814 is a key to understanding the origins of the nexus of terror between Al Qaeda, Pakistani terrorists, the Taliban and Pakistan's ISI. The collaborative efforts of these terrorist groups and their state sponsors continues today.

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In six short months, 32 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees have stepped forward to blow the whistle on safety issues inside the agency.

NPR has a lengthy, hair-raising piece: The Perilous Path of FAA Whistle-Blowers. 

(photo courtesy of Whistleblower ALERT, OSC Watch © 2008)

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Over the weekend, Saudi Arabia promised the United Nations it would add 200,000 barrels of oil to its daily output. Nevertheless, oil prices hit $139.89 a barrel this morning before falling back to $134.86.

On June 22, an 'Oil Price Summit' will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

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Yesterday, I wrote about Eric Longabardi's piece on former FAA safety inspector Darrin Wargacki, recently fired from his job.

Wargacki says he reported unsafe pilot training procedures at PHI Inc. — one of the largest helicopter transport companies in America — and was fired for blowing the whistle.

The FAA says Wargacki simply lacked the people skills required for the job of aviation safety inspector.

Longabardi just informed me that a PHI Helicopter went down on Monday, killing four people. From the Houston Chronicle:

Shortly after picking up a patient in Huntsville, a medical helicopter tore through pine trees and crashed in the Sam Houston National Forest early Sunday, killing all four aboard. 

…The Bell 407 helicopter was part of a fleet operated in Texas and other states by PHI Air Medical, a Lafayette, La.-based company that employed the crew. 

The Associated Press reports that rescue crews "struggled to find the wreckage in the dense Sam Houston National Forest" and that the "cause was being investigated."

(photo credit: Robert Dibrell, Houston Chronicle)

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