Where is Gale?
 

Where is Gale Rossides, the acting head of the TSA? Does it seem strange to anyone else that she would be hiding at this point in time. Do you think she has already been handed her walking papers after the SOP disaster?

How are the front line TSOs supposed to act when their leadership is in hiding?

She gets weekends and holidays off...:D

Looks like she will get even more time off if she can't produce a hard copy of the SOPs for Rep. Dent.

And Welcome to FT.

I asked a similar question over at PV.

Would seem appropriate that the (acting) head of an agency would make some kind of public statement in events like the one on Christmas day. But it was Nappie that has made all comments to the press so far. I'm guessing Gale is on the way out and being kept on a very short leash until her last day.

For TSOJoe; no one gets time off when someone tries blowing an airplane out of the sky.

The way DC works is this - If Janet wants to issue the press release about how great TSA is, Janet gets to do it. Gale and everyone else is muzzled.

Oh so many jokes I could make from that line, but I will be a good boy.

If any TSA employee knows where Gale is hiding but are too afraid to post it here, leave me a note on the anonymous insider tip box on my blog.

Three days later, and still no sign of Gale? Any updates on her whereabouts anyone?

Disclaimer: I have absolutely no knowledge about this situation; what I'm about to say is sheer speculation.

I just saw a brief report on CNN that Senator Reid is planning on "forcing a vote" in the Senate on Erroll Southers' nomination soon after the holiday recess -- even over the objections of Senator DeMint.

It strikes me that, in the highly polarized political environment that is Washington, not having Gale Rossides giving statements makes it look like TSA doesn't have a director ... thereby making the vote to confirm a director for TSA seem more urgent.

So, perhaps, there's a reason we haven't heard from Ms. Rossides. But, as I said, this is just my uninformed speculation ...

Seems she is busy with the SD disaster and covering behinds.

TSA/DHS is busy launching an investigation in which DHS Federal Agents are showing up at the homes of bloggers such as FlyingWithFish and Chris Elliott. These are the only two blogger/journalists who have been visited and served with subpoena's I'm aware of.

It would not surprise me if they have visited other bloggers.

See original thread about Security Directive for warning / update.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/13079235-post46.html

Not too bad of a guess, actually, but it's not just the Southers issue.

Rossides isn't part of the Obama inner circle, and as such, probably isn't trusted by the politicals. Every administration, when it first gets in town, pushes career personnel aside. Compounding this natural inclination to rely on people you know is the fact that the Interagency was operating on a holiday status - most key people in every agency are off on annual leave, leaving a skeleton staff to run things.

Taking lessons from Lil' Kim in Pyongyang?

Rossides
 

Gale Rossides did speak, sort of. Read the "interview" here.

http://nextflighthome.com/2009/12/in-security/

Ok, so it's a phony interview, but it's funny! :D