Last Halloween, a costume party at the Dept. of Homeland Security went horribly awry and resulted in the suspension of one Homeland Security Department employee and put Julie Myers, who was acting head of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the time, in very hot water.

The issue? The anonymous employee showed up in a prison uniform, dreadlocks and blackface. He then proceeded to win the best costume contest, which was judged by Myers. Apparently, she realized "immediately following the party" that the costume was "inappropriate," and had all photos of her, the costume contest winner, and the party destroyed. Not so, says CNN!

Now, the head of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson, who is black, has seen them. He's not very happy.

Myers who is now the official head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told members of Congress at her confirmation hearings late last year that the photos were gone. At least one senator says her confirmation might have gone forward in a "different way" had they been able to see the photos during the hearings.

It's rare that I get searched at airports. Maybe I just have an innocuous look about me, or maybe what the airports like to call "random" searches really are random (right). However, the last time I flew they chose both me and my sister for full searches, i.e. a guy rifles through your bag while a woman thoroughly investigates whether those mysterious wires sewn into your bra are weapons of mass destruction. But whatever, right? It's in the name of Homeland Security. Basically. So it's never bothered me much. But during my search a similar investigation was going on next to me, this time to a wheelchair-bound Spanish-speaking woman who was maybe about 90. She couldn't hold her arms up very well as the airport security ran the metal detector over her, so they held onto her arms as she tried to pull them away. When they started rubbing their hands over her breasts and around her collar, I had to look away. The poor woman was so confused, visibly insulted, and shaky. The violation, not to mention the indignity, was incredible. And I thought, "there has to be some other way to do this." Then I promptly forgot.

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A Homeland Security official realized belatedly that awarding an employee dressed as a Rasta with "darkened makeup" the best costume award at the office Halloween party and then posing happily in a picture with him wasn't the best idea in the world.

The official apologized and took care to note that the employee was not in "blackface" makeup, but was wearing makeup that was darker than his skin. Conveniently, the incriminating photos have been destroyed. However, something tells me this guy wasn't walking around with just a spray tan. Just a hunch.