Seems that the good old Homeland Security thought that it was necessary to open a private letter written to an 81 year old retired professor because the mail was from out of the country -- The Philipines -- to be exact.
Read this article and tell me that when "they" talk about us in the future that they will refer to these days as "those Orwellian Days."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10740935/

I mean, really --- doesn't this disgust you and if not, please tell me why.

Now I know what the extra two cents are for.

It's amazing how these officials trample all over the constitution and get away with it because the average American actually thinks that the government is in charge of their lives. I wish people would wake up and realize that these feds actually work for "We the People". "those Orwellian Days." is absolutely correct! Reading all of this stuff is making me spitting mad today!

“All I can really say is that Customs and Border Protection does undertake [opening mail] when it is determined to be necessary." - Customs and Border Protection spokesman John Mohan

Maybe the 81 year-old Goodman is the leader of a Gray Panthers cell within the US. I understand that they plan to disrupt all us businesses by a mass "Slo-Drive" done at the morning rush hour. The resulting traffic tie-up will cost us billions, not even counting all the gas burned sitting on the highway. After that, they all plan to go to a McDonald's and drink coffee until after the lunch rush. No doubt that is the necessary reason that government spokesman mentioned.

"...when it is determined to be necessary. John Mohan"

So they decide when it is necessary. The criteria that they use is something that we citizens cannot know about because it is "sensitive" information.

If we citizens don't wake up and realize that our constitutional rights are being taken away piece by piece, it will soon be to late to stop the process.

Dwight

quote:

Originally posted by Dwight:
If we citizens don't wake up and realize that our constitutional rights are being taken away piece by piece, it will soon be to late to stop the process.

That is what is the scariest of all. To be honest, I don't see the attitudes of the people around me changing any time soon.

Is Customs and Border Protection Division, in this instance, just one department and possessed of only one kind of tape? The text of the link suggests that this is the case.Is the use of the word Customs significant? If so, how do we know that the letter was not opened by an officer acting simply as a routine customs check rather than as a check in the supposed interests of national security, by way of surveillance or otherwise? Surely an American does not worry if their foreign mail is opened by Customs ? Perhaps we have lost our liberties over here but it has been routine for both Customs and the Post Office to open mail from abroad ever since the postal service existed.(The Post Office has its own rules about both inland and foreign mail and what may be sent through the mails and may, and does, open inland mail too ) They are not required to give a reason and indeed in many cases could give no more plain reason than 'hunch' or 'experience' or 'type of letter or envelope', if that.In recent times I myself have received a letter from the USA which was opened; my guess is that it was thought that it might contain a dutiable document, such as a rare photograph, but that's just a guess. So long as the opener reseals the letter properly it really cannot worry me much.