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How do you feel about the government reading your mail? I do not want to start a flame war. I am just curious if you would or would not have a problem if the the government opened, read, and resealed your mail like they admit they did in the article below.
READ BEFORE YOU VOTE!!!

How do you feel about this?
I'm cool with it. I trust them.
Hell no.

Undecided. I want what is best for the country, I just don't want my mail read.



Homeland Security opening private mail

WASHINGTON - In the 50 years that Grant Goodman has known and corresponded with a colleague in the Philippines he never had any reason to suspect that their friendship was anything but spectacularly ordinary.

But now he believes that the relationship has somehow sparked the interest of the Department of Homeland Security and led the agency to place him under surveillance.

Last month Goodman, an 81-year-old retired University of Kansas history professor, received a letter from his friend in the Philippines that had been opened and resealed with a strip of dark green tape bearing the words â??by Border Protectionâ? and carrying the official Homeland Security seal.
â??I had no idea (Homeland Security) would open personal letters,â? Goodman told MSNBC.com in a phone interview. â??Thatâ??s why I alerted the media. I thought it should be known publicly that this is going on,â? he said. Goodman originally showed the letter to his own local newspaper, the Kansas-based Lawrence Journal-World.

â??I was shocked and there was a certain degree of disbelief in the beginning,â? Goodman said when he noticed the letter had been tampered with, adding that he felt his privacy had been invaded. â??I think I must be under some kind of surveillance.â?

Goodman is no stranger to mail snooping; as an officer during World War II he was responsible for reading all outgoing mail of the men in his command and censoring any passages that might provide clues as to his unitâ??s position. â??But we didnâ??t do it as clumsily as theyâ??ve done it, I can tell you that,â? Goodman noted, with no small amount of irony in his voice. â??Isnâ??t it funny that this doesnâ??t appear to be any kind of surreptitious effort here,â? he said.

The letter comes from a retired Filipino history professor; Goodman declined to identify her. And although the Philippines is on the U.S. governmentâ??s radar screen as a potential spawning ground for Muslim-related terrorism, Goodman said his friend is a devout Catholic and not given to supporting such causes.

A spokesman for the Customs and Border Protection division said he couldnâ??t speak directly to Goodmanâ??s case but acknowledged that the agency can, will and does open mail coming to U.S. citizens that originates from a foreign country whenever itâ??s deemed necessary.

â??All mail originating outside the United States Customs territory that is to be delivered inside the U.S. Customs territory is subject to Customs examination,â? says the CBP Web site. That includes personal correspondence. â??All mail means â??all mail,â??â? said John Mohan, a CBP spokesman, emphasizing the point.

â??This process isnâ??t something weâ??re trying to hide,â? Mohan said, noting the wording on the agencyâ??s Web site. â??Weâ??ve had this authority since before the Department of Homeland Security was created,â? Mohan said.

However, Mohan declined to outline what criteria are used to determine when a piece of personal correspondence should be opened, but said, â??obviously itâ??s a security-related criteria.â?

Mohan also declined to say how often or in what volume CBP might be opening mail. â??All I can really say is that Customs and Border Protection does undertake [opening mail] when it is determined to be necessary,â? he said.





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meh
doesn't bother me, personally
they can open all my bills, cards and junkmail all they want.


Kim 1995 Contour GL Needs less "needs more"
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I didn't really want to disagree with Kim , but the poll got a big-ole "hell no !" from me . I don't want anybody reading MY mail , but ME . That's why it's MY mail .


~~~~~~~ Phil Black & Tan 2000 SVT Contour #2137 of 2150 35,000 miles & counting !
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ditto...as long as they pay the bills for me!


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I have nothing to hide. Read away.


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Originally posted by todras:
I have nothing to hide. Read away.




Quote:

The letter comes from a retired Filipino history professor; Goodman declined to identify her. And although the Philippines is on the U.S. governmentâ??s radar screen as a potential spawning ground for Muslim-related terrorism,...




Quote:

â??This process isnâ??t something weâ??re trying to hide,â? Mohan said, noting the wording on the agencyâ??s Web site. â??Weâ??ve had this authority since before the Department of Homeland Security was created,â? Mohan said.




The media seems to want people seem to think that every letter sent is subject to review. Obviously, an impossible task. Letters to/from suspect areas of the world or suspect individuals may be monitored. Red-blooded, mother-lovin', apple pie eatin' Americans need not worry. Yet.

This does have the potential to be abused, and information used against a political nme or opponent. When that happens, big brother must be taken down a peg or two.


Last edited by TourDeForce; 01/09/06 01:58 PM.

Must be that jumbly-wumbly thing happening again.
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who uses mail for anyting besides bills anymore?


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Originally posted by RTStabler51:
who uses mail for anyting besides bills anymore?




Most of my mail is junkmail, I've switched most of my bills to electronic format (excepting those that don't support this which is a little less than 1/2 at this time). If the gov't wants to use a supercomputer to break 128 bit cipher encryption keys to read my amex statement, more power to them. I print out the statements myself on my own printer if I need a paper copy for any reason.


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Originally posted by todras:
I have nothing to hide. Read away.




"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

-Ben Franklin

While CBP opening mail isn't different per se than cracking open a cargo container at a port, mail is quite a bit more personal.

I disagree with the practice.


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Also the point of Customs agents opening letters and packages is to catch dangerous or illegal (or taxable) materials coming into the country. They are not there to read the content of your mail, this goes against the spirit of the policy or law.

Tod, them reading my mail does nothing to protect the country and does everything to my liberty. Even if it did protect the US I would have a problem with it because it goes against some much that this nation was founded on.


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