This is how those fools use their powers to snoop!

[tblue37]

An 81-year-old retired history professor here at Kansas University has had his private correspondence with a retired history prof in the Philippines opened by Border Protection. From the Lawrence Journal-World, in Lawrence, Kansas:
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2005/dec/20/retiree_claims_privacy_invasion/

. . . The U.S. government has been concerned about the Muslim insurgency in the Philippines, but Goodman said his correspondent — a devoutly Catholic Filipino history professor in her 80s — was an unlikely suspect to be connected to such causes. Goodman declined to reveal her name, saying he feared stirring up trouble for her.

“They were very upset it (warrantless wiretaps) was made public,” he said of the government. “They might be upset with this.”

The Web site of U.S. Customs and Border Protection says: “The Postal Service sends all foreign mail shipments to CBP for examination.” A spokesman for the agency, which is under the Homeland Security umbrella, said he couldn’t speak specifically about Goodman’s case.

John Mohan, the spokesman, said he didn’t know how often the agency opened mail from abroad. And he wouldn’t discuss the criteria for opening letters. But he said such searches had helped the government protect American lives. . . .

Yeah, because those history professors in their 80s are really dangerous radicals--plotting, plotting, plotting. This is precisely the sort of nonsense that people need to hear about. It shows why we can't trust the government to use such powers wisely.

[renate]

1. I don't think listening to overseas calls has actually been a secret

People weren't necessarily aware of it, but it's never been covert. At least that's my understanding--I think I read about it on "The Straight Dope" several years ago. (As in pre-Bush, pre-9/11 years ago.)

But opening mail? That, I most definitely had never heard about. Does anybody know whether that's been going on all this time too, or is that new?

It's interesting, and actually kind of reassuring, that at least the opening of mail wasn't covered up--that bright green "Homeland Security" tape would be hard to miss. But still--yikes.