Warrantless mail searches may be allowed??

So I don't really like to copy and paste but I found this interesting and better explained this way.
I've "heard" this law just got passes yesterday- Jan 6 2007.
What do you think about it? I'm all about keeping bombs and whatnot out of the mail, but do you feel our rights are slowly being taken away? Do you think it's a good thing? OR What do you think about it? I've been hearing a lot about this new law being passed and wondered if anyone has also? Discuss if ya wanna


Is Uncle Sam allowed to open your mail?
Jan. 4: President Bush says the government has the legal right to read Americans' mail without a warrant.


NBC News and news services
Updated: 1:53 p.m. ET Jan 5, 2007
WASHINGTON - A statement attached to postal legislation by President Bush last month may have opened the way for the government to open mail without a warrant.

The White House denies any change in policy, but civil libertarians are alarmed, saying the government has never publicly claimed that power before.

Federal law has long required a search warrant to open first class mail unless postal inspectors suspect it contains something dangerous, like a bomb or a hazardous chemical, reports NBC News' Pete Williams.

But in signing a postal bill just before Christmas, President Bush said federal law also gives the government authority to open the mail "for foreign intelligence collection."

White House spokesman Tony Snow said that's nothing new. ?All this is saying is that there are provisions at law for ? in exigent circumstances ? for such inspections. It has been thus. This is not a change in law, this is not new.?

"What the signing statement indicates is what present law allows, in making it clear what the provisions are," Snow said Thursday in his daily briefing.

But members of Congress ? Republicans and Democrats alike ? say that's not what they intended the law to do. And they call it another example of a president claiming new legal authority while signing a bill into law.

?I was really surprised. There was absolutely nothing in the Postal Reform bill that in any way diminished or changed the privacy protections for domestic sealed mail,? Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said.

The law requires government agents to get warrants to open first-class letters.

But when Bush signed the Postal Reform act, he added a statement saying that his administration would construe that provision ?in a manner consistent, to the maximum extent permissible, with the need to conduct searches in exigent circumstances. ...?

?The signing statement raises serious questions whether he is authorizing opening of mail contrary to the Constitution and to laws enacted by Congress,? said Ann Beeson, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. ?What is the purpose of the signing statement if it isn?t that??

She said the group is planning to file request for information on how this exception will be used and also asking whether it has already been used to open mail.

Noone cares LOL jp- I guess my topic header wasn't interesting enough, or there's not enough people on right now lol I still Love you guys though

Wow I really dont like to read this.... I disturbs me to think that they would even think about doing a warrentless mail search... hell a warrentless search of anything pisses me off they are just taking our rights away one chip at a time it seems...

Yeah- I need to find more out about it, I've heard from many people it got passed yesterday....Bush is so ignorant...a lot of politicians don't even agree with him on most s***. Though it's not just bush, s*** has to go through congress and all that crapola but I'm going to find more out about this and I'll keep this thread updated as I find out..I personally from what I know about it dislike it. ALso since all the terrorist attacks and whatnot, mail still rarely gets searched, I think people are too lazy to search all the mail, so who knows how it's going to go, we'll see I guess.

It is really a small change. US law (Customs regulations) already allows for the opening of any material (letters, packages, etc.) coming into the US.

Now they can do it for "intelligence" purposes.

I think it was Benjamin Franklin who said, any person that would give up any part of his liberty for security deserves neither....that is way we Americans have done since 9/11...given up our liberties...so per BF...argueably do not "deserve" our freedoms anymore.

Signing statements are not law. Bush will be out soon.

Right- I did read it's a small change- It's sad though because of certain people doing things we all get our rights taken away. I guess that's just how it goes though. I'm all about security though too. So I dunno yet, I also doubt honestly that it will be much of a change, there's been news places to send packages through the mail just to see if they got searched and they didn't when they should have, so I think people are too lazy So therefore I doubt it will be much of a change anyways. Still bugs me a little but what can ya do haha Thanks for your imput too

when a president signes a "statement" it is normally enforce bey the executive branches of the government...and might as well be law.

example: PDM (president's decission memorandum) normally classified, but not always....but always enforced.

Right- like I said, I need to find out more about it, but that was last updated on the 5th. I heard last night that it actually got passed as a law yesterday, that's why I asked if anyone had heard anything about it recently cause I'm not sure if that statement is actually true or not. True True though what you said.

Do you think it isn't already happening to your mail?

I know that mail is regularly searched on international journeys

I don't think it's happening as much as it should be due to laziness in the workers who are supposed to do so lol I have a friend who sends illegal things through the mail quite often, and granite that shouldn't be happening, but he's been doing it for a long time and hasn't ever been caught. Although I'm sure eventually that will catch up with his silly a** But yeah- they already search your mail anyways for the most part, if they are suspicious of anything.

In my old job we even had the technology to read the contents of mail without opening the envelopes.

Yeah for sure- Although there are ways of getting around that Muhahahahaha

If we found counter measures in place the mail got opened. No messing.

Oh I believe you, I think that's a good thing too honestly. I wouldn't want any crazy a** chemicals or anything coming through. This world is crazy lol Did you work in a post office or something? If you don't mind me asking..