Homeland Security opening private mail

[estranged4life]

Retired professor confused, angered when letter from abroad is opened

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 until Homeland Security opened a personal letter from his friend.

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 "by Border Protection" and carrying the official Homeland Security seal.

"I had no idea (Homeland Security) would open personal letters," Goodman told MSNBC.com in a phone interview. "That's why I alerted the media. I thought it should be known publicly that this is going on," he said. Goodman originally showed the letter to his own local newspaper, the Kansas-based Lawrence Journal-World.

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

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 unit's position. "But we didn't do it as clumsily as they've done it, I can tell you that," Goodman noted, with no small amount of irony in his voice. "Isn't it funny that this doesn't appear to be any kind of surreptitious effort here," 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. government'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 couldn't speak directly to Goodman'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 it's deemed necessary.

"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," says the CBP Web site. That includes personal correspondence. "All mail means 'all mail,'" said John Mohan, a CBP spokesman, emphasizing the point.

"This process isn't something we're trying to hide," Mohan said, noting the wording on the agency's Web site. "We've had this authority since before the Department of Homeland Security was created," Mohan said.
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Oh, Maybe that is why the DVD "A Call to Reopen The Sept.11 Investigation" I received recently was opened then retaped...Maybe the Postal Service thinks I am a terrorist

Wonder what these butt-crackhairs think of the amount of cd's I receive on a weekly basis???

[heyjupiter678]

Originally Posted by estranged4life

Oh, Maybe that is why the DVD "A Call to Reopen The Sept.11 Investigation" I received recently was opened then retaped...

I received my copy a few weeks ago, and it had been ripped open, too.

[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by heyjupiter678

I received my copy a few weeks ago, and it had been ripped open, too.

That is weird! Where did you guys get that DVD? The whole "investigation" was a farce. I was shocked that no one wanted to look into what went wrong after it happened. Just CYA all over the place.

[heyjupiter678]

Originally Posted by SuzeQuze

That is weird! Where did you guys get that DVD?

https://secure.reopen911.org/freedvd.php

Josh posted the link here a couple months ago. It's definitely worth a look.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by heyjupiter678

I received my copy a few weeks ago, and it had been ripped open, too.

Mine, too! When I got mine, it was open and had the envelope you could send your donation in with, but it was missing the flyer that went with it. How weird.

[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by dissention

Mine, too! When I got mine, it was open and had the envelope you could send your donation in with, but it was missing the flyer that went with it. How weird.

Diss, how do you like Deborah? Not a bad look for her, eh?

I wonder what the point of opening the DVD was, or if there even was a point.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by SuzeQuze

Diss, how do you like Deborah? Not a bad look for her, eh?

How do I like her? That's a silly question, silly. I love the Denis video, it's the ultimate for hilarious Debbie lip synching. The way only one side of her mouth moves is quite endearing.

They had a Midnight Special performance of Heart of Glass up on Dime a couple weeks back that you must see to believe. Halfway through it, she starts lecturing on nuclear proliferation.

I've got a few banners that I made and have no real use for if you want one.

Originally Posted by SuzeQuze

I wonder what the point of opening the DVD was, or if there even was a point.

Maybe they were just sent out that way?

[stargazer99]

Originally Posted by heyjupiter678

I received my copy a few weeks ago, and it had been ripped open, too.

Hmm... I got mine a week or so ago. I haven't opened it yet, and didn't look closely at it, but now I'm curious. I'll have to go look at it and see if mine's been opened as well.

[irishgrl]

hmmm.....mine was NOT opened, in fact it was so hard to open, I was afraid I wasnt going to be ABLE to open it!! Im surprised all youse guys' DVD's had been tampered with....weird

[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by irishgrl

hmmm.....mine was NOT opened, in fact it was so hard to open, I was afraid I wasnt going to be ABLE to open it!! Im surprised all youse guys' DVD's had been tampered with....weird

That is pretty werid.

[estranged4life]

mail that has been tampered/opened, how else would people here in this hellhole know I trade music/DVD's when I sure as hell dont socialize with 'em (Can ya say diehard right-wing relig-a-tards who think George W. Bush is such a great man?).

Homeland security in my IHO is going to far ...Quite often lately whenever I send gifts and things to my family in the states it has been opened and gone through..I have come to the conclusion that I will no longer be sending any gifts in the mail..after paying big bucks to get said gifts delivered in a timely fashion...(ha ha) they fail to turn up for weeks on end..My daughter still hasn;t received her birthday stuff which I sent in early december..Its just this whole thing feels like its going way overboard..I mean come on you can;t even take homemade food items on plane or ship in mail..WTF..

[DavidMn]

Originally Posted by estranged4life

Retired professor confused, angered when letter from abroad is opened

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 until Homeland Security opened a personal letter from his friend.

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 "by Border Protection" and carrying the official Homeland Security seal.

"I had no idea (Homeland Security) would open personal letters," Goodman told MSNBC.com in a phone interview. "That's why I alerted the media. I thought it should be known publicly that this is going on," he said. Goodman originally showed the letter to his own local newspaper, the Kansas-based Lawrence Journal-World.

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

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 unit's position. "But we didn't do it as clumsily as they've done it, I can tell you that," Goodman noted, with no small amount of irony in his voice. "Isn't it funny that this doesn't appear to be any kind of surreptitious effort here," 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. government'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 couldn't speak directly to Goodman'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 it's deemed necessary.

"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," says the CBP Web site. That includes personal correspondence. "All mail means 'all mail,'" said John Mohan, a CBP spokesman, emphasizing the point.

"This process isn't something we're trying to hide," Mohan said, noting the wording on the agency's Web site. "We've had this authority since before the Department of Homeland Security was created," Mohan said.
---------------------------------------------------------

Oh, Maybe that is why the DVD "A Call to Reopen The Sept.11 Investigation" I received recently was opened then retaped...Maybe the Postal Service thinks I am a terrorist

Wonder what these butt-crackhairs think of the amount of cd's I receive on a weekly basis???

Sounds like a terrorist to me. Either him of the 92 year old lady awhile back that got strip searched at the airport...