Bush says he has the power to open your mail... do you support this?

Question

President Bush has quietly claimed sweeping new powers to open American's mail without a judge's warrent.

W pushes envelope on U.S. spying
New postal law lets Bush peek through your mail
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/485561p-408789c.html

Answer 1

I have not seen any such contention made. Properly source your claim and we can discuss it.

Honesty, I cannot find an argument against your position. It does indeed appear that the President is claiming the right to violate your privacy here. Even though they attempt to make an exception in the statement by use of the term exigent circumstances, I cannot seem to find a description of what would constitute the exigent circumstances. It just seems to be a wide open interpretation. So while I believe that the new Congress will review this, as I am sure the ACLU will also, I cannot disagree with you. Mr. Bush is claiming he has the right to open your mail at his discretion without a warrant and there is no way in good conscious that I can support this idea. I support the wiretapping standards only because all wiretaps must be followed by a FISA request within a certain time limit, but I see no such requirement here. This just appears to me to be a dangerous precedent to set and a definite violation of privacy.

For those wishing to read the president's statement at the signing here is a White House link which sources the contention in question.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/12/20061220-6.html

Answer 2

Quietly claimed? If you could supply a source it would be much appreciated.

On the question itself though, no, and I'm shocked at the number of people who answer "hey let him I have nothing to hide." Once you open that door to the government erasing your privacy for any reason you are opening the door to possible abuse of the system. You may trust those in power right now (I do not, but that's another story), but how about the person who comes after? What in our history, or any country's history, prompts you to have such blind trust in politicians? Did no one study the McCarthy Era at all? All it takes is one rotten apple with an agenda against everyone who doesn't agree with them to make lists of people they see as subversive and then use those lists to paint them as dangerous citizens who must be watched. Who decides what the criteria is and when does it stop being an excuse to track terrorists and start being a way to keep tabs on Americans who have the audacity to disagree with the current political power? It's a VERY dangerous concept and one that does not have anything in common with our Constitutional freedoms. How far will our freedoms be eroded in the name of terrorism? How many people understand that this eroding of our privacy effectively hands the terrorists a win in the name of destroying one of the main things they hate about us to begin with? Shaking my head in disbelief....

EDIT: Thanks for posting the source, much appreciated.

Answer 3

Sarcasm mode on

For all of you that have no problem with Bush reading your mail, do you mind if I read your mail? Please send it to me. I like looking peeking into other people's private lives. In fact I peek in people's windows late at night to watch them have sex (did I say that out loud? I meant I am making sure they aren't doing anything illegal. Like certain kinky sex acts that are technically illegal. Yeah, that's what I meant. Sorry for the misunderstanding.)

Sarcasm mode off

It's a slippery slope people. Allowing one invasion of privacy sets the stage for another invasion of privacy. Just because you have nothing to hide, doesn't mean you would want the average person sifting through all of your private stuff, am I right?

Answer 4

Where and when did he say this? just curious? If he did then no, I would not support a blanket policy of opening every American's mail. I think more details to the statement are needed.
I would support a policy that would help to prevent another 911. I don't have anything to hide. They can search my bags at the airport etc, I want to be safe. I don't care if there is a delay or inconvenience.

Answer 5

Well, as long as we have the right to also open his mail and his families mail. That way we will know whether or not he is honest and has intregrity without having to rely on what the Christian right tells us he is. We can't rely on his public face. He is always screwing up. He can't speak well enough for anyone to form an informed opinion of his intregrity or honesty.

Answer 6

NO!
that is probably the reason the stuff i buy never arrives, because these creeps opening my mail need free gifts for their kids!

isn't that a fascist's wet dream, to destroy all privacy, so the people start thinking they serve the government rather than the other way around?

I have nothing to worry about because i have nothing to hide, is the exact beliefs that puts fascist regimes into power.

Answer 7

The constitution has specific protections against invasion of privacy and searches without judicial oversight. I think President Bush will have a very hard time selling that he has this right, particularly now there is a Democratic congress.

Answer 8

Much to do about nothing with billions of pieces of mail a day they would be only scrutinizing those that they might deem suspicious that would most likely eliminate 99.9999% of Americans same with wiretapping, not enough for 99.9999% of Americans to lose any sleep over.

Answer 9

He must think I'm pretty important then If he wants to read my mail. It's nice to know that our president wants to get so personally involved in my life to make sure I don't end up e-mailing terrorists by mistake. What else can I say? He's our Pres..gotta trust he is doing whats best for us. After all I don't really think he's evil.

Answer 10

I don't know of anyone who would like someone going through their mail, even though I am a law abiding citizen. Even if he were to open the mail, could he actually read and understand what he was reading. He isn't the brightest star in the sky.