A Stitch in Haste

In case you think it's just about warrantless wiretapping of American citizens:

ITEM: It's also about warrantless opening of your mail --

Grant Goodman on Monday showed the [Lawrence, Kansas] Journal-World a recent letter he had received from a friend in the Philippines; it apparently had been opened, then re-closed with green tape bearing the seal of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and a message that it had been opened "by Border Protection."
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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.
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John Mohan, the spokesman [for the Department of Homeland Security], 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.

MY TAKE: The "criteria for opening letters" is — or was — probable cause. But as we have seen elsewhere and often, "probable cause" is too high a hurdle for the government's tastes. And while there is admittedly a "border search" exemption to the Fourth Amendment, that applies to packages and containers — not letters — for the obvious reasons. But in the new "security at all costs" paradigm, what's a few opened letters, right — you don't want another 9/11, do you? (Hat tip to Homeland Stupidity; more thoughts at Hammer of Truth, De Novo, Moderate Voice.)

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ITEM: And your journal too--

An airline passenger with the words "suicide bomber" written in his journal was arrested when his plane arrived in San Jose, California, on Wednesday, but the words appeared to refer to music and he was later released, officials said.

"A male was observed by his fellow passengers as having a journal and handwritten on the journal were the words 'suicide bomber,'" FBI spokeswoman LaRae Quy said.

"That, combined with the fact that he was clutching a backpack, and then finally he was acting a little suspiciously" prompted law enforcement to act.

Authorities boarded the plane and detained the man on the Frontier Airlines plane on charges of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. But the words "suicide bomber" in his journal appeared related to music, the FBI spokeswoman said.

MY TAKE: First of all, aren't we supposed to be "clutching our backpacks" at the airport? "Watch your personal belongings at all times..." Isn't that what the P.A. systems constantly bellow at the airport? And I can assure you that if I were being leered at and questioned by fellow passengers and flight attendants while on an airplane for no other reason than because I doodled in my journal, then I'd "act a little suspiciously" too — and what does that even mean anyway? And what fraction of the air traveling public isn't "under the influence of drugs and alcohol" while they fly? Finally, I'd love to Google "suicide bomber" to see what song or band it refers to, but I don't want to end up on any lists (although there's probably already an "uppity blogger" list somewhere in DHS and I'm probably right near the top — oh well). More thoughts at To The People.