H.R. 6407, the "Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act" includes this statement on page 65 :
`(c) ... No letter of such a class of domestic origin shall be opened except under authority of a search warrant authorized by law, or by an officer or employee of the Postal Service for the sole purpose of determining an address at which the letter can be delivered, or pursuant to the authorization of the addressee.
So the law says that if you want to read someone's (properly addressed) mail you need a search warrant. Guess what the signing statement did away with, then check below to see if you were correct.
From President's Statement on H.R. 6407, the "Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act"
The executive branch shall construe subsection 404(c) of title 39, as enacted by subsection 1010(e) of the Act, which provides for opening of an item of a class of mail otherwise sealed against inspection, in a manner consistent, to the maximum extent permissible, with the need to conduct searches in exigent circumstances, such as to protect human life and safety against hazardous materials, and the need for physical searches specifically authorized by law for foreign intelligence collection.
So, they can now open your mail as well as tap your phone calls without a warrant, if they think it has hazardous materials inside, as well as the existing foreign intelligence collection catchall excuse.
Was there an earlier diary on this or has it been missed - I checked searches on USPS, mail and signing statements for the last month and couldn't see anyone commenting on this. The press seems to have skipped this also - what few stories are out there commenting on how it will improve productivity and hopefully bring down costs.
But then again it was signed on the Wednesday before Christmas, and most people might have been a little distracted.