U.S. Government Opening International Mail

CNN is reporting that the Customs and Border Patrol are opening some international mail coming in from overseas in an ongoing bid to combat terrorism and disrupt communication between terrorists. Of course, many non-terrorists are also having their mail openned.

U.S. officials are opening personal mail that arrives from abroad when they deem it necessary to protect the country from terrorism, a Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman said Monday.
"Customs and Border Protection is charged with making sure that terrorists and terrorists' weapons don't enter the country," said Suzanne Trevino, a spokeswoman for the customs agency, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security.
"One of our areas of responsibility is to inspect international mail coming into our country," she said. "We respect privacy and always keep that at the forefront, but at the same time we need to make sure we do our job in keeping U.S. citizens safe."

This seems reasonable to me, though understandably annoying to those finding their letters opened. However, it will require CAREFUL oversight to ensure that government employees do not begin abusing this privilege for personal gain.