USPS sued over seizure of masks headed to 2020 BLM protestors

[jlw]

Originally published at: USPS sued over seizure of masks headed to 2020 BLM protestors | Boing Boing

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[RickMycroft]

It’s probably connected with this:

Chief postal inspector tells lawmakers that social media monitoring began...

[Mister44]

So, I don’t understand. What law was being broken that they felt the need to intercept the package?

[Karyudo]

I sure hope this results in DeJoy’s firing being moved up.

[kmoser]

No need for you to break the law when it’s simpler for the authorities to harass you because your beliefs don’t align with theirs.

[snigs]

Suspected antitrumpism.

[generic_name]

I am very interested to hear what kind of bullshit excuse USPS gives for seizing masks.

Because I can’t reasonably see how fascism and racism are not the real motivation here.

[RickMycroft]

The USPS having their own law enforcement branch with jurisdiction over the mail is reasonable, but someone seems to be building it into a security empire far outside things related to postal activities.

Since it’s not supposed to exist, it doesn’t have even the flimsy checks and balances of the official organizations.

[Adrian_Hillier]

@RickMycroft

The USPS having their own law enforcement branch with jurisdiction over the mail is reasonable, but someone seems to be building it into a security empire far outside things related to postal activities.

I believe the technical term is called ‘mission creep’, and appears to be all too common these days.

[Professor59]

Reminder: DeJoy still has his job. Still doing evil. Daily.

[DukeTrout]

@Adrian_Hillier

mission creep’

As with anything related to Dejoy, emphasis on the word creep.

[hecep]

@RickMycroft

Since it’s not supposed to exist, it doesn’t have even the flimsy checks and balances of the official organizations.

NOW I’m worried about mail-in ballots. Left-leaning zip codes could be targeted and mail end up “lost”.

[DukeTrout]

That’s so 2020. 2024 will have the USPS secretly sieze the ballots for blue states between the printer and the state elections department.

[Shuck]

@RickMycroft

but someone seems to be building it into a security empire far outside things related to postal activities.

@Adrian_Hillier

I believe the technical term is called ‘mission creep’, and appears to be all too common these days.

Yeah, read about the massive surveillance apparatus ICE has put together - one that covers everyone in the country. It’s downright disturbing.

[gmoke]

Looks like Louis DeJoy is following in the footsteps of WWI Postmaster General Albert Burleson who used “the Espionage Act to ban from the mail those magazines and newspapers he perceived as promoting discord against the government and undermining national unity.”

The Espionage Act is still in force I do believe.

[L0ki]

@Mister44

So, I don’t understand. What law was being broken that they felt the need to intercept the package?

NBC links to the law suit filing. According to that, they said:

55. The Postal Service responded in a letter that:
    On June 3, 2020, the parcels in question were detained solely
    because the external physical characteristics of the parcels were
    consistent with parcels in other non-related instances that were
    confirmed to contain nonmailable matter, specifically controlled
    substances.

[Mister44]

So a fucking box?? Isn’t that how they mail drugs in the mail?

[L0ki]

You see!!!1!! Open and shut case.

Yup. It’s essentially the old “I could tell he was a drug dealer because of the kind of car he was driving.”