firedoglake:

MSNBC Reports:

"Last month Goodman, an 81-year-old retired University of Kansas history professor, received a letter from his friend in the Philippines that had been opened and resealed with a strip of dark green tape bearing the words ?by Border Protection? and carrying the official Homeland Security seal.

?I had no idea (Homeland Security) would open personal letters,? Goodman told MSNBC.com in a phone interview. ?That?s why I alerted the media. I thought it should be known publicly that this is going on,? he said. Goodman originally showed the letter to his own local newspaper, the Kansas-based Lawrence Journal-World.

?I was shocked and there was a certain degree of disbelief in the beginning,? Goodman said when he noticed the letter had been tampered with, adding that he felt his privacy had been invaded. ?I think I must be under some kind of surveillance.?

(snip)

The letter comes from a retired Filipino history professor; Goodman declined to identify her. And although the Philippines is on the U.S. government?s radar screen as a potential spawning ground for Muslim-related terrorism, Goodman said his friend is a devout Catholic and not given to supporting such causes.

A spokesman for the Customs and Border Protection division said he couldn?t speak directly to Goodman?s case but acknowledged that the agency can, will and does open mail coming to U.S. citizens that originates from a foreign country whenever it?s deemed necessary.

?All mail originating outside the United States Customs territory that is to be delivered inside the U.S. Customs territory is subject to Customs examination,? says the CBP Web site. That includes personal correspondence. ?All mail means ?all mail,?? said John Mohan, a CBP spokesman, emphasizing the point.

?This process isn?t something we?re trying to hide,? Mohan said, noting the wording on the agency?s Web site. ?We?ve had this authority since before the Department of Homeland Security was created."