POSTAL 'SECURITY' HELPS TERRORISTS!
by Thomas M. Sipos, managing editor.
[January 28, 2006]
[HollywoodInvestigator.com]
A postal regulation designed to fight terrorism has not only failed to
protect us, it's weakened our economy, thus our ability to fight terrorism. Confused? Let's go back a decade.
My local
post office used to open at 5 a.m. (window service at 9 a.m.) I'd
enter at dawn, weigh my packages on one machine, buy stamps from another
machine, and drop the packages in the mailbox. Convenient for me,
as I often mail manuscripts. Convenient for other patrons, since
they didn't have to wait on line behind me.
In 1996, TWA
Flight 800 exploded. In the post-Oklahoma City atmosphere, anti-government terrorists were immediately suspected. Clinton and Reno
demanded tough new security measures to "fight terrorism." Their
brainstorming resulted in those mailbox stickers, the ones requiring that
all packages weighing a pound or more be hand-delivered to a postal employee.
I never
understood how this was supposed to fight terrorism. I guess it's
meant to prevent people from mailing bombs or drugs or whatnot. But
wouldn't an X-ray or bomb-sniffing dog be more effective? Can't a
terrorist as easily give a dangerous package to a postal worker as drop
it in a mailbox? I've given packages to postal workers, and it's
not like they do anything different if it weighs a pound. No one
checks my ID or takes my photo... (Oh wait, better not give them
any ideas.)
Anyway,
we now have this utterly pointless regulation that Clinton/Reno foisted
on us to prevent another Flight 800. Except that it was later determined
that the explosion wasn't caused by terrorism but by mechanical failure. (Unless you believe those conspiracists who blame the downing on "friendly
fire" from a US Navy ship; either way, it wasn't terrorism.)
Naturally,
even after
terrorism
was ruled out, the regulation wasn't repealed. I guess the feds
decided that it was still a great way to fight terrorism. Except
that the regulation never made sense even before terrorism was ruled out. It didn't prevent 9/11. It didn't even prevent anyone from mailing
anthrax.
You may
say this regulation is a small thing, so who cares if it's ineffective? Can't hurt. But it does hurt. It hurts our economy. And
that's one goal of terrorism. Weak economies create political instability. Weak economies can't afford top security people or equipment.
How does
this regulation hurt our economy? I used to be able to drop my package
in a mailbox, no time wasted. But recently, I wasted a half hour
at
the post office. My package was all weighed and stamped, but I waited
on line just to give it to a clerk, just so she could toss it into a bin
without a glance.
Now add
that up. Add up all my time wasted yearly just to hand deliver packages
that could as easily be dropped in a mailbox. Multiply that by millions
of others waiting on line for the same purpose. If only ten million
people waste ten hours each a year due to this pointless law, we're already
talking a hundred million work hours lost to the economy. And it's
easily more than that.
All that
lost productivity, for a regulation that hinders people from doing honest
business, but did nothing to prevent anyone from mailing anthrax.
But can't
I give my packages to my letter carrier? I wish I knew. I've
tried. It's worked sometimes. But I've also had the letter
carrier accept my package, only to return it days later stamped "return
to sender" because it wasn't hand delivered at the post office. (I
mean, what's the point? If they think it may be a bomb, why not call
in the FBI? Why return it to me?)
Yes, it
seems a small inconvenience, but that's the most effective way of destroying
freedom; chipping away at it rather than taking it all at once. A
frog will jump out of a pot of hot water, but if you place it in cool water,
then bring it to a slow boil, the frog will remain there until it dies.
Yes, I
know some idiots will scream, "Hey, in case you haven't heard, we're at
war!" as they defend every law designed to "fight terrorism," no matter
how pointless and ineffective and even counterproductive. Such people
don't care about my personal inconveniences. They don't even care
about their own liberties. But why are they helping terrorists by
weakening our economy?
Copyright 2006 by HollywoodInvestigator.com.
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