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It has been reported that US President Bush has attached a “Signing Statement” to recent postal legislation that may enable the opening of US mail without a warrant.

Current US law requires government agents to get warrants to open first-class letters. But the with the passing of the postal reform act, this signing statement adds an unclear clause that reads that federal officials can “conduct searches in exigent circumstances” presumably without a warrant.

This has set off alarms all across the internet. Tony Snow, the White House press secretary, said that such a provision has always been in place and that there is “not a change in law, this is not new.”

Do you think that this surveillance has always been in place, but with bloggers it become uncovered or is this the Executive branch of the government granting themselves power they think they need?

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