Re: How to deal with your Neighbors Outdoor Lights

I am glad the "Mailbox Restriction Law" (18 U.S.C. 1725,) exists. Anytime
I find a hand stuffed item in my mailbox I file a formal complaint with my
local Post Master against the offending individual and or business that are
responsible.

My mailbox is my private property and the law grants the U.S. Postal
Service exclusive access to it. You on the other hand are trespassing when
you open a mailbox and place an item inside. How do I know you aren't
stealing my mail? The law also prohibits people from attaching things to
the outside or hanging items on the mailbox.

People are surprised when they learn the fine can be as high as $5,000 for
individuals and $10,000 for organizations. The real killer here is the fine
applies tor each offense. My neighbors also file complaints. So if you do
this in my neighborhood you'll be bankrupt by the time you get to the end
of the block. Then to add insult to injury the amount of the postage is
added to each of the fines .

I love the USPS!



On Fri, 03 Feb 2006 20:35:30 -0800, whowell <whowell@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


Several years ago, I was stuffing mail boxes with a note regarding an
event in the neighborhood. Someone reported me to the Post
Office....and a Postal Inspector paid me a visit. I was told the bit
about it being a crime for anyone other than the Post Office to put
anything in a mail box. I disputed this and made the example of "I
bought the mail box---therefor it is MINE! Likewise, every mailbox out
there had been bought by someone OTHER than the USPS...etc, etc, etc."
I pointed out that other than putting mail into the box, whatever else
went in there was none of their business.

WELL!! I got told if I persisted in putting ANYTHING in mail boxes I
would be arrested for violating postal regulations! He handed me a
*** of paper which quoted USPS regulations that stated that once a
mailbox was placed for the purpose of receiving mail, that box
immediately became the property of the USPS and was no longer the
property of the person who bought it. It advised me that putting
ANYTHING into a mail box was considered interfering with the lawful
delivery of the mail.....which was a federal offence.

Just another example of governmental interference in private matters!!

Wayne Howell
Photon Phlats Observatory
Port Townsend, WA


Florian wrote:

BTW, stuffing messages in mailboxes is illegal in the U.S.


You know, i've heard this all my life, but i'm not sure it's true.
I own the mailbox in front of my house. Why would it be a crime for
someone other than the USPS to put stuff in it? I do understand that
the USPS has standards for what can be considered an acceptable
mailbox but i don't think they actually have any jurisdiction over
MY mailbox per se. Tampering with delivered mail may be a crime but
i don't think putting things in my mailbox is.

-Florian



-JATO
http://jatobservatory.org
.