Extremely strange story from Cryptogon:

[Rigorous Intuition]

<!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://cryptogon.com/2006_02_12_blogarchive.html#114003983807818872">FedEx, the 'lost' passport and the Barney's Suitbox.</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> <p></p><i></i>

[Gouda]

"Just give me a call if you need anything else."<br>        <br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>In terrorism fight, government finds a surprising ally: FedEx</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br>Thursday, May 26, 2005<br>By Robert Block, The Wall Street Journal<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05146/510879.stm">www.post-gazette.com/pg/05146/510879.stm</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Before Sept. 11, 2001, when federal law-enforcement officials asked FedEx Corp. for help, the company had its limits. It wouldn't provide access to its databases. It often refused to lend uniforms or delivery trucks to agents for undercover operations, citing fears of retribution against employees as well as concerns about customer privacy.<br><br>Then came the attacks on New York and Washington and pleas from the government for private-sector help in fighting terrorism. Suddenly, the king of overnight delivery became one of homeland security's best friends...<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Moreover, the company is encouraging its 250,000 employees to be spotters of would-be terrorists. </strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->It is setting up a system designed to send reports of suspicious activities directly to the Department of Homeland Security via a special computer link...<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Federal agents privately praise Western Union for sharing information with Treasury and Homeland Security investigators about overseas money transfers...</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>Lee Strickland, a retired Central Intelligence Agency analyst and a specialist in privacy issues, says the new cooperation between business and the government takes place in a legal "gray zone" that has never been tested in court... <br><br>The company also maintains a large global security force, currently 500 strong...<br><br>FedEx's change in mindset took place within hours of the attacks amid the confusion and frustration that followed. Mr. Smith sent a message to his subordinates "to do whatever it takes to cooperate" with federal agents, says FedEx spokeswoman Kristin Krause...<br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong><br>Pat Jones, a spokesman for Customs and Border Protection, says having access to FedEx's database has resulted in the seizure of several packages, including forged Iowa drivers licenses sent from Argentina, although nothing related to terrorism...</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>In a recent article in Chief Executive magazine, Mr. Smith wrote that his fellow corporate leaders had a duty to report suspicious activity. It's only by "training and empowering our own employees" that terrorism can be contained, he wrote.<br><br>Mr. Smith also sees a quid pro quo: In the post-Sept. 11 world, he sees the government sharing more with the private sector. As the president of the Security Task Force of the Business Roundtable -- an association of top U.S. chief executives -- Mr. Smith is leading a drive to gain access to the government's secret terrorist watch lists. <br><br>So far the FBI, which controls the lists, says there's no sign the government will grant access to the classified databases. <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>But FedEx already has access to some classified information through other channels...</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>FedEx also has a seat on a regional terrorism task force, overseen by the FBI,</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> which has access to sensitive data regarding terrorist threats. Robert Bryden, the recently retired vice president of FedEx corporate security, says it's "remarkable" for a private company to have a seat on the task force. <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Across the country, FedEx is the only one, the FBI says....</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>The government also recognizes FedEx's potential as a vast human-intelligence network...<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--> <p></p><i></i>

[FourthBase]

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>The government also recognizes FedEx's potential as a vast human-intelligence network...<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br>I'm never using FedEx again. Ever. <p></p><i></i>

[yablonsky]

as an aside, Cryptogon rocks. i love kevin's aesthetic. i hope most RI frequenters stop by there from time to time and i wish he and his wife a rich future in new zealand.<!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p></p><i></i>

[Synthetic Zero]

. <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=syntheticzero>Synthetic Zero</A> at: 2/21/06 9:37 pm<br></i>

[anotherdrew]

I think they are probably opening and searching ALL packages in and out of the CONUS and have been for years. I know someone who had one single item in a box full of stuff vanish in transit, the box had to have been opened. So be aware of that. <p></p><i></i>

[Floyd Smoots]

Where did that strange "Artificial Nothing" go??? ....and....all of his/her/its posts??? Whut da heck??? <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :eek --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/eek.gif ALT=":eek"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br> <p></p><i></i>

[CyberChrist]

Floyd, I think Synthetic decided to get paranoid and delete all of his posts. <p>--<br>CyberChrist<br>http://www.hackerjournal.org<br>My brain is hung like a horse.</p><i></i>

[Floyd Smoots]

....Big Brother's got 'em all anyhow!!! <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START 0] --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/alien.gif ALT="0]"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :| --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/indifferent.gif ALT=":|"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :evil --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/devil.gif ALT=":evil"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br> <p></p><i></i>

[Synthetic Zero]

Heh. It was more personal than "Big Brother" paranoia (why be paranoid of "Big Brother" when we're surely watched anyhow), but it's fixed. <p></p><i></i>

[Floyd Smoots]

<!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :D --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/happy.gif ALT=":D"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br> <p></p><i></i>

[OnoI812]

I had a box from Europe opened , everything was poorly packed and some tins were bent and coffee cups broken. My mom is usually a meticulous packer, but the contents were all jumbled (which probably led to the bent tins and broken cup)...A bag of chocolates was only half full but the wire tie was replaced.<br><br>It wasn't much of a guess that somebody went into it.<br><br>There was a big green tape across it , looked kind of like that crime scene police tape, but it said Customs , or homeland security or something, and that it was part of routine search...I should have saved the tape, but it was a year ago...<br><br>On edit...I just remembered, she doesn't usually send books but there was a copy of : John Kerry- a call to Service, Michael Moore- Dude, Where's my Country?, Dan Brown -The Da <br>Vinci Code and another fiction book all stuffed in one of the tins.<br>I wonder if it was the books they were after? <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=onoi812>OnoI812</A> at: 2/23/06 3:37 pm<br></i>