ANDREW  MANDELL

My name is Andrew Mandell.  I work for Voices in the Wilderness, a group dedicated to nonviolence.  When I went to a post office to pick up 4,000 stamps for a big mailing we were doing, I told the woman behind the counter I didn't want the stamps with the flag on them.  She asked if Statue of Liberty stamps would do, and I said that was fine.

She then disappeared for a long time.  It turns out she was calling the cops.  Two police officers came in and asked for my ID.  They asked if I had any outstanding warrants.  They also ran a check on me.  They asked why I wanted stamps without American flags.  I said I preferred the Statue of Liberty.  They said I would have to come back the next day to get the stamps.

When I came back the next day, I had to meet with a federal postal inspector for more than a half-hour.  He asked why I was paying in cash.  Where did I get my money?  I finally got the stamps and was permitted to do the mailing.  I know they have to be vigilant, but how does this make us more safe?