The Post Office is NOT Eco-Friendly

I'm not the most eco-friendly person myself.  My carbon footprint has definitely made its mark...but I do try.  I recycle my yogurt cups.  I haul all my plastic, aluminum, paper and glass to the local recycling center because there's no place to put it here at the apartment complex.  I don't drive when I don't have to.  I re-wrap boxes sent to me from family, friends and stores and use them again.  That last bit, however, appears to have gotten me in a little trouble.


This morning our mailman dropped a package off to me with an apologetic face.  It was a gift for one of My Husband's cousins...their little girl turned one year old a few days ago.  The following note was taped to the top of the box -->

Apparently some enterprising postal employee sliced open my brown paper cover to reveal the recycled Priority Mail box underneath (a recent eBay purchase).  And when I say sliced I mean purposely; the cut was clean, not on a seam in the paper and through a few layers of tape.  I also took a photo of that for your enjoyment.
I mean, what's that about?  Is the United States Post Office so hard up for money that they're policing all the packages?  And believe me, I send A LOT of packages.  I have an active eBay account (sell, sell, sell), two large, birthday-ridden families (My Husband is one of FIVE for Heaven's sake), an extensive network of globe-trotting friends and oh yes...I'M AN ARMY WIFE.  I sent at least 3 Priority Packages a month the year My Husband was gone: not including the platoon care packages we sent through FRG (Family Readiness Group) and the school supplies donated to Iraqi youth.

Apparently that doesn't count...even if you "rehabilitate" a used box, cover it in brown paper and tape the hell out of it, you're still at the mercy of a postal employee with a box cutter.  I was under the impression messing with someone's mail was a federal offense, but apparently I was mistaken.  Where's the Pony Express when you need it?