[* Update: Since writing this post, I have sent a 2-cent letter and it arrived at its destination.]
[† Update 2: Since reading this post, Justin has sent a reverse addressed letter using tithing envelopes and it arrived at his house.]
I don’t know if this is true or not[*]. I still have to test it[*]. But if it turns out to be true, may I recommend that we have some letter writing campaigns? This is what I read tonight:
My Uncle, (who has since passed to the higher land) spoke of this for years… he was a true Patriot that helped a number of people fight the Central GOVt… it is simply— the 2 cent stamp.
He read to me, when the us gov’t set up the us post office, (1781-1787ish) they made post roads, and also included, that no letter will be no more than 2 cents and no postcard will be no more than 1 cent… and to this day… i test it once in awhile… it works… i mail letters with 2 cents and postcards with 1 cent…. they cannot change this law unless there is another con con[**]. ???
It is an old law, that only can be revoked by having a con con[**]…. it would send the us post offfice offf the deeep end.! Just imagine… and if you want to test it… here are the rules.
do not use a return address
do not use a us post box (although, it probably will work, i never tried it)
do not use a zip code of any state or country
do Spell the state in which you are sending to completely out ie… NC must be North Carolina
when you or your buddy who recieves the letter,will probably notice, hand stamped or weird markings on the letter itself… this is the us p o code to let it go thru… because it is the LAW and the only way to change it is to have a con con[**].
Thanks for your work… maybe you can do something with this. Gods’ Speed ” (Taken from this web page.)
Like I said, I still have to test this [* & †]. When I do, I’ll report back on this post. But, if we go on the assumption that it does work, feel free to use the comments section to give any ideas on how this can be used (for good or bad). What kind of letter writing campaigns can you think of? Who should be inundated with hundreds of thousands of two-cent letters and one-cent postcards?
[**Note: “con con” signifies “Constitutional Convention”.]
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27 Comments
LDS Anarchy 
The claims in the post sound a bit like a sensational e-mail. I have a tip a bit simpler:
I’ve sent letters with no postage by putting the address I wish to send it to in the return address spot, while placing my information where I would typically address the letter. When the post office gets the letter, they will “return to sender” for inadaquate postage — returning it to where I want it to go.
I’ve sent mass-letter campaigns in my highschool days, and I know it is best to spread out the letters you are sending accross different post-offices. Dumping many similar letters into one mailing box tips off the authorities. I would mail only five or so letters in different boxes around different towns.
This would be incredible if email weren’t still free.
However, when using this strategy with the postal system — it takes government-paid man hours to deliver the letters. I think the point is to strain the system — more so than to deliver free messages.
Yes, that was my point.
Justin, your technique is clever, but it may backfire if used too much. If you put your information as the person it is sent to, the authorities might figure out eventually that you are the one actually sending the letter. May I suggest that you put someone else’s information there, instead?
For example, if I wanted to really spice things up, as an anarchist whose main audience is the LDS, I’d get my local ward or stake directory and get a bunch of really cheap envelopes and affix the bishop’s name and address to them. Now, can you think of what would be the cheapest envelopes you can find that have the bishop’s name and address on them? Yes, I am referring to the tithing envelopes…
Okay, so I’d go in each building and take all the tithing envelopes I could grab, then I’d affix the names and addresses of the members found in the stake or ward directory as the return address. Then I’d print out one of my LDS Anarchy articles as a double-sided sheet, and insert that into each envelope. Then, I’d drop the envelopes into various mailboxes around town. Total cost to me: cost to print and transportation around town.
If the post office returns to sender, well then all the return addresses on the envelopes (the members of the ward or stake) get my LDS Anarchy message. If the post office thinks that the man on the send-to area is responsible, he probably will be presented with the envelopes from the postal authorities. Either way, someone will get the message, either the members or the leaders.
(Now, I’m not recommending that anyone do this…)
Which concepts or articles in particular would you “not” recommend “anyone” send out? 😉
Clarification
The person I quoted in the above post used the term, “con con.” A “con con” is a “Constitutional Convention.” Just to let everyone know, in case there was any confusion.
Also, I have made arrangements to send a couple of letters to an acquaintance of mine, to see if they arrive. I will be doing both the 2-cent thing and also the return-to-sender thing. I might also send a 1-cent postcard.
Finally, this Sunday I might consider taking a few extra tithing envelopes….heh, heh…
Elder Chantdown, I recommend that no one send out this one.
Another option would be making your own envelopes. I like the blank template, so that I can put “anarchy is order” symbols all over it prior to printing.
Our local mail carrier considers us good friends. Last year, he approached me one day and asked me to increase my amount of package delivery because the USPS was doing an volume audit in anticipation of cutbacks in service. I was polite to this member of the postal union and didn’t say what I was thinking. ‘You want me to inflate your numbers so you can keep more members of the postal union busy??’
I wonder how his pension fund is doing compared to most people in the private sector (those few that still have pensions)
Anyway some of the suggestions in this thread would have helped my friend, the postal carrier.
Another labeling scheme for the return addresses would be a random allocation of all the people you will be sending letters to. For example:
Letter #1 = To person A, return address person C
Letter #2 = To person B, return address person A
Letter #3 = To person C, return address person B
This way whether the USPS decides to “return to sender” for inadaquate postage. or if they think they have figured it out and decide to deliver it to the correct address — either way your letter gets to a person you intend it to.
I sent my first 2-cent letter today. Tomorrow I’ll send a Return-to-Sender letter. I printed out my own envelopes, so my only cost, so far, is two cents and the cost of paper and ink. If either of these methods work, I might pull out a local stake directory (a “test stake”) and go on a little mailing campaign of my own using the Rotational Return-to-Sender technique or the 2-cent way. I’m really curious whether anything I’ve written on this blog will any effect whatsoever to the mainstream Mormon. I’m thinking of sending first “Spicing up your church experience,” followed by “The Priesthood,” and then finally “An alternate view of the keys.” Those three blog posts got the top votes and I think they are the best ones to present to mainstream Mormons, instead of diving right into anarchism. With some trial and error, I got “Spicing up your church experience” down to one double-sided sheet of paper, at a font size of 8, using three columns. I also got “The Priesthood” down to three double-sided sheets of paper at font size 7 and three columns. “An alternate view of the keys” takes up 7 pieces of paper (both sides) with three columns at font size 7. I don’t know if all of that will fit in the envelope. The 7 and 8 font sizes are readable and I was able to include where the article comes from (this blog), which means that whoever reads it will be able to go online and read more, if they want.
Update
I learned today that my 2-cent letter arrived at its destination. The person I sent it to said that it appears that the post office turned the letter upside-down and put it into the post office stamping machine that stamps over the postage, so that the 2-cent stamp remained unstamped by the machine but the lower, left-hand corner of the envelope got stamped upside-down. Based on this one test, it does appear that sending a 2-cent stamp in the manner detailed in the post (sans zip code, with no return address, with the state spelled out completely) will cause the letter to arrive at its destination. Also, there doesn’t appear to have been any delay in its arrival.
I will update the post above to reflect this report. Next, I have three Return-to-Sender letters ready to send. I’ll report when those enter the mail box and report back. But in the meantime, anyone who is sending mail, try the 2-cent method. It appears to work just fine.
I arranged to have the three Return-to-Sender letters mailed tomorrow from a different city than the one I live in.
My Return-to-Sender letters never arrived.
Never arrived to either address?
I sent four letters with no postage to pizza joints in New York and New Jersey and a return address to a friend of mine. Neither one of the four letters were returned to him. Perhaps they were delivered (with no postage) to the pizza places, but I doubt it.
I ask because, in my exp. with reversed addressing, the Post Office will sometimes send it without postage anyway b/c a machine is scanning hundreds of thousands of letters a day — and it will often miss things.
When I’ve done this method previously — they have always arrived to one destination or the other.
But it does sound like the two cent postage thing may be more reliable.
LDSA:
I have a letter/information/etc. I’d like you to send out, anonymously, to someone via the 2 cent stamp method. You up to the task?
Why not? I’m sure I’ve got a couple of pennies laying around the houise. I’ll email you and you email me back the address and what you want sent.
Update: Ah, I see you’ve already got my email address… Okay, just send the info to me.
If I cannot send it from a US Post Box, where do I send it from?
James, you can send it from a US Post Box (a mailbox, meaning you can drop it into a mailbox), you just can’t send it (or address it) to a P.O. Box, though, like the quoted author, I haven’t tried to send a letter there, either, so I don’t know if that will work or not.
I contacted the USPS by phone and asked what happens if I forgot to put a stamp on a letter, the response, “It will just be mailed back to your return address with a notice of insufficient postage.”
This week I plan to not send a post from this site using tithing slips. I will not report what happens.
I did not send this post using tithing envelopes to 10 families in my ward on Friday.
I did not also list myself as one of the return addresses in order to test and see if it would work.
I did not receive the letter back on Saturday with a stamp stating Return for Postage.
I will not be anxious to see if anything is mentioned about this at church.
Perhaps this could be another thing to mail letters about.
I’m laughing so hard I can hardly contain myself. I love you all!!! This blog was/is an answer to a recent prayer about truth. I am into that PO stuff. Can’t wait to try it! I plan on using the return address as Pres Monson’s office for at least one of mine. The only problem is — his secretary opens up all the mail and she’s my VT. Haha! The irony!
You can do this and be 100% legal.
This blog post is full of so much fail that I can hardly keep a straight face. First, this is not legal, it’s fraud. This sort of thing is investigated by the postal inspector’s office The Con Con mentioned above does not apply. Previous to 1971, postal rates were changed by congress, but since ’71 postal rates are determined by the post office itself. Second, I first head about this scam in the late 80s and early 90s. The idea is that direct mailers can use this to save thousands of dollars a year in mailing costs. This has nothing to do with anarchy or sticking it to the man, but in earning extra money by defrauding an already overburdened system.
By the way, not all mail without a return address and incorrect postage is forwarded on. If it appears to be bulk mail or direct mail, it’s generally thrown into the trash. Direct mailers and other businesses know the rules, and the PO has very little time to dick around if the rules are violated.
The post office deals in millions of pieces of mail a day, some with incorrect postage will slip through, but machines catch the majority. It currently costs me 46 cents to send a letter from New York to LA, and if the post office ever has to shut down because this sort of nonsense, I’ll personally track one of you cheap bastards down and ride you like a horse all the way across country forcing you to hold my letter between your teeth. And then make you wait for a reply, so I can ride you back.
This has worked well for us …in the past. There is more push-back from the Postal Service now as more and more people wake up and understand what has been done to the “people” by making them 14th Amendment US Citizens (basically slaves to the United States, Inc. corporation. The Corporation is a “fiction”, a dead thing! Your corporate presence is a corporation, i.e.,your ALL-CAPS name. The “living” cannot interact with the “dead” except in a “seance”. They attempt to meld your corporate and living self together and create a sort of a “zombi” to get control over you and your stuff. Because of the exclusion of the interaction between corporations and the living, the United States CANNOT change those laws about 2cent/3cent postage. i believe the 3cent was for Domestic, i.e., the District of Columbia. Found the law once but cannot seem to find it again. To those who do not know who they are, …or should be, it may make NO sense. We may end up having to sue the “Postmasters” to make them do their duty and stop THEIR mishandling of the mail. I have a friend who works for the Postal Service and has said that they are told to send mail with the denominated postage through and given no explanation.
When I was kip back in the ’40s Comic Books would have adds where things could be purchased with [postage] stamps or “money order” sent through the mail. DENOMINATED Postal stamps are actually a “money” and they could be deposited at the bank. It may still be true that they will accept them …if forced but who knows.
I mainly use 2ct postage as a way to get people to wake up to what is being done to them! That, and pointing out that the $1 bill and the $2 dollar bill are NOT Federal Reserve Notes at all but are used in place of the US Note that was discontinued in 1971 (see US Treasury web site search 1971 US note). their trick (fraud) on the people … is that they placed “Federal Reserve Note” in a square-cornered box on the $1 & $2 bills; any thing in a “square-cornered box can be seen but is NOT “working” part of that document. If you look at FRN denominations $5 or greater there is NO square-cornered box around Federal Reserve Note so they ARE indeed Federal Reserve Notes.