Felonious Wood

No, I’m not talking about some male prostitute or stripper.  I’m talking about actual pieces of trees.  And you’re probably a felon because of this load of bullshit.  It’s bipartisan bullshit that was actually vetoed by then President Bush whose veto was overridden by that circus full of clowns we call Congress.

Here’s a small excerpt from the original over at Classical Values:

I don’t know what all is in that bill, but last night when I was researching something else I stumbled upon just one teensy provision of the bill — an amendment to the Lacey Act which received no media attention at all, and isn’t receiving any now.

This amendment deals with illegal plants — the primary thrust being illegal wood. Henceforth, all wood is to be a federally regulated, suspect substance. Either raw wood, lumber, or anything made of wood, from tables and chairs, to flooring, siding, particle board, to handles on knives, baskets, chopsticks, or even toothpicks has to have a label naming the genus and species of the tree that it came from and the country of origin. Incorrect labeling becomes a federal felony, and the law does not just apply to wood newly entering the country, but any wood that is in interstate commerce within the country. Here are some excerpts from a summary:

The Lacey Act now makes it unlawful to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce any plant, with some limited exceptions, taken in violation of the laws of a U.S. State, or any foreign law that protects plants. The Lacey Act also makes it unlawful to make or submit any false record, account or label for, or any false identification of, any plant.

The definition of the term “plant” includes “any wild member of the plant kingdom, including roots, seeds, parts, and products thereof, and including trees from either natural or planted forest stands.”

[...]

Anyone who imports into the United States, or exports out of the United States, illegally harvested plants or products made from illegally harvested plants, including timber, as well as anyone who exports, transports, sells, receives, acquires or purchases such products in the United States, may be prosecuted. In any prosecution under the Lacey Act, the burden of proof of a violation rests on the government.

[...]

Violations of Lacey Act provisions for timber and other plant products, as well as fish and wildlife, may be prosecuted through either civil or criminal enforcement actions. Regardless of any prosecution, the tainted plants may be seized and forfeited.

Everyone means everyone, which includes every reader of this blog.

Obviously, this means that in the future, the Fish and Game guys will be able to accompany SWAT Team raiders to check all wood in homes and businesses for possible violations. Even if they’re wrong in their suspicions about the wood, it can still be confiscated. (Might that be a goal? To beef up employment at Fish and Game?)

Just think about the law enforcement possibilities alone. After kicking through and impounding your illegal wooden door, a federalized army of government termites could literally strip all wood paneling and flooring from every raided house as suspicious contraband, and haul away all the furniture, wood carvings, picture frames, tools, musical instruments! I can’t think of a better harassment tool. The list of potentially regulated items is mind-boggling:

the scope of products that will require a declaration under the Lacey Act is broad and includes certain live plants, plant parts, lumber, wood pulp, paper and paperboard, and products containing certain plant material or products, which may include certain furniture, tools, umbrellas, sporting goods, printed matter, musical instruments, products manufactured from plant-based
resins, and textiles.

[...]

After September 30, 2009, based on experience with the implementation of the electronic system for declaration data collection, we will phase in enforcement of the declaration requirements for additional chapters containing plants and plant
products covered by the Lacey Act, including (but not limited to) Ch. 12 (oil seeds, misc. grain, seed, fruit, plant, etc.), Ch. 13 (gums, lacs, resins, vegetable saps, extracts, etc.), Ch. 14 (vegetable plaiting materials and products not elsewhere specified or included), Ch. 45 (cork and articles of), Ch. 46 (basket ware and wickerwork), Ch. 66 (umbrellas, walking sticks, riding crops), Ch. 82 (tools), Ch. 93 (guns), Ch. 95 (toys, games and sporting equipment), Ch. 96 (brooms, pencils, and buttons), and Ch. 97 (works of art). We will announce a specific phase-in schedule for those chapters in a subsequent Federal Register notice.

Did they mention shipping pallets and cargo braces? Wood is not only in stuff, it’s in the stuff that the stuff comes in! Nearly everything is regulated.

You really should go read the whole thing.  I’m personally glad I rent my apartment and own practically nothing that is made of wood.  But that’s not the point here.  The point is the incredibly invasive nature of this load of bullshit.

Here’s the hidden venom that most people don’t see in this – there’s already precedent and most of the hopey changey people love it.  If I were an Arizona resident and wanted to buy a new Ruger firearm that’s made in their Prescott, AZ factory I have to go to a licensed dealer and fill out a background check form which is mandated by the FEDERAL government because somehow this is interstate commerce.  Likewise, I have to do the same thing if I want to buy a new firearm of any make here in Nevada.  Never mind that I’m purchasing it from a small business in Nevada which is owned by a citizen of Nevada who himself purchased said firearm in interstate commerce.  It no longer matters.  If that gun that I bought from a private business is somehow interstate commerce, then so is the frame of your house and everything else that came out of a forest.  And yes, they can seize anything they suspect might be a violation.

So best wishes to you all in your quest to minimize your federal felonies.  Some of you fought the good fight when others were in peril like us gun owners and I salute you.  I would merely ask that the rest of you take this one as a warning and examine the unintended consequences of your actions a bit more closely in the future.  Just think of what’s happening to your Freedom and Liberty.  Ask yourselves if you really even care.

Hat tip to Western Rifle Shooters Association