Let's think about that for a moment. You have a commodity or product in your possession that you purchased on the legal market here in the United States, say some Brazilian hardwood, that you want to spend a winter making furniture out of for your home. You bought it from a reputable outlet, and have no criminal intent and no reason to suspect that the wood was harvested, processed, or exported from Brazil illegally. Some arcane aspect of the Brazilian lumber law makes someone think that your future dining room set might be illegal if you had it in Brazil. Let's say that Brazilian law says that a special tax on hardwoods must be paid, and you don't have a tax stamp or something from your supplier to say that the tax was paid.
So your home could be raided, your wood, tools, financial records, computers, and anything else they think was related to this "crime" could be taken, and you could be charged with a crime for possession of something that is three or four levels of separation away from its origin in South America. You didn't cut it down or mill it. You didn't export it to the United States and sell it. All you did was buy it and try to use it. The law that you are accused of breaking is outside of the control of your elected representatives, so you can't even appeal to them to get it modified or repealed. But you're the one who got raided. And it doesn't have to be raw lumber. Can you prove that the Brazilian hardwood dining table you inherited from grandma was made from wood imported before these restrictions were put in place? If not, when you are questioned, you are out a dining table, out a fine, and out of luck.
Also some ideas on hurricane prep, including
- Leave. Staying in the path of a hurricane is the definition of idiotic. Pack your kids and everything you care about, call a relative further inland and get out of Dodge. Preferably a relative who lives two states towards the center of the continent. Things you should take include heirlooms, food, clothing, weapons, pets, and liquor.
- Remember the liquor. Living with your brother-in-law for a few days with all of your and his kids is going to be hard enough without trying to do it sober. Don't get sloppy drunk and for heaven's sake don't drink tequila. Just a nice mellow buzz. Bonus points if you share with said brother-in-law, especially if you break out the good stuff.
Pay special attention to #8
2 comments:
#2 is good advice. I have learned that brother-in-laws are almost tolerable if you share your sippin' whisky with 'em.
The Feds have opened the way to confiscate every violin bow in the country, because no violinist can document how his Pernambuco wood came to be legally in his possession. And we haven't heard a word about the abuse of Mongolian ponies, who have been losing their tails to the violin trade for years.
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