Most Americans have never heard of the Lacey Act. That's pretty normal for obscure trade laws that date back to the conservation movement in the early 20th Century (President McKinley signed it into law in 1900). As a thumbnail, the Lacey Act controls importation of wildlife, fish and/or plants that may have been obtained through illegal means. Trap a Sasquatch in British Columbia or pick a peck of Peruvian pickle plants for sale in Poughkeepsie and you'll be facing a Lacey smackdown. Yet the evolution of the law - and its political undercurrent - is what's caught my interest as it's been once again placed on the minor current affairs platform. I actually was reminded of Lacey thanks to the music show "Sound Opinions". They picked up the Gibson Guitar company's case of being raided by the Feds for using dubious wood. There are lots of ways to run with that double entendre. The point being, nonetheless, that I'm intrigued by the idea that a law established in the spirit of Teddy Roosevelt progressivism is still being spun over a century later by Conservatives as an example of how the Federal Government oversteps its mandate. That's a really superficial reading on this bill. Especially because it also applies to issues I'm interested in for Pelting Out. But that's about as far as I'm able to get on this today.

Until the next page turns...may your own time spent in a bookstore flipping through travel guide after guide prove to be at least conversationally worth it when you get to the other side of the planet.