Obscure Music Friday

Whoa, little late this mornng because there is no work an I slept in - God, did that feel great.

On the eve of this Independence Day holiday, I can only think of one video to post. Therea re a lot of patriotic songs, but this one, by this particular artist, remains my favorite.

Song: God Bless America

Artist: Song by Irving Berlin, Sung by Kate Smith

Why I am Posting This Today: Because I want to remind myself of the America I love. Because I don't want to live in a country where we are all robots of the federal government, and I fear we are heading in that direction. I am not talking about re-education camps and goons breaking down your door at 2:00 am after a neighbor turned you in for an innocent joke against Barack Obama . . . God, I hope not . . . but the slow, insiduous creep of federal regulation and oversight into our daily lives more and more.

Oversight? That's pretty funny. The inspector general of Amtrak is abruptly "retired" after a report criticizes the Law Department of Amtrak of too much meddling in his office.

Amtrak bosses have effectively gagged their budgetary watchdogs from communicating with Congress without pre-approval; required that all Amtrak documents be "pre-screened" (and in some cases redacted) before being turned over to the inspector general's office; and taken control of the inspector general's $5 million portion of federal stimulus spending.

Moreover, the report revealed, Amtrak regularly retained outside law firms shielded from IG reach. In another case, Amtrak's Law Department appeared to meddle in an inspector general investigation of an outside financial adviser suspected of inflating fees. The consultant ran to the Law Department when the IG demanded documents, and the Law Department repudiated the IG's instructions on complying with a subpoena.

The "retiree" was replaced was replaced by a persn who was Amtrak's VP of Human Resources with expertise in "diversity initiatives" - and a heavy Democratic Party donor. It frightens me that my first thought upon hearing this was, oh great, they're sewing up the transportation corridor to restrict our movement.

I came home yesterday and my husband told me to "call Lou Correa and tell him not to vote for that POS." Lou Correa is our representative in the Sacramento Clown House (hellooo . . . IOUs) and what got the DigiSpouse's ire up was AB962, a bill that would make it a crime to privately transfer more than 50 rounds of ammo per month - even between family or friends - unless one is registered as a "handgun ammunition vendor" in the DOJ's database. Ammo would now have to be kept in such a manner so that it is inaccessible to the public - that is, behind the counter - and purchasers would need to be fingerprinted. Oh, and mail order sales - we love Cabela's! - would be prohibited.

The bills, AB 962 by Assemblyman Kevin de Leon, D-East Los Angeles, and SB 697, by Senator Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, are aimed at reducing gun violence and improving gun safety.

Dan Reeves, de Leon's chief of staff, said the bill is based on ordinances in Sacramento and Los Angeles designed to curb the sale of ammunition to felons.

"At my store, little gang bangers don't come in to buy ammunition," [gunstore owner Lee Smith] said. "They don't want to pay retail."

Safety or control? The restriction of ammo sales has naught to do with the safe operation of a firearm and everything to do with ensuring that a law-abiding public cannot have enough to miount an insurrection, should the need arise, and depend on state governments for protection. That scares me because private ownership of firearms is one of the first things done away with by dictators. I may have to learn reloading and conserve spent brass. I'm betting the felons already have.

Oh, and the Senate bill - that's to require gun manufacturers that want to sell their product in California to include technology to tell how many unfired cartridges remain in a gun, to avoid accidental shootings when thought to be empty. Any gun owner could tell you how f***ing stupid that would be and only serve to create an economic disincentive to make guns for sale in California.

Okay, I've ranted enough. Somedays are wprse than others, and I see my dead mother's face, telling me that she is scared that the America she knew all her life would not be seen by her grandchildren and making me promise her that I would protect them and run if I had to. I promised, while thinking, where would I go? People joke and talk about states like Texas and Alaska seceding, but who knows? If that happens, my kids' safety and my sanity ain't worth the equity in this house . . . I'll start all over again. Which is what America was about - an individual having the resources to protect their life, liberty, and pursuit of freedom.