Tam notes that more states are joining on to the Montana Firearms Freedom Act. If the commerce in question is intrastate and not interstate, the ICC (and the federal authority residing therein) isn't relevant - or at least that's the understanding I have of it.
While reading news earlier, I came across this bit:
Oklahoma tea parties and lawmakers envision militia
Hie thee hence and read, carefully. It's a relatively well-balanced article, and could be a tipping point. The idea of a state militia that is NOT subordinate to the national chain of command is certainly not new, but has passed by the wayside in recent decades. Here in NY it's the New York Guard. Most places, though (and that includes here in NY), the state guard is an unarmed "auxiliary" of sorts. They assist with logistics, planning, disaster relief, and so forth.
Oklahoma is talking about a state-level, state-sponsored, *armed* guard.
I don't find myself objecting in the least. Keep a close eye on it.
Then, since I wasn't really conscious of current events while it was happening, I went and skimmed the Wiki article on the collapse of the USSR.
Here's the three-paragraph summary. Tell me if you see any parallels...
The Soviet Union's dissolution into independent nations began early in 1985. After years of Soviet military buildup at the expense of domestic development, economic growth was at a standstill. Failed attempts at reform, a stagnant economy, and war in Afghanistan led to a general feeling of discontent, especially in the Baltic republics and Eastern Europe.
Greater political and social freedoms, instituted by the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, created an atmosphere of open criticism of the Moscow regime. The dramatic drop of the price of oil in 1985 and 1986, and consequent lack of foreign exchange reserves in following years to purchase grain profoundly influenced actions of the Soviet leadership.
Several Soviet Socialist Republics began resisting central control, and increasing democratization led to a weakening of the central government. The USSR's trade gap progressively emptied the coffers of the union, leading to eventual bankruptcy. The Soviet Union finally collapsed in 1991 when Boris Yeltsin seized power in the aftermath of a failed coup that had attempted to topple reform-minded Gorbachev.