CEO of Gibson Guitar a Republican donor; Democrat competitor uses same wood

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of Gibson Guitar a Republican donor; Democrat competitor uses same wood

Posted By Andrew Lawton On August 26, 2011 @ 1:17 pm In News,Politics,U.S. |

13 Comments

On Thursday, the iconic Gibson Guitar Corporation issued a press release stating that government officials raided their Tennessee manufacturing facility over warrants concerning the legality of the importation of wood purchased from India that they use in their world famous guitars. The wood?which is certified and regulated by the Forest Stewardship Council?is not illegal, but rather subject to a domestic law in India frowns upon the processing of this wood by non-Indians. (Gibson uses American labor for the processing.)

Gibson?s press release claims that, while this incident marks the second raid of their facility in around two years, this is the first of the raids to cost the company time and resources, as they needed to shut down operations. It seems as though this was all for naught.

The release read [1]:

The Federal Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. has suggested that the use of wood from India that is not finished by Indian workers is illegal, not because of U.S. law, but because it is the Justice Department?s interpretation of a law in India. (If the same wood from the same tree was finished by Indian workers, the material would be legal.) This action was taken without the support and consent of the government in India.

On August 24, 2011, around 8:45 a.m. CDT, agents for the federal government executed four search warrants on Gibson?s facilities in Nashville and Memphis and seized several pallets of wood, electronic files and guitars. Gibson had to cease its manufacturing operations and send workers home for the day, while armed agents executed the search warrants. Gibson has fully cooperated with the execution of the search warrants.

The fact that the government would issue warrants based on their interpretation of another country?s laws is laughable?and scary?in and of itself, but that they would demonize an American, non-unionized (coincidentally, I?m sure) company for something that isn?t even a crime (especially not in the American lawbooks) is a gross misjustice. Keep in mind that the Indian government itself wasn?t involved in the Gibson warrants and raid.

This unfortunate event begs the question, Why Gibson?

Putting aside the presumably misguided motivation to enforce another sovereign nation?s laws, why would a homegrown American company be the target of the Department of Justice in the first place?

It?s worth pointing out that Henry E. Juszkiewicz, Gibson?s Chief Executive Officer, is a donor to a couple of Republican politicians. According to the Open Secrets [2] database, Juszkiewicz donated $2000 to Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN07) last year, as well as $1500 each to Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN). Juszkiewicz also has donated $10,000 to the Consumer Electronics Association, a PAC that contributed $92.5k to Republican candidates last year, as opposed to $72k to Democrats. (The CEA did, however, contribute more to Democrats in the 2008 election cycle.)

When warrants as ridiculous such as these are issued and executed, there appears no other reason than because the company or individual at hand is being targeted, not because there is any sort of wrongdoing. As a company, Gibson is a legendary. They?ve done nothing wrong, except, apparently, deigning to have a Republican CEO.

The plot thickens, however.

One of Gibson?s leading competitors is C.F. Martin & Company. The C.E.O., Chris Martin IV, is a long-time Democratic supporter, with $35,400 in contributions to Democratic candidates and the DNC over the past couple of election cycles. According to C.F. Martin?s catalog [3], several of their guitars contain ?East Indian Rosewood.? In case you were wondering, that is the exact same wood [4] in at least ten of Gibson?s guitars.

The Gibson facility wasn?t raided over allegations of tax evasion, charges of embezzlement, or even something as drab as child labor. Not even close. It was raided over what the DOJ deems an inability to follow a vague domestic trade law in India (one that apparently the Indian government didn?t seem too concerned about enforcing) regarding a specific type of wood. Not illegal wood, just wood with obscenely specific procedural guidelines.

Stand with Gibson: They have the Law on their side, just not the government.

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Reply to
Ray Keller
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In article , - "Ray Keller" "Ray Keller" spouted !

Since when should the US DOJ be enforcing other countries law inside this country ?

Reply to
Tankfixer

"Tankfixer" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org...

Since obama showed up...........

Reply to
Phil Kangas

Prepare for Sharia Law if this administration has it's way.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

Simple

16USC3372

"It is unlawful for any person-

to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce-

any plant-

taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of any law or regulation of any State, or any foreign law, that protects plants or that regulates-

the taking of plants without, or contrary to, required authorization;

US law now references foreign law and if it's illegal anywhere in the world....it's automatically illegal here.

One reason why the number of laws can no longer be counted, because this section alone references an unknown number of laws from every nation of the planet.

Reply to
Scout

If they aren't going to enforce US laws in the US, they have to do something to fill the time.

Reply to
robert bowman

Tankfixer on Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:07:22 -0700 typed in misc.survivalism the following:

Well, they certainly aren't enforcing this country's laws inside the country.

-- pyotr filipivich Rock is Dead! --- Long live Paper & Scissors!

Reply to
pyotr filipivich

Time to either off the SOB or send him back to Kenya. America won't last much longer with folks like him running it and Congress permanently out to lunch.

Reply to
PaxPerPoten

In such case the body count is gonna be high and it won't be American bodies!

Reply to
PaxPerPoten

So it's OK that Martin guitars does the same thing that Gibson is being falsly accused of, but their factories aren't be raided and it's products confiscated? They did it again in 2009 too.

Reply to
Rushton Moreve

Since progressives took control.

Reply to
The PHANTOM

Is Martin guitars owned by a Demorat??

Reply to
The PHANTOM

Congress shouldn't be allowed to all go on vacation for a month and at the same time. The idea was OK when the United States was a country with little more than farming and small towns, but that was 200 years ago.

Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

Nope, and I think someone should report Martin, and/or Gibson should sue for harassment since the law is being enforced unequally.

Reply to
Scout

Apparently, (at least in the first instance), the wood was not "finished"--rather, rough sawn logs were recieved at customs with accompanying documents falsely identifying them as being fretboards.

Actually, this law is known as the "Lacey Act" and it has been in place since 1900.

Codified and amended at 16 U.S.C. §§ 3371-3378, the act protects both plants and wildlife by creating civil and criminal penalties for a wide array of violations, and was authored by John Fletcher Lacey (May 30, 1841 - September 29, 1913) who was an eight-term Republican congressman from from Iowa's 6th district. The Act prohibits trade in wildlife, fish, and plants that have been illegally taken, possessed, transported or sold. Congressman Lacey introduced the bill in the spring of 1900. It was signed into law on May 25, 1900 by President William Mckinley after passing both houses of Congress.

Reply to
PrecisionmachinisT

Well he contributes to Democrat candidates....

Reply to
Scout

Kinda' reminds me of when O'Bama bought up GM and Chrysler then proceeded to close hundreds of new car dealerships,curiously all owned by Republican supporters. Coincidence??

Reply to
The PHANTOM

And how many times has the government enforced this law??

Reply to
The PHANTOM

Apparently, Gibson's facilities are located in SHALL WORK states...Tennessee!

Martin is located in PA (Union run), and in Mexico.

Mexico (and China) have NO laws about laws about wood imports or exports.

"Their" Federal law says that Airline inspectors MAY NOW confiscate your personal guitars, Violins, etc, if it is made from wood that YOU can't prove is/was made from trees that were legaly acquired.

Reply to
Rushton Moreve

And they are made IN a Union controlled state... and Mexico, where their supply of wood is not monitored.

Why was JUST Gibson raided by an armed SWAT TEAM, and not any other Guitar company?

Reply to
Rushton Moreve

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