Bad, bad, wood!
Posted on 05/23/2013 4:16:11 PM PDT by raptor22
IRS Scandal: The inexplicable raid nearly two years ago on a guitar maker for using allegedly illegal wood that its competitors also used was another targeting by this administration of its political enemies.
On Aug. 24, 2011, federal agents executed four search warrants on Gibson Guitar Corp. facilities in Nashville and Memphis, Tenn., and seized several pallets of wood, electronic files and guitars. One of the top makers of acoustic and electric guitars, including the iconic Les Paul introduced in 1952, Gibson was accused of using wood illegally obtained in violation of the century-old Lacey Act, which outlaws trafficking in flora and fauna the harvesting of which had broken foreign laws.
In one raid, the feds hauled away ebony fingerboards, alleging they violated Madagascar law. Gibson responded by obtaining the sworn word of the African island's government that no law had been broken.
In another raid, the feds found materials imported from India, claiming they too moved across the globe in violation of Indian law. Gibson's response was that the feds had simply misinterpreted Indian law.
Interestingly, one of Gibson's leading competitors is C.F. Martin & Co. According to C.F. Martin's catalog, several of their guitars contain "East Indian Rosewood," which is the exact same wood in at least 10 of Gibson's guitars. So why were they not also raided and their inventory of foreign wood seized?
Grossly underreported at the time was the fact that Gibson's chief executive, Henry Juszkiewicz, contributed to Republican politicians. Recent donations have included $2,000 to Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and $1,500 to Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.
By contrast, Chris Martin IV, the Martin & Co. CEO, is a long-time Democratic supporter, with $35,400 in contributions to Democratic candidates and the Democratic National Committee over the past couple of election cycles.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.investors.com ...
Goes to show that in the guitar industry, you don’r want to stick your neck out.
Is this regime wanting war against it’s people?
They seem to be provoking mainstream and conservatives into that position. I am feeling this more and more.
That may also explain the ammo build up in what should be benign agencies.
The Gibson attack was blatantly racist. They ended up on a list and got chosen to be brought down. By the way, what percentage of guitarists are white? Hmmmm.. Reminds me of the ‘tanning salon tax’ in 0bamacare. Not many brown skin people go to tanning salons. These are purely racist attacks by the Black Panther at the DOJ.
All those eager leftist college grads with their LGBT Studies degree in hand know their job before they start working for government. It is to harass, encumber and destroy all opposition. They have infiltrated the entire federal government, including the military.
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.
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. This action was taken without the support and consent of the government in India.
Gibson has obtained sworn statements and documents from the Madagascar government and these materials, which have been filed in federal court, show that the wood seized in 2009 was legally exported under Madagascar law and that no law has been violated.
Fascist Stalinists. Every day I miss Ronald Reagan more and more...
Ol’ Chicago shakedown on a national scale.
They will demand that safeguards be put in place so that it never, ever happens again on the ninth of November, 2016.
FReepers have been aware of this since Zero’s thugs got started on it in 2009.
Gibson settled because of money and part of the settlement was a GAG ORDER so they can’t talk about it now.
Bad, bad, wood!
IBD EDITORIAL PING
I got ripped here on this board when this was big news. A “FReeper” schooled me on endangered trees and how Gibson shouldn’t be allowed to have this wood. I was confused because I knew all along that this Nazi blitzkrieg on Gibson by the Fish and Wildlife commandos wasn’t about endangered trees, rain forests and fuzzy little critters named Louie. It was about conservatives, Republicans and campaign donations.
It’s very rare that I overestimate Obama. I consider the usurper a lazy and stupid version of Satan - evil without the enthusiasm. In this case though, I knew the whole story and missed the explanation. I figured (and may even have posted on FR) that Obama was not quite stupid or corrupt enough to have launched that obvious an attack to punish a conservative. I was wrong. Obama is every bit as petty and evil as I always suspected, but he has no shame and feels no need to be discrete given the 24/7 media cheerleader support.
IBD EDITORIAL PING
I don’t know if the MSM can ever recover from their selective journalism even if they CHANGE THEIR TUNE. I know the FOREIGNERS SOCIALIST DEMOCRAT REGIME will not recover from this.
Post Obama’s directive to his minions to ‘punish the enemy’. 10/25/10
This current administration is becoming more fascist every day
But the LSM used that word in their headlines when talking about W
By contrast, Chris Martin IV, the Martin & Co. CEO, is a long-time Democratic supporter, with $35,400 in contributions to Democratic candidates and the Democratic National Committee over the past couple of election cycles.
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