Does that Gibson Guitar raid make more sense now?

[Stephanie]

NOTHING to see here...this is what you people brought down us who put this administration BACK in power over us..Businesses and the American people are being targeted..
links in article at site

SNIP:

posted at 11:01 am on May 26, 2013 by Jazz Shaw

An editorial at Investors Business Daily may wind up being filed under how did I miss this one? Following the recent revelations of cases where the administration appears to have used the muscle of the federal government to go after its political enemies, IBD takes a walk down memory lane to the strange case of Gibson Guitars and the federal raids on their facilities for alleged illegal importing of exotic woods used in their products. They reach one provocative conclusion.

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…

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?

Well, let’s see… maybe C.F. Martin was getting their supplies from a properly regulated source? No. Did they fill out some forms that Gibson forgot to submit? No… so what could it be?

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.

“We feel that Gibson was inappropriately targeted,” Juszkiewicz said at the time, adding the matter “could have been addressed with a simple contact (from) a caring human being representing the government. Instead, the government used violent and hostile means.”

The end of that story was a travesty, with Gibson being forced to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in a settlement where there was no finding of criminal action just so they could get back to business. At the time of the judgement, our own Mary Katharine Ham covered the story and found a lot wrong with it, but even she didn’t seem to suspect this situation. And in retrospect, it doesn’t seem all that surprising.

all of it here
Does that Gibson Guitar raid make more sense now? « Hot Air

 

[depotoo]

I saw him interviewed the other night. That is another real travesty.

 

[Stephanie]

I saw him interviewed the other night. That is another real travesty.

Obama administration is most vicious and evil American hating I have lived under..

 

[boedicca]

The dominant theme of the Obama Administration is: rewarding friends and punishing enemies.

Enemies are defined as anyone who doesn't support Obama and his agenda.

 

[Stephanie]

There is a dominant theme of the Obama Administration is: rewarding friends and punishing enemies.

Enemies are defined as anyone who doesn't support Obama and his agenda.

yep, but he still has a 40 something approval rating...that is some scary stuff right there what these people think he can do to us

 

[boedicca]

There is a dominant theme of the Obama Administration is: rewarding friends and punishing enemies.

Enemies are defined as anyone who doesn't support Obama and his agenda.

yep, but he still has a 40 something approval rating...that is some scary stuff right there what these people think he can do to us

That's not surprising. He has Friends as well as Enemies.

Obamaphones for friends...audits for enemies.

 

[Dugdale_Jukes]

The history of federal politicians using the Lacey Act to punish nonconformists in their districts is over a century long and disturbing.

While Obama may have fingerprints all over this, that remains to be seen. The typical abuse of power in relation to imports comes from a senator, although some abuses track back to unusually powerful representatives.

Regardless where an investigation leads, it'd good to see these routine abuses of power by federal electees in both parties in the headlines long enough to see some careers go down the tubes and maybe a federal electee sent to prison.

How far along is Boehner on his investigation here?

 

[edthecynic]

NOTHING to see here...this is what you people brought down us who put this administration BACK in power over us..Businesses and the American people are being targeted..
links in article at site

SNIP:

posted at 11:01 am on May 26, 2013 by Jazz Shaw

An editorial at Investors Business Daily may wind up being filed under how did I miss this one? Following the recent revelations of cases where the administration appears to have used the muscle of the federal government to go after its political enemies, IBD takes a walk down memory lane to the strange case of Gibson Guitars and the federal raids on their facilities for alleged illegal importing of exotic woods used in their products. They reach one provocative conclusion.

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…

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?

Well, let’s see… maybe C.F. Martin was getting their supplies from a properly regulated source? No. Did they fill out some forms that Gibson forgot to submit? No… so what could it be?

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.

“We feel that Gibson was inappropriately targeted,” Juszkiewicz said at the time, adding the matter “could have been addressed with a simple contact (from) a caring human being representing the government. Instead, the government used violent and hostile means.”

The end of that story was a travesty, with Gibson being forced to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in a settlement where there was no finding of criminal action just so they could get back to business. At the time of the judgement, our own Mary Katharine Ham covered the story and found a lot wrong with it, but even she didn’t seem to suspect this situation. And in retrospect, it doesn’t seem all that surprising.

all of it here
Does that Gibson Guitar raid make more sense now? « Hot Air

Anyone who expects anything other than hot air from Hot Air is a fool.

CF Martin, like Taylor Guitars gets its wood legally and did not alter importation documents after the fact like Gibson did, and neither has a history of importing grey market wood like Gibson does. As far as donations go Juszkiewicz gave as much to Democrat Cooper as Republican Blackburn last year. Overall he gave mostly to Consumer Electronics Association PAC who gave 39,000 to Dems last year.

Gibson got busted the second time because they were using the same supplier they got busted for in 2009 when an email surfaced which said that until they could identify some legitimate harvests in Madagascar, Thunam should now be able to supply Nagel with all the rosewood and ebony for the grey market. A report about Thunam in the Madagascar Conservation and Development Journal said that almost everything he does is illegal. All the woods he's gotten out of Madagascar, he's gotten illegally through bribing local officials, through just violating whatever laws. And he's been dealing exclusively with Nagel. And the wood that Gibson got came through Nagel. So Gibson knew they were buying illegal wood in 2009 so with the incorrect import codes on its 2011 seized shipments it was believed likely that they were doing it again.

Gibson Defends Its Guitar Wood After Federal Raids - Adam Martin - The Atlantic Wire

A June 4 filing further outlining the illegality of the Madagascar wood has been sealed, thanks to a motion to seal that was executed in late July. But a July 7 story in Musical Merchandise Magazine quotes from internal Gibson emails it reportedly contains:

[A] Gibson employee…wrote that "[t]he true Ebony species preferred by Gibson Musical Instruments is found only in Madagascar (Diospryos perrieri). This is a slow-growing tree species with very little conservation protection and supplies are considered to be highly threatened in its native environment due to over exploitation." In fact, [he] spent two and a half weeks in Madagascar this June [2008], writing on his return, "I represented our company along with two other guitar manufacturers… All legal timber and wood exports are prohibited because of wide spread corruption and theft of valuable woods like rosewood and ebony." On February 25, 2009, in a reference to the potential long term solution, [he] wrote… that the company Maderas Barber "has been in the business a long time and may be able to help begin some legitimate harvests. Mr. [Roger] Thunam on the other hand should now be able to supply Nagel with all the rosewood and ebony for the grey market."

 

[boedicca]

Anyone who expects Eddie to post anything other than leftwing talking points is a fool.

 

[Stephanie]

lol, what is the Atlantic wire?

but we are suppose to believe them instead

 

[NoNukes]

Anyone who expects Eddie to post anything other than leftwing talking points is a fool.

In other words, he got you, you are wrong. Guess left wing talking points is the same thing as supplying facts.

 

[Connery]

This is pretty scary I have ebony fretboard on my Gibson and an ebony case on my free cell phone as well. These alleged targets episodes are simply too transparent for anyone to believe that this was intentional.

However, "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."

IRS Tea Party Intimidation An Echo Of Raids On Gibson Guitar - Investors.com


Should this be true, the US should provide restitution to Gibson Guitars and the perpetrators prosecuted.

 

[Katzndogz]

The DOJ offered to drop their case if Gibson closed here and moved to Madagascar.

 

[Connery]

The DOJ offered to drop their case if Gibson closed here and moved to Madagascar.

The case went was not litigated but settled, "Gibson, fearing a bankrupting legal battle, settled and agreed to pay a $300,000 penalty to the U.S. Government. It also agreed to make a "community service payment" of $50,000 to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation — to be used on research projects or tree-conservation activities."

 

[Stephanie]

$350.000 dollar shake down for the Obama administration..

how lovely is that?

 

[Connery]

$350.000 dollar shake down for the Obama administration..

how lovely is that?

A shake down for the consumer as well....

 

[The Rabbi]

If someone in the administration doesn't go to jail over this it will be a travesty.

 

[edthecynic]

lol, what is the Atlantic wire?

but we are suppose to believe them instead

They are infinitely more honest than Hot Air and Invested Bigots Daily combined.

 

[Jarlaxle]

I'm surprised Gibson hasn't outsourced to China yet. Wood not legal? No problem, here's an envelope of cash for the customs guy, it's legal now! I'm sure that would cost a lot less than $350K.

 

[edthecynic]

This is pretty scary I have ebony fretboard on my Gibson and an ebony case on my free cell phone as well. These alleged targets episodes are simply too transparent for anyone to believe that this was intentional.

However, "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."

IRS Tea Party Intimidation An Echo Of Raids On Gibson Guitar - Investors.com


Should this be true, the US should provide restitution to Gibson Guitars and the perpetrators prosecuted.

And as was pointed out earlier Gibson's source gets those statements through bribery of the local officials, and Gibson knows it as their internal email showed.

A report about Thunam in the Madagascar Conservation and Development Journal said that almost everything he does is illegal. All the woods he's gotten out of Madagascar, he's gotten illegally through bribing local officials, through just violating whatever laws. And he's been dealing exclusively with Nagel. And the wood that Gibson got came through Nagel.