The Gibson Guitar Company was very responsible in purchasing of wood for their guitar manufacturing and openly supported conservational harvesting. Their wood had the approval of the exporting countries and the USA Customs. The Obama Justice Department sent the FBI and Fish and Game Swat Team into their manufacturing company with automatic weapons drawn and intensively question management and workers on the manufacturing line for up to five hours at a time each making implied threats. The government thugs took enough materials to cripple the company. The Gibson Guitar Company paid for lawyers to defend their employees as well as management. The company was not charged with a crime or even given a hint of their wrong doing. This has happened to this company twice. The Justice Department has been dragging their feet while the company’s resources dwindle. I am not sure we want to accept the new meanings of “innocent until proven guilty”, “unreasonable search and seizure” and “due process of law”.
Please Google “Gibson Guitar Raid”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45rv-BVz-ko&feature...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMlkHgKCyqY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J5RvP_xL9o
Answers & Comments
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As much as I dislike Obama & Co. I don't believe he has anything to do with this. As I understand the situation, Gibson has broken no U.S. laws. The problem stems from a misinterpretation of India law.
Gibson (and other guitar manufacturers) are allowed to import rosewood fretboards from India if the product is finished by Indian labor. But since Gibson wasn't satisfied with the quality, they had the fretboards made slightly oversized and did the final finishing in their U.S. factories. This finishing includes inlays and installing the frets.
As far as India is concerned, the fretboards were finished to Gibson specs by Indian workers and legally exported. The DOJ however, says that since Gibson did additional finishing here, the fretboards were illegally (by India law) exported, thus illegally (by U.S. law) imported. Their position is that the inlays and fretwork should be done in India. Just what we need.. more jobs shipped overseas!
Here's my question.. If Gibson has broken any U.S. laws, why have there been no charges filed yet?
Yea, I read that story about 6 weeks ago. According to the Justice Dept. Gibson has been cheating and importing illegal wood. It wouldn't be the first time a company publicly behaved one way and acted another way behind the scenes.