OT. Feds raid Gibson guitar factories

Now it's the EVIL music instrument companies the feds are after. More pontental business for China maybe? I hope not.http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904787404576530520471223268.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Google Feds raid Gibson facories. :shock: :evil:

One wonders how mankind managed to survive for 40,000 before the EPA.

Dean

"U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents believe Gibson is illegally smuggling wood from India to make fretboards, according to a search warrant unsealed Thursday."

Actually in this case it is the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service but I get your point.

I also get your point, but 40,000 years ago there wasn't the population drag on world resources that there is today.

In this case it is smuggled wood. Would we be thinking differently if it were smuggled ivory from slain elephants left to rot.

Good point. The issue pertains to the Lacey Act of 1900 which is a conservation act. It was originally put into law to protect against poaching and threatening game species and to preserve game and wild birds. In addition the Lacey Act "in theory" was put in place to prohibit the introduction of potentially dangerous non-native species in to native ecosystems and the destruction and problems that could occur by doing so.

The price for Nugent's guitars just went up another few $100

Really. Breakin' the law for good wood . Can't fault 'em for quality I guess. Hhhmm Strange.Must be not substitute wood as good for the purpose.

It wasn't the wood itsself that was the problem its whether it was prepped to a certain standard in India,did NOT break any US laws MAY have broken Indian laws.Why is the US Gov't enforcing their laws? If they have a problem let them arrest someone over there.

"The Department Of Justice raided two Gibson Guitars manufacturing plants in the United States on Wednesday.

[b:b409548f14]The raids were apparently justified not under United States law but under the corrupt Justice Departments interpretations of the law in India.[/b:b409548f14]

“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,” said Gibson in a press release on Thursday.

That’s right, two Gibson manufacturing facilities were raided by armed DOJ agents in an attempt to carry out the law of another country even though that country didn’t support it.

On top of that, armed agents in SWAT attire carried out the raid with no explanation and no charges filed.

I'm glad to know that the DOJ is diligently enforcing import restrictions on wood from trees while simultaneously exporting high powered weapons south of our borders that are used to kill our border agents.

We locals here in Tennesse feel that they are unfairly picking on Gibson.. really over blown in that they just basicly walk in an shut the place down for a day and leave with the wood but no charges filed.. This is the secon time so far nothing has been resolved from the same kind of raid here in Nashville two years ago. Case still in court.

If thats the case how come these landscape shows on TV the wife loves to watch, have exotic plants from Africa and other places. I think maybe thats where we get these unusual weeds now.

That's from an article I found on Yahoo regarding the issue.