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IPFS News Link • Economy - Economics USA

This Machine Kills Fascists...and That One Kills Jobs

• ZeroHedge.com
 
Gibson, along with several other American icons like like Fender, Martin and Taylor, is one of the world's leading manufacturers of fine guitars and other quality stringed instruments. It employs over 2,000 Americans. It has not borrowed a dime from the US government. It has a simple plan: people around the world will buy guitars that are designed and manufactured with love and care by American luthiers. It's primary competition is where? You guessed it: China. There was a time when the American guitar industry was threatened to the verge of extinction by cheap foreign knock off manufacturers. It is still struggling in an intensely competitive global market. Nevertheless companies like Gibson have managed to hold their own on the basis of superior design and quality. Instead of studying what makes Gibson special, the Obama administration has decided to make it a target of more moron driven buffoonery. I am not going to go into the nitty details of it, you can read the link provided below. Google Gibson Guitars/Lacey Act and you will find tons of information and punditry. The long or short of it is Gibson's factories were raided last week by armed Fish and Wildlife agents looking for evidence pertaining to possible violations of the Lacey Act, which makes it illegal to import foreign exotic woods sourced in violation of the laws of the country of origin. In this case Indian rosewood fingerboards pre-finished in India by Indian craftsmen in accordance with Indian law. The Lacey Act, as amended, is apparently a paradigm of regulatory ambiguity and confusing paperwork. It can be applied to a blatant violator of laws protecting endangered forest species as well as to a reputable manufacturer like Gibson. It can apply to the owners of small town guitar luthiers or retroactively to the owners of any vintage musical instrument. More than 50% of Americans apparently own musical instruments, many of which were made before the Lacey Act was amended in 2008. The gun toting agents that raided Gibson, caused the factories to shut down and confiscated guitars, raw materials and tools, could be asking Grandma for the paperwork on her antique Bosendorfer before this is all over. The irony is that Gibson's imported Indian rosewood fingerboards were apparently sourced in compliance with applicable Indian laws. The next irony is that the vast majority of illegal timber goes to what country? Hint: A country that lead in manufacturing cheap knock-off guitars and has lots of nouveau millionaries who like to sleep in $500,000 beds made from exotic foreign hardwoods. I have many questions, but I am only going to ask one: Why the fuck is Holder's bankster loving DOJ harassing a uniquely successful American business like Gibson instead of hammering a mortgage fraudclosure racketeering factory like Bank of you know fucking who?

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