Now it's coming out: why Gibson was targeted

[tomanyjacksons]

Yeah, but I want a tinfoil hat anyways.

[Cleveland Metal]

Sadly, the gov investigations are currently proving a lot of conspiracy theorists right....

Not uncommon for administrations to target dissenters with IRS or other agency scrutiny. Been going on forever...

[Shawn Lutz]

It was politically motivated. They got the wood back and STILL are buying rosewood and ebony from the same sellers prior to the raid according to their CEO

[Matt_B]

I would like to bring up one thing to bear in mind with this situation and others like it - BHO is from Chicago, Illinois which is one of the most corrupt political systems in the country. Words like "ethics" and "fair play" are just not in their vocabulary. Politics is a dirty business to begin but Chicago politics is filthy.

[atomic charvel guy]

I would like to bring up one thing to bear in mind with this situation and others like it - BHO is from Chicago, Illinois which is one of the most corrupt political systems in the country. Words like "ethics" and "fair play" are just not in their vocabulary. Politics is a dirty business to begin but Chicago politics is filthy.

side note to back up this statement- if you're looking for a fair deal, human beings in general are the last species you should be lining up to do one with.

[Rich#6]

Since I'm sitting in Chicago right now, that's a bullshit statement to make. Obama never had anything to do with either governor that are in jail.

[Scooter]

I'm selling tinfoil hats anybody interested?

I make mine with horns like vikings!
I don't like politics at all. I have a belief in what's right and wrong. Gibson got caught. Why did the others not? I don't know. But when politics become involved, everybody is innocent, even when proven guilty. Politicians are worthless assholes who do nothing but help themselves to a slice of the pie. To quote BillZ "FUGGEMS."

[Jayster]

Sadly, the gov investigations are currently proving a lot of conspiracy theorists right....
.

Then would they actually be conspiracy theorists?

[Matt_B]

Since I'm sitting in Chicago right now, that's a bullshit statement to make. Obama never had anything to do with either governor that are in jail.

I disagree that my statement was "bullshit". I made no reference to any politicians that are currently incarcerated. The fact remains that Illinois politics are dirty through and through. BTW, I live in Illlinois and have for the past 14 years so I'm speaking as a resident and not an outsider.

[xenophobe]

+2. I've been amazed how many people think that video is great and Bob Taylor is a hero. Are those people listening to what he is actually saying? :think:

It reminded me of Bill Gates talking about how he was doing everything possible to provide the end user the best Windows experience when they were trying to code out Navigator and when they were buying innovation to squash out the competitor.

[Nightbat]

The fact remains that Illinois politics are dirty through and through

Seems like you got everything worse over there

[shreddermon]

http://www2.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/Gibson-Comments-on-Department-of-Justice-Settlemen.aspx

My interpretation of the legalise mumbo-jumbo, etc...

- Gibson's CEO is a noted Republican supporter & Democratic hater. (He's also quite a douche, in general, or so I'm told.)
- His political leanings and bias lead him to believe that the Federal raids were politically-motivated "retribution". So he cries bloody hell about it.
- In fact, the settlement agreement between Gibson and the Feds explicitly states - as agreed to by BOTH parties - that there is some ambiguity in the governing law, and Congress should consider fixing it to avoid future interpretation issues in its enforcement.
- That said, Gibson did not exercise enough due diligence to VERIFY that the wood supplier and actual wood itself did not violate the law. This is also stated in the settlement agreement agreed to by both parties. Perhaps this was just an "honest mistake". Or perhaps it was a cute way for Gibson's CEO to import wood that was not necessarily totally on the "up and up", yet have plausible deniability that he didn't intend to break the law.

Your interpretation may vary.

[Cleveland Metal]

Yeah government agencies would never target conservatives due to their political leanings. Unthinkable... That's just crazy talk...

Oh wait....

[Newc]

The Lacey Act violates the US Constitution by enforcing the laws of foreign nations within the borders of the U.S.
If Canada outlawed the use of Birch for amp cabinets, American amp builders could not use it either. Seems fucked up.

That kind of legislation can escalate to "if China outlaws the sale of Jackson/Charvel guitars and basses, then we're fucked".

And then we'll see real change in D.C. when I paint the town red with the blood of anyone whose job description is "politician".

[shreddermon]

Yes, just as unthinkable as a sleazy corporate CEO who might seek to use a "loophole" in the law to make more profits and/or obtain possibly illegal raw materials. That would never happen, either. LOL

Look folks, democrat or republican - liberal or conservative - these are often just labels used to turn the vast majority of the country against each other, so the very small elites actually in control on both sides maintain their power. Sometimes, everything else is just blather to keep us sheep under control.