Posted on 09/15/2011 12:13:56 PM PDT by COUNTrecount
First Lady MICHELLE OBAMA is being accused of breaking the law over a gift she gave French First Lady CARLA BRUNI-SARKOZY!
Michelle presented Carla with a Gibson Hummingbird acoustic guitar in 2009 – but the problem is that it may have been made from wood that was illegally obtained.
The guitar, which Michelle took from the U.S. to Strasbourg and gave to the supermodel-turned-singer wife of France’s president, has a fretboard made from rare rosewood – and that’s why Michelle could wind up singing the blues over it.
In fact, if the first lady was aware that the guitar contained illegally obtained wood she could conceivably face up to five years in jail and a $250,000 fine for breaking a conservation law called The Lacey Act!
Ironically, it was under her husband President Obama’s direction that armed agents from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) raided Gibson Guitar factories in Memphis and Nashville on Aug. 24.
The Feds removed 24 pallets of Indian rosewood and ebony, claiming it was illegal to import the wood because it had not been “finished” by Indian workers.
If so, Gibson may have violated The Lacey Act, which bans interstate trade in wildlife, fish and plants that have been illegally taken, transported or sold.
In 2008, the act was amended to include illegally sourced wood products, which has put Michelle in a difficult situation.
She gave Carla Bruni a guitar?
Full Circle. Poetic, isn’t it?
Irony!
Is it possible for a Queen to violate a law?
She is queen consort rather than queen regnant. That would make a difference.
So the feds raided Gibson Guitar under barry’s direction and Missy took one of the guitars that were raided and gave it away as a present?
Gosh, that’s not a very flattering picture of Her Majesty.
The confiscated wood is not illegal (here). All of it had the proper documentation from the country of origin. It is the country of origin’s fault if they are not following their own laws.
Now even the people doing their graphics are dissing them!
She’s not a queen - don’t repeat what they want you to believe. She’s a Chicago thief.
India says no laws were broken and none of the other guitar manufacturers that use the same wood were not raided.
LOL
None of the other guitar manufacturers are openly Republican.
“She gave Carla Bruni a guitar?”
Streisand bought the last 200,000 copies of “Audacity of Hope.”
Damn, she could pull a train with those legs, uphill.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.