Posted on 05/26/2013 9:09:13 AM PDT by Hojczyk
An editorial at Investors Business Daily may wind up being filed under how did I miss this one? Following the recent revelations of cases where the administration appears to have used the muscle of the federal government to go after its political enemies, IBD takes a walk down memory lane to the strange case of Gibson Guitars and the federal raids on their facilities for alleged illegal importing of exotic woods used in their products. They reach one provocative conclusion.
The inexplicable raid nearly two years ago on a guitar maker for using allegedly illegal wood that its competitors also used was another targeting by this administration of its political enemies…
Interestingly, one of Gibson’s leading competitors is C.F. Martin & Co. According to C.F. Martin’s catalog, several of their guitars contain “East Indian Rosewood,” which is the exact same wood in at least 10 of Gibson’s guitars. So why were they not also raided and their inventory of foreign wood seized? Well, let’s see… maybe C.F. Martin was getting their supplies from a properly regulated source? No. Did they fill out some forms that Gibson forgot to submit? No… so what could it be?
Grossly underreported at the time was the fact that Gibson’s chief executive, Henry Juszkiewicz, contributed to Republican politicians. Recent donations have included $2,000 to Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and $1,500 to Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.
By contrast, Chris Martin IV, the Martin & Co. CEO, is a long-time Democratic supporter, with $35,400 in contributions to Democratic candidates and the Democratic National Committee over the past couple of election cycles.
“We feel that Gibson was inappropriately targeted,” Juszkiewicz said at the time, adding the matter “could have been addressed with a simple contact (from) a caring human being representing the government. Instead, the government used violent and hostile means.” The end of that story was a travesty, with Gibson being forced to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in a settlement where there was no finding of criminal action just so they could get back to business. At the time of the judgement, our own Mary Katharine Ham covered the story and found a lot wrong with it, but even she didn’t seem to suspect this situation. And in retrospect, it doesn’t seem all that surprising.
While all this was going on, there was plenty of reason to suspect that there was politics of some sort involved. With Democrats in control of the White House and the Senate, it didn’t seem much of a stretch to think that the eco-warriors were in full throated, chest thumping mode and they would be pushing the limits to show how much they were doing to save the planet. The Gibson story, with its hook of endangered forests and evil manufacturing giants stripping the land, was a perfect fit. But I don’t think many of us imagined that even the Obama administration would be so blatant as to simply launch a police state style attack on a company which supported their enemies while leaving friendly, Democrat donating competitors alone. Or at least I didn’t.
Is this paranoid, tinfoil hat territory? I assure you that Obama supporters reading this will declare it to be exactly that. But given what we’ve been finding in the news recently, is it really that far fetched? Not any more.
The SA one does, to me. Votes are one thing. Demoralization is going on in the other corner.
FReepers knew what was going down when it happened
Just ask his victims.
The IRS...Obama’s Internal Revenge Service.
Everything makes sense where conservatives of all stripes are exposed as such ny this efin POS regime.
The criminal in the White Hut is the enemy.
Can those people singled out for persecution sue the IRS? Sue Obama? What are he legalities here? Even a regular company audit where nothing is found can run into the thousands of dollars.
Yes, we pretty well knew this to be the case though now the proof is very clear. It was political profiling of their (Obama and his helpers like Schumer writing letters to the IRS) political opponents. Revenge with the arm of the Internal Revenue Service. All People who were involved need to go to prison.
I want to know how this culture of intimidation formed and the steps to be taken to prevent it from recurring.
Something like a Sarbanes Oxley act on government intimidation. Make them prove by audit that they comply with this new regulation.
Instead the GAO parties lavishly in Las Vegas with nothing to show for it.
“FReepers knew what was going down when it happened”
Exactly. We already new what this thug was all about.
I recall a report of an EPA thug. His boast to copy the Romans.
Walk into town and pick one or two for execution. The rest will be silent and meek for a few years.
That’s what the EPA did, they targeted one or two for extreme abuse as a lesson and example to others.
Such is the US government under 0bama.
Mayvbe if a few of these jackboots get themselves shot they will start thinking twice about barging in the front door with guns drawn.
The “historical” lesson learned from the 2012 “elections” is that you can’t beat the worst president this country has ever seen when you and your supporters have got giant targets painted on their back and the sitting POTUS turns all of the government agencies loose to harass, intimidate and threaten you. A lesson every politician in Chicago knows quite well.
I just recently bought a Gibson for this reason. I always wanted a Martin but I wouldn’t get one now if it made me sound like Eric Clapton.
then there is this.....
KNOXVILLE — The FBI and IRS locked down Pilot Flying J headquarters in West Knoxville today while executing a search warrant.
FBI Supervisory Special Agent Marshall Stone said that FBI and IRS agents arrived at the corporate headquarters on Lonas Road this afternoon as part of a “ongoing investigation.” Stone declined to provide specifics of the raid.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/apr/15/fbi-locks-down-pilot-headquarters/
The company is owned by the Haslem family, brother of Governor Bill Haslem of Tennessee who nixed the state exchange
With only one or two exceptions FReepers connected the dots just fine.
And if any of you bible-clinging, gun-loving hicks want to start any funny business, well, you know we have a zillion hollow point bullets and thousands of homeland security thugs ready to stop you.
It’s going to take a military coup to remove these communists
from power.
I had always wanted to replace one that was stolen, but couldn't justify spending the money until GuvCo went after them.
I'm sure the Richlite fret board is wonderful and I applaud Gibson's "show must go on" spirit for taking that solution after GuvCo took their property, but the ebony plays as originally intended and protests much better.
Support America and protest obama and the GuvCo Beast: Buy and Play Gibson Guitars!
That was pretty obvious from the start.
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