The rally was on October 8, 2011 in Nashville, TN. Thousands of supporters joined the cause to support Gibson Guitars. The rally was organized by those who are concerned about the extraordinary abuse of power represented by the raid of Gibson by federal agents.
Some of the exciting guests at the event, included Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitars, Henry Juszkiewicz, our own Amy Kremer, radio hosts Steve Gill, Phil Valentine and Mark Skoda!
WHAT: Stand with Gibson Guitars Rally & Concert
WHEN: Saturday, October 8th at 2:00 PM
WHERE: Scoreboards Restaurant in Nashville, TN (MAP)
WHY: Federal agents raided two Gibson factories in August and confiscated part of the production inventory of this 100 year old American Manufacturer and Employer. This abuse of federal power must not go unanswered. We, the citizens, who grant government its power and authority, MUST act to hold government accountable when that power is abused.
On August 24, agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Homeland Security executed a raid on the corporate headquarters and two of the factories of the Gibson Guitar Company in Nashville, TN.
They confiscated 24 pallets of Indian rosewood, some finished guitars and some of the company’s computer files, claiming that Gibson had illegally imported the wood used to make fretboards and bridges on their guitars.
A little known – and recently amended – piece of legislation called the Lacey Act contends that American companies have to operate according to the laws of the country exporting the wood.
The feds contend that if the fretboards had been finished in India and imported that way there would be no problem, but that when imported in the raw form and finished by American workers it is illegal.
Here is the sickening thing, the complaint did not originate with the Indian government. The Indian government says that the fretboards are a finished product and are legal for export.
The deputy director general of foreign trade for India even stated in a letter in July of this year that rosewood ebony from India was freely exportable, but the US government seem to want to use their own interpretation of the law to harass Gibson.
While there may be some issues that need to be resolved here between the US government and the Indian government, there is no need for the US government to raid a guitar manufacturer with guns drawn as if these are members of a drug cartel or wanted criminals.
You have to ask yourself if this is good use of resources, both time and money, for the US government. Why is it that the US government does little about the illegal immigrants crossing our borders on a daily basis, but they can raid a guitar manufacturer over small pieces of imported wood.
We have to stand up to this overbearing tactics by the federal government and that is why we are partnering with other grassroots organizations across the country to stand with Gibson Guitars!
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