Quote:

From a Gibson press release dated 08/25/2011:

Quote:

“The Federal Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. has suggested that the use of wood from India that is not finished by Indian workers is illegal, not because of U.S. law, but because it is the Justice Department’s interpretation of a law in India. (If the same wood from the same tree was finished by Indian workers, the material would be legal.) This action was taken without the support and consent of the government in India.”



This has the ring of truth to it. The Justice Department under Obama is proving itself to be an instrument of political correctness rather than of law,



Some facts that the Gibson Press release fails to mention:

(1) Gibson is being accussed of deliberately falsifying documents to circumvent the Lacey Act. The Lacey Act mandates that the importers/shippers follow the country of origion's export laws.
(2) Specifically the import labels and other supporting documents filed by Gibson identified the product as finished, when it was not finished and incorrectly identfied the wood as a 6 mm veneer for making guitar bodies when the shipment was in fact ebony logs sawn to size to make fretboards. That is the accusastion. Nothing about whether the wood is certified, an endangered species, or complies with Indian Law. They are being accused of falsifying shipping documents to get a product through customs that otherwise would have been turned away.

So, if someone wants to spin this that the US is interpreting India Law, or stopping American workers from finishing products in this country, then it is JUST SPIN. Either Gibson falsified the documents or they didn't. If they didn't, then they are home free. If they falsified the documents to get something past customs that they knew would not get past if they told the truth, then they are guilty of smuggling. It is a pretty black and white issue and it looks like there are folks that want to obscure what the real issue is by putting up a smokescreen.

Keith
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