Gibson Guitar CEO Speaks Out

Gibson Guitar is an American icon. Musicians ranging from blues legend B.B. King to rock stars with Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith have used its guitars.

Today, however, the guitar maker is facing a high-profile persecution from its own government. The U.S. Justice Department is pursuing a case that smacks of overcriminalization.

• Category

  News & Politics

[thopkins22]

If he was breaking the laws, why haven't charges been brought against either him or Gibson Guitars? For that matter, since when is it the job of the United States to enforce the laws of other countries? Laws that apparently those other countries aren't aware of?

Your position is untenable. Perhaps you should lay off the math and go ask a law student some questions.

[CheckDare]

"Maniac"? The real maniacs are the people that directed the task forces to threaten wood techs with five years of jail, you twat.

Somehow the Martin guitar company avoided this disruption by contributing to the Dems; while Gibson was "immoral" enough to back Republicans and have paid the price.

Typical Democrat thuggery; simple as that.

[Baseballman1998]

Full of peanut butter

[Baseballman1998]

Is this motherfucker oxygen deprived? I mean damn, he talks like a three year old with a moth fu

[er3L]

as for gibson surrendering, if they continued to fight in court they would have bankrupted the company completely.

[er3L]

not having paperwork doesn't mean you broke the law. i have a distrust of the doj selectively pursuing show-cases instead of critical ones. it's not like i'm saying this is a 'victimless crime' that only the govt could bring. the govt is suing for a victim that doesn't consider itself a victim. for the doj to prosecute based on the say-so of a usa agency determining what is illegal in another country is ludicrous when the other country says it's not illegal.

[er3L]

the whole concept of the lacey act prohibiting american companies from doing business with entities in other countries based on THAT country's 'farming' practices being illegal in the usa is bizarre. especially when you consider that there is no similar law regarding labor. so by kowtowing to the envirolobby the dems message is that trees are more important than people.

[HENRYPATRICK1736]

you're making an assumption about this grudge then. Probably best to stick to the facts. As far as cost... defending a case involving something like the Lacy Act should be fairly cut and dried if Gibson had kept the proper paperwork for their wood purchases. The fact that Gibson folded once the DOJ had prepared it's charges tells me that they had documentation problems. Is it that hard to imagine that Gibson tried to cut corners again and got caught again?

[er3L]

the don't like being disputed. if there were willing to go after an american icon over a technical crime where the 'victims' didn't even consider it a crime. then the doj must've had a bug up their ass over something.

[HENRYPATRICK1736]

The government has a grudge against Gibson? What grudge would that be?

[er3L]

why didn't he bankrupt the company suing the govt with endless resources and a grudge to bear? do you realize what you're asking.

[HENRYPATRICK1736]

Ok they didn't acknowledge wrongdoing but they struck a deal that allowed them to pay a fine and still be able to whine about how they were innocent. If they were so innocent they should have sued the government.