Re: Gibson raided
Hello Jack,
I agree with you on the Gibson problem...if they are indeed importing woods that are not protected from over harvesting or on the endangered list. If Gibson is playing a game, then, they should be held accountable.
Should i be a little nervous about the Hammer, being somewhat in agreement with my position?
Gibson is clearly using rare wood, that is restricted/protected by sundry laws in other nations.
However (AFAIK) they dotted their i's and crossed their t's regarding "legal" documentation, so according to US law they were meeting their legal requirement. Their agents knowingly sourced this material on a gray market, and apparently skirted a local law regarding local labor content. In general I am OK in principle with following foreign laws *when in Rome" etc. But US regulators pursuing some infraction of foreign laws while overlooking other domestic law infractions, stinks of selective prosecution. Sounds like the Gibson thing is personal with somebody. The implications of this applied broadly are scary for everyone who owns a high end instrument.
I read an article a few months ago about otherwise innocent businessmen ensnared by some obscure law that they unknowingly broke. One example that I recall was of a business man trying to develop a new battery technology so he had all kinds of toxic materials around... When he ran out money, he shuttered his operation and secured, but did not dispose of the toxic materials following (very expensive) federal guidelines, intending to return and pick up his development where he left off... Now he is bankrupted by fines and may do hard time. This is not some gangster in Bayonne, NJ burying 55 gallon drums of toxic waste under some junkyard, but a cash poor inventor trying to invent.
As they keep passing more and more laws, mostly with good intentions, it becomes easier for us to innocently get ensnared by one. This Lacey act seems like typical good intentions, but how it is being applied smells a little fishy, and wildlifey.
In regards to Illegal Immigrants... those that came before us set laws in regards to Immigration to the U.S. Sure, those Laws have varied, but these Laws were instituted to PROTECT the American Society from Disease Epidemics, Uncontrolled Population Growth, Disproportionate growth and demand on civic services and infrastructure, Colonization, Depopulation of other Countries, Subversion and other Countries dumping their Mental and Physically impaired into the U.S.
Like Castro did with the Mariel Boat lift.
While this is definitely considered a touchy subject....let's refer to the Majority of Illegals that come into the U.S., the Central Americans. The Majority of these do not buy Homes or new vehicles, because they cannot get the Banks to finance them...they're Illegal and have to provide specific documentation. (unlike the pre-housing bubble bursting when they COULD purchase without any/very little documentation. This Housing Bubble and Bank reposessions cases were a significant number of properties purchased and lost by Illegals).
Statistics on this group are a little sketchy... I don't think they were supposed to be counted in the last census, but who knows.
Also, there have been numerous studies done by BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES that try to "Prove" that having Illegals in the U.S., benefits the Economy more than it detracts from the Economy. These studies show that the Illegals are a drain on our Economy. They send Hundreds of Billions of Dollars to their homelands in the form of Aid to Families or to enrich their own Bank Accounts. Much of their U.S. made incomes are not SPENT here.
It is no secret that many SA countries count on this revenue stream to keep their economy going.
I have no problem with whatever LEGAL workers do with THEIR money honestly earned.
In most homes occupied by Illegal Aliens there are numerous individuals or Families that USE this home as a residence. THe studies have shown that the average Illegal Alien home contains approximately 7 adults many of whom are not directly related. (Husband, Wife, Sister, Brother, Mother, Father)
Yawn... almost as bad as those hippies back in the "60's with their communes, but not as bad as in the slums where some of these workers came from. At least they are living within their means, saving money, and using it productively albeit in another country.
The studies go on to prove that Illegals are also a drain on Social Services (Medicaid & Welfare), Hospitals (for which they provide incomplete or totally false information (Billing info), the Criminal Justice System, Schools, (mostly inner-city, which are financially strained as is, and IF their Children even attend Schools),and Massive problems to the Social Security Administration in regards to false use of SS numbers,etc...
Not as bad of a problem as unfunded future entitlements, but thats another debate.
What I feel is the biggest injustice is that there are many Thousands, if not Millions that are on the waiting list to come here in a legal and proper manner, and their efforts are mocked by those that come here as they see fit.
Amen brother... but even our legal immigration can't shoot straight. They have many times the number of legal applicants as slots for them, so every year they run a lottery to randomly select the winners from this larger pool. In a clerical error, instead of randomly selecting from the pool, some gomer just sent out notices in sequence from the top of this list. After they discovered their mistake, they then notified a few 10k people, disregard that notice, no you are not coming to America this year... Now that's cruel and mocking the system.
The Majority of Countries have specific and stringent Laws in regards to Immigration, most will imprison those that break those Countries Laws. Here, we just send them home, without punishment.
This whole nonchalant attitude between both Political Parties, and all of America's policing Agencies in regards to Illegal Aliens immigrating to the U.S. proves to me that this "War on Terror" is nothing but a joke on the American People. It's nothing more than a means to fund and create more Jobs, while harrassing American Citizens.
Not that nonchalant. This topic has been raised by responsible legislators from both sides but beaten back down by party leadership who didn't see it in their interest, at that moment in time. I consider it criminal for legislators to kick this down the road, while the recent political feints are not credible or responsible either.
If they were truly concerned about Terrorists and Terroristic plots, they be tripping over themselves to maintain borders and the flow of incoming people into the U.S.
Americans have a relatively short attention span, and our success at preventing attacks at home, is mistaken by many as the lack of a credible ongoing threat. Now that Patreus is over the CIA, I expect (hope) he will be even more effective, but there is only so much he can do. It was good to see Afghan troops standing up to Taliban attackers, but there are still way to few of them to be effective.
Iran just announced they will release the two American hikers, on $500,000 bail, each... This is all about the Benjamins, and they needed the cool Million in cash, more that the propaganda ploy, since nobody expects these guys back to the kangaroo court.
Hammer
ps. I suppose you didn't hear of the landmark case (California) regarding an Illegal Alien collecting Social Security that was adjudicated by the Supreme Court...he won, and any Illegal Alien can now collect Social Security...even if they paid the most menial amount into the system.
I didn't hear that, but if the supremes say so who am I to argue. This whole immigration situation needs to be rationalized, for the one important reason. It is the right thing to do.
Of course opinions vary.
JR
