Filed under: Democrat Corruption, Entertainment, Law, Music, Pop Culture | Tags: Confiscating Guitars?, Gibson Guitars, Summer Concerts
Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander is concerned about the summer concert season. Nashville is home to one of Gibson Guitar’s factories, and to many of the famed bands and stars who use Gibson Guitars. According to the Examiner.federal agents are poised to seize the instruments made by Gibson Guitars, theoretically because the wood used in Guitar frets may not meet Indian and Madagascar environmental law, although the governments of India and Madagascar insist that they do.
Gibson Guitar factories in Nashville and Memphis were raided by armed federal agents nine months ago supposedly for violating the Lacey Act; and though they have been operating in a sort of legal limbo since last August, no formal charges have been forthcoming. The Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (whose career staff is notorious for pursuing a green agenda) and senators are working to solve the situation. Alexander and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) met with representatives from the music industry, the wood import business and environmental and conservation groups on Thursday to settle on a solution. Alexander said:
“We held this roundtable because instrument makers like Gibson Guitars in Tennessee are an important part of our music industry, and if the Lacey Act as written is keeping them from being able to get the wood they need to make instruments, we need to make every effort to fix the regulation,” said Alexander.
“The law was intended to prevent illegal logging and protect U.S. jobs that are threatened by illegal logging, it was never intended to seize instruments or wood products that were obtained prior to the passage of the Lacey Act amendments in May 2008 because they were made from imported wood—and when laws have unintended consequences, Congress has a responsibility to promptly make changes,” he added.
This is a very odd case. It seems like an example of government gone wild, or at least government asserting their power— because they can. The Justice Department is already in difficult territory with their failure to prosecute the voter intimidation case of the Black Panthers, and Congress is pursing the Fast and Furious gun-running case. There is a significant amount of over criminalization going on. We have a number of departments in the Executive Branch that seem to be out-of-control, and acting illegally. I don’t know how this will play out, but it is very worrying.
A new piano piece by W.A. Mozart —Allegro Molto in C Major: Florian Birsak. The World Premier.
(h/t: Maggie’s Farm)
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Filed under: Australia, Entertainment, Music, YouTube | Tags: CAAS 2009, Guitar Master, Tommy Emmanuel
Tommy Emmanuel is an Australian, and known as one of the world”s great guitarists. There are lots of his videos on You Tube. For sheer beauty look for “The Mountains of Illinois,” a Chet Atkins song. One of my many favorites is “Lewis and Clark,” and to accompany that, his new American Indian song, “Trails.” Or try “The Band” where he introduces you to his three piece band, all played on his guitar. He is an enormous talent. Enjoy.
Filed under: Australia, Entertainment, Music | Tags: "Halfway Home", Australian Institute of Music, Tommy Emmanuel
Tommy Emmanuel performs “Halfway Home”, live at the Australian Institute of Music as part of his amazing master class in December of 2010.
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Filed under: Democrat Corruption, Law, Music, Politics, The Constitution | Tags: No Apologies, No Charges Filed, The Gibson Guitar Raid
It was back in August, last year that armed federal agents raided Gibson Guitar’s Nashville headquarters, seizing wood, instruments and creating a national outcry over the high-profile persecution. Now, more than six months later, the Department of Justice still has not filed any charges.
At the time of the raid, agents were supposedly working from a tip that Gibson had broken laws in India and Madagascar, two countries that supply Gibson with ebony and other scarce woods for its guitars. Both India and Madagascar say that Gibson has done nothing wrong. Federal agents seized more than $1 million of Gibson’s property, Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz has testified before Congress, but no charges from Obama’s Justice department. Power grab.
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Filed under: Movies, Music, News, The United States | Tags: drug addiction, RIP, Whitney Houston
Superstar Whitney Houston, with a voice so clear, so rich, so big, that it was truly a National Treasure, has died at the age of 48.
The causes at the time of this writing are unknown, but the star had succumbed to drug addiction years ago that ruined her life, her marriage, her career and her glorious voice.
This blogger suggests you remember her by making a contribution to a worthy drug rehab program, and by doing whatever it takes to get those you know off drugs. Whatever it takes.
God bless & rest her soul. She will be missed.
Perpetuum Jazzile, the Slovenian jazz choir, sings the Avsenik Medley of traditional Slovenian folk music at the annual Vokal Xtravaganzza in Ljubjana.
Gloucester Cathedral Choir: “In the Bleak Midwinter,” lovely carol, beautiful but — bleak. Tomorrow it starts getting lighter again, and the days will grow longer.
The Kremlin Capella sings a beautiful Russian Folk Song, with wonderful pictures of Moscow in winter. The song is popularly called “The Little Bell.” In Russian Однозвучно гремит колокольчик. We posted this last year, and now it’s winter again. This is perfectly beautiful. Enjoy.
