Liberty Mosh Pit

From 2009 to 2011, legendary guitar company Gibson Guitars was raided multiple times by federal regulators for “violating” the Lacey Act. Though the Lacey Act was originally passed to promote environmental conservation, Gibson’s guitars didn’t use endangered wood or put any animals at risk. In fact, an obscure section of the law was abused to penalize the company for failing to comply with an Indian regulation that requires that the wood be manufactured into fret boards by workers in India, rather than in the United States.

Essentially, the US government conducted an armed raid on Gibson, shut down its factories, seized its property without due process, and then put the company through legal proceedings that costed hundreds of thousands of dollars, caused millions in damages, and led to widespread confusion among musicians as to which of their guitars they can take on international flights. Now, in the wake of revelations about an IRS scandal in which Tea Party groups were unfairly targeted for additional scrutiny based on their political beliefs, Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz is alleging that his company was targeted for the same type of corrupt rationale, specifically Juszkiewicz’ political donations to Republican politicians.

Most Musicians Vote for Democrats

Gibson Guitars is headquartered in Nashville. Lots of people in Nashville are musicians, as it’s the town’s number one trade. However, Tennessee is also a red state. Tennessee has two Republican senators and a Republican governor. Most local business owners donate money to all their elected officials, most of whom happen to be Republican. However, most musicians in general, especially those in other towns like Los Angeles and New York, tend to lean liberal and vote for Democrats.

If someone were to search the political donations of all of the guitar company CEOs, it’s entirely possible that the only one that donated primarily to Republican politicians was Henry Juszkiewicz of Gibson Guitars. Should we also be surprised that the only company which was investigated under this regulation by a Democratic administration was the one that is headquartered in a red state and therefore its CEO might have donated to the opposition? Why were no California-based companies investigated? Should all Tennessee-based music industry outfits be worried that their political donations to non-Democrats might be scrutinized as a way to pick targets for regulatory harassment?

Gibson Settled and Thus Probably Can’t Fight the Ruling

After years of harassment and serious financial damages, Gibson Guitars decided to settle with the government in order to continue doing business. In so doing, Juszkiewicz may have waived his right to continue to fight the charges. However, in light of the IRS scandal, it’s definitely time to open up the books and see what the rationale was for choosing Gibson as the lone target of this particular regulation. While the regulatory language was newly added and thus the regulators may have been looking for a big target to penalize which would cause headlines and spread the word about the new rules, the fact that their only target was the one that donates to Republicans seems to suggest political bias.

Lots of musicians play Gibson guitars. Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth, who appears in Silver Circle, plays them. It’s a historic and iconic company that a large percentage of the biggest names in music not only prefer as consumers, but endorse as artists. The administration made a mistake in persecuting such a popular and important brand.

Furthermore, Gibson Guitars is a major employer in Nashville, Tennessee. During a time in which jobs are hard to come by, the administration shouldn’t be raiding businesses over their political beliefs.

Speaking of the Music City, the Silver Circle movie will be premiering in Nashville on June 26th at the Filming Station theater, with two showings at 6 PM and 8 PM. The theater is located at 501 8th Avenue South in Nashville. Those in the area are encouraged to come out and check out the film that Ron Paul called “an exciting tale of a future where the Federal Reserve has killed the dollar, the US economy has collapsed, and the federal government has slid into complete authoritarianism. Fortunately, a brave band of rebels works to restore liberty and undermine the Federal Reserve’s power via an alternative currency.”

Find out where you can see Silver Circle by checking our theater and special screening schedule on  -->our event page -->.