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The Justice Department raided the Gibson Guitar factory in Nashville on Wednesday morning.  From a Gibson press release: On August 24, 2011, around 8:45 a.m. CDT, agents for the federal government executed four search warrants on Gibson's facilities in Nashville and Memphis and seized several pallets of wood, electronic files and guitars. Gibson had to cease its manufacturing operations and send workers home for the day, while armed agents executed the search warrants. Gibson has fully cooperated with the execution of the search warrants. This actually happened once before: In 2009, more than a dozen agents with automatic weapons invaded the Gibson factory in Nashville. The Government seized guitars and a substantial amount of ebony fingerboard blanks from Madagascar. To date, 1 year and 9 months later, criminal charges have NOT been filed, yet the Government still holds Gibson's property. Why is the Justice Department invading Gibson's factory and seizing its property, without filing any charges?  Do they think illegal materials might be hidden inside the guitars?  Or, given recent history, were they trying to hide illegal guns inside guitars headed for Mexico? No, this is all about the wood the guitars are made from.  As the Wall Street Journal explains:

(NaturalNews) Due process under the law and assumed innocence before being proven guilty are two concepts that are apparently no longer applicable in the United States of America, at least as far as the federal government is concerned. Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033454_Gibson_Guitar_armed_raid.html#ixzz1Wd8Nf600

Good collection of links!  excerpt:  According to an editorial in today's Wall Street Journal (behind its pay firewall), Speaker Boehner asked the administration for a list of rules it had in the works with potential costs exceeding one billion dollars per year.  The administration responded providing a list of seven rulemakings - four from EPA and three from the Department of Transportation. Speaker Boehner's overarching point was that the "economy cannot withstand the barrage of major new federal regulations planned by the administration."  Of course, the Obamacare and financial industry regulations are also on the drawing board somewhere. Mark Levin had an excellent commentary on our state affairs at the beginning of his 8/30 broadcast.  He believes that we no longer have a "representative republic."  This condition exists in large measure, Levin argues, due to unchecked regulation.  He also thinks that we now have an "Imperial Presidency." That said, Levin later gave a boldface example. Listen to the absolutely chilling interview Levin conducts with the CEO of Gibson Guitar who was raided on 8/24/11 by federal agents. (Start at minute 92:00.)  Here is John Hayward's Human Events background article.  The federal government claims that Gibson is illegally importing wood to make its guitars from India and Madagascar.  Gibson claims that officials from those countries have certified the legality of these exports from their nations.  Additionally, Gibson's competitors apparently use the same woods from the same sources and have not been raided.  Only time will tell how this will turn out, but this iconic company may not be able to survive the legal costs of fighting a criminal investigation while its productive activities are interrupted.

What a story. The Gibson CEO, Henry Jusczkiewicz, claims that the DOJ sanctioned raid and seizure at Gibson Guitars was based on the DOJ's enforcement of other countries Environmental Protection Laws. Both Inian and Madagascar Laws however seem to be as much or more about protecting the growth potential of wood refinishing industry as it is about protecting endangered species of trees such as the Magagascar Ebony Environmental Enforcement Leaves Musicians in Fearonline.wsj.com It isn't just the recently raided Gibson Guitar that is sweating, says Eric Felten. Musicians who play vintage guitars and other instruments made of environmentally protected materials are worried the authorities may be coming for them next.

Intro to the Diigo Federal Gestapo List.  Includes brief explanation of the10th Amendment movement, ordered liberty, and the Rule of Law.

The British Standards Institute, which represents the UK with the International Standards Organization, has issued a " contradiction" to Microsoft's specification.

The British Standards Institute, which represents the UK with the International Standards Organization, has issued a " contradiction" to Microsoft's specification.