Tea Party Rallies In Favor Of Gibson Guitars, Ignores Reasons For Co's Legal Problems

This weekend around 500 people showed up for a rally and concert in Nashville, Tennessee. The rally was in support of Gibson Guitars, a US-company currently under investigation for allegedly importing illegally logged wood into the country, an action that breaks a recent bipartisan amendment to the Lacey Act. While the Tea Party-affiliated groups that held the rally were expressing frustration with perceived over-regulation by the federal government, the issue at stake—a global effort to help stem illegal logging—was actually overlooked by the organizers.

Gibson Guitars has been raided twice; while no charges have yet been leveled, the music instruments company is suspected of knowingly importing illegally logged wood from Madagascar and unmilled wood from India, which breaks local laws as well. The 2008 amendment to the Lacey Act prohibits the sale and trade of wood products that are known to be illegally sourced, holding importers responsible for ensuring that the raw materials they use have been sourced under the laws of their country of origin.

The issue of illegal logging has become paramount to Madagascar in recent years. Home to tens of thousands of unique species, as well as deep poverty, the African island nation has suffered under a recent illegal-logging crisis. Taking advantage of a government coup in 2009, armed gangs—often funded by foreign traders—logged imperiled species of tropical hardwood, including rosewood and ebony. Logging occurred even in national parks. The sudden rise in illegal logging has also been linked to the slaughter of endangered lemurs for bushmeat.

But illegal logging doesn't just imperil endangered species, it also hurts local economies that see their natural resources destroyed and sold off. It is estimated that around 70 percent of people in Madagascar suffer from malnutrition. Two-thirds of the population live below the international poverty line, making less than $1.25 a day. Little is paid for raw logs in Madagascar, but by the time the material is shipped abroad and crafted into products, their value skyrockets: a single rosewood bed can cost $1 million. A recent investigation by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) found that only 1 percent of the value of the logs stayed in Madagascar.

EDIT

http://news.mongabay.com/2011/1010-hance_teaparty_madagascar.html

Near and dear to my heart. I had already told my tea-leaning friends 99% of what is in this article. This confirms it. I'm passing it along.