Gibson Guitar Company Raided

The U.S. government has once again made it difficult to do business in the U.S. This time they raided an American company over unfounded accusations of violations of an archaic law. You'd think after years of choking on the country's debt the government would want to be more friendly toward domestic businesses. But no. They want to raid them with armed men.

In this specific instance, the feds raided two Gibson factories in Tennessee. The claim is that Gibson violated the Lacey Act, an early 20th century act, signed by President McKinley, that prohibits the trade of goods that were taken illegally from their country of origin. In the case of Gibson, the allegations are that some of their wood was exported from Indian prior to being finished by Indian workers.

I can think of hundreds of rational ways to deal with the allegations, but none of them include raiding the factory with armed men and confiscating the raw materials. The fed's actions rash actions cast undeserved doubt on one of America's most iconic companies and damage the international opinion of American products.

Good job, federal government - you masochistic bastard.

What Is Labor Day?

Everyone has wondered this at some point in their life. I tend to wonder it most when I find myself working on Labor Day. Luckily for you, my lovely readers, your darling Liz has the answer to your Labor Day questions.

To start things off, Labor Day is observed on the first Monday of every September. It was first observed on September 5th in 1882 by the Central Labor Union of New York. It was made an official holiday by President Cleveland in in 1894. Unfortunately this was not an act of generosity. It was a political move to reestablish Cleveland's ties with the labor movement after U.S. Marshals killed laborers during the rowdy Pullman Strike.

And there you have it. So this Labor Day, spend the day thinking about U.S. Marshals killing protestors and selfish presidents making political moves. Hey, I'll toast to that.

Fast and...Furiously Stupid

"Fast and Furious" - the name of an operation orchestrated by the ATF to help them build a case against Mexican cartels. During the operation, they let cartels get their hands on thousands of tactical guns (e.g. .50 cal sniper rifles) through straw purchases.

Of course the plan fell apart. The BATF lost track of a huge number of the guns. And they didn't end up making any strides against the cartels. In fact, all that really happened is the cartels became more armed. They even shot down a helicopter with the arms, and killed a border patrol agent, Brian Terry.

So basically, American tax dollars directly funded the cartels' violence. Brilliant. And there are actually people for increasing federal taxes?

Thankfully, some of the people behind the operation are paying for their idiocy. For instance, Dennis K. Burke, a U.S. attorney, and Ken Melson, ATF director, have resigned.

Here's the genius behind the operation:

Why Steve Jobs Resigned

Steve Jobs resigned. We know that. But everyone is wondering why. Well, I have a theory. It is somewhat speculative, but I can assure you my theory is supported by plenty of evidence. Basically, Steve Jobs was sick of holding up crappy, over-priced products while wearing jeans and an out of style shirt. It was the combination of all three factors that convinced him to leave. He would have stayed on if they just made him hold up crappy products and look excited.

But Apple wanted more. They wanted him to wear jeans and an out of style shirt while he held up the crappy, over-priced products. Personally, I see nothing wrong with Steve's decision. In fact, I would have done the same thing. To be honest, I don't think I could have even mustered the feeble facial expressions that he managed while holding up the crappy, over-priced products.

On second thought, if Apple made me hold all that shit up while wearing out of style shirts and jeans, I would have hired large animals to sodomize every employee of the company.

The Guard

Great, NATO has created yet another unstable Mideastern country. If I were evil, I'd clap like I was watching the PGA tour.

I think we all know what everyone is really worried about though. The Amazonian Guard, one of the world's only all female body guard units. Who would want to dissolve something so amazing?

RON PAUL

He won the Young Republicans Straw Poll in New Hampshire. Let's hope he can follow that victory with more victories until he ends up in the White House. If only the media would give him the coverage he deserves.... Why do they cover the Queen of Rage so much?


In other news, S&P is being investigated on past mortgage ratings. Maybe something earth shattering will be discovered, and they'll lose all their credibility.

And maybe I'm not 15 pounds overweight. Too bad I am. :(

Rioting in London

Apparently there has been some rioting in London after the police shot a 29-year-old man. Molotov cocktails were deployed in response. I wish I knew the circumstances surrounding the individual's death, but I don't.

Also, FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU S&P. Isn't it amazing that a privately owned corporation can destroy a superpower's economy?