Thursday, August 25, 2011
Newsy Bits Gibson's Juszkiewicz: 'I Might Be in Jail in a Few Hours, We'll See'
Posted by Jonathan Meador on Thu, Aug 25, 2011 at 6:15 PM
In the storied history of the modern communications art form known as the "press conference," few practitioners have failed as miserably as Gibson Guitar Corporation CEO Henry E. Juszkiewicz, whose sweat-drenched performance earlier today should earn him a Razzie for Worst Portrayal of a Confident Businessman.
Under a brutal afternoon sun, Juszkiewicz entertained a throng of reporters outside the renowned guitar-making company's Massman Drive factory, where less than 24 hours ago agents from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Immigration & Customs Enforcement confiscated a reported $1 million in guitars and guitar parts that were allegedly imported illegally from India, as well as computer hard drives from the company's Nashville headquarters.
From the Nashville Post:
Juszkiewicz said U.S. Fish & Wildlife agents seized ebony and rosewood imported from India in the most recent raid, believing the seizure — like the taking of rosewood and ebony from Madagascar in a 2009 raid — is related to an investigation of violations of the Lacey Act.A seminal piece of environmental legislation, the Lacey Act, among other things, requires that U.S. buyers certify they have followed the laws of foreign countries when importing certain lumber. Juszkiewicz insisted his company followed the relevant Indian law and, thus, is not in violation of the Lacey Act. Indeed, he said he has ordered production to continue in Nashville and at a Memphis facility, also raided Tuesday.
"Supposedly, every guitar we build is a violation. I've instructed my staff to continue building and I am taking responsibility," he said.
Why he didn't defer this public shaming onto a more adequately trained PR flack is one for the ages. Over the course of about 30 minutes, the embattled CEO blamed the U.S. federal government bureaucracy, claimed he is a victim of "class warfare," and suggested that anybody who so much as touches one of his allegedly illegal guitars is committing a criminal act — a logic that evidently includes Gibson's own workers and guitar-store employees as well as middle-school kids who want to climb the "Stairway" on display models. When asked if it's ethical to continue manufacturing and distributing a product with such broad criminal application, Juszkiewicz again blamed Big Gubmint.
Comments (12)
Showing 1-12 of 12
Jonathan Meador obviously does not like Mr Juszkiewicz. Im left scratching my head over the 'sweat-drenched performance' comment, I looked very close and did not see one bead of sweat. The only thing shameful here is this hack job of a article.
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The first paragraph of this article should win a Razzie for Worst Hack Job, Print Reporting Division.
OMG! He has instructed his staff to continue working and he is taking responsibility! This man must be stopped before he hires more American workers!
Yeah... Mr Meador clearly doesn't think highly of this man. Too bad what could have been a real piece of informative journalism turned into trollish drivel. Oh well, Nashville Scene usually isn't as bias, so I can't take it out on them.
Meador continues to demonstrate why he is Pulitzer material here. Thank you for writing about the real issues like the CEO's sweat-laiden brow or the "performance" at the press conference itself and not what this means for the company, the city of Nashville, people's jobs or even guitar players in general. You should do a write up on the retirement of Steve Jobs, where your entire article could be about why he "looked so skinny" or wore "the same drab jeans and sneakers" instead of covering anything really important like what it means for Apple, it's employees, it's supporters, or technology industries as a whole. You're the Mother Theresa of columnists whose prose continues to titillate us all and rock the foundation of the literary world down to it's very bedrock. Bravo!
Really?!? While it's true that Henry's not the most popular CEO to have ever held Gibson's reins, and I realize that the Scene isn't exactly a source of highbrow journalism, but who let this, um, "writer" think that a Big Chief tablet and a box of dull Crayons make him a reporter?!? As a local rag, I would actually expect their "reports" to show a little favoritism of the hometown community in a case like this...but as a "reporter", shouldn't the poster at least present some actual unbiased statements of the what the company replied to the allegations and events that occurred rather than just a rambling editorial on who made the reply and how...??? Jeez, what a jamoke...
Boy, Tennessee isn't at all like when all my father was there and my great grandfather was a county judge.
This is the 2nd or 3rd tennessee newspaper I've been to, and not only are the articles anti-patriotic, but they attack one of their own. I knew, must be someone outside of the south that owns the newspapers.
The rudest writing, because mocking someone because he just got beat up by goons. It is below low, it is without honor - because honor is suppose to be defeneded, and in this case by the community.
Newspapers, as well as government. It rests with the people.
@Max Kennedy:
Please spare us from your yer-not-from-around-these-here-parts-so-you-cant-talk-about-us platitudes and your useless ruminations on honor and patriotism. Freedom of speech IS, and of itself, patriotic.
Others here, it seems, need a crash course on blogs, which, by definition, are opinion-based. Granted the tone was condescending, but Mr. Meador has a point: where is this guy's PR spokesperson? I'm sure any lawyer would have instructed him to keep his mouth shut. Just sayin'.
This blog makes no attempt at all at objectivity. Some of us are not ideologues and care nothing about trying to score political points from either the right or the left. If I want the facts and some attempt at getting to what is really happening with this story, I'll obviously have to go elsewhere.
Geeez, people, read between the lines; while you're at it, read the actual lines: this CEO says he complied with the laws of India. India! What about the laws of his own country, the United States of America??!! This rambling 30-minute speech of his is a fine example of "methinks he doth protest too much." He's trying to get a knee-jerk reaction from people who aren't paying close attention. It sounds like the facts are that he and his company screwed up bigtime by trying to short cut around the law. That's just stupid - and they got caught. Now he's trying to play the victim.
It's an old trick that I'm seeing used a lot lately:
DARVO. Deny, Accuse, Reverse Victim and Oppressor.
He and his company screwed up. How about admit it, pay the penalty, and don't screw up again.
@Randy R, Incase you did not understand the whole workings of this case, violation of Indian law is what the US Government is going after them for. The Lacey Act allows the US Federal Government to investigate and prosecute corporations or individuals in the US that they believe are not in compliance with foreign laws (ie the laws of India in this case) regarding wood and wood products.
@ Ingleweird I get why your are named 'weird' should be IngleRUDE. Nashville Scene what is your position on this? Are you for TN business or are you against it? Remember before you answer that...THEY (TN business) are the one's who line your fat pocketbook! Jonathan Meador is clearly a biased pinhead who obviously has no respect for American business. I wonder, is the Nashville Scene an American owned business? Wonder if they raided your business over using endangered paper from some friggen country who hates the US...would we come to your defense?
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