JTMP

FEDS ALLEGE USE OF ILLEGALLY IMPORTED WOOD

In stunning development, federal agents raided the Gibson Guitar plant in Nashville for allegedly importing illegal wood. In statements Gibson Guitar CEO Henry Juskiewwicz  has repeatedly said he does not know why they were raided. Mr. Kuskiewicz said, "We had a raid with federal marshals armed, that came in, evacuated our factory, shut down production, sent our employees home and confiscated wood." Gibson is allegedly in violation of the Lacey Act, a conservation law passed in 1900, and repeatedly amended over the years to ban the practice of trading resources illegally obtained.

Mr. Juskiewicz also said, "The wood the government seized Wednesday is from a Forest Stewardship Council certified supplier." Gibson Guitar has been partnering with the FSC and Greenpeace for years, and has shown to be serious in embracing sustainability and being environmentally conscious in selecting the wood they use in the manufacture of the guitars, so this has been perplexing to many people. In 1996, Gibson was one of the first guitar manufacturers to make some of its instruments from wood certified by the non-profit Forest Stewardship Council. Current estimates are up to 60% of their guitars are made from FSC-certified wood, with a pledge to get that up to 80% by 2012. On their website, they have a page showing the many causes and organizations they help support, including Global Green, an organization dedicated to sustainability and conservation. Below is a statement from Mr. Juskiewicz following the raid.

For a company statement, click here.

AFL-CIO - "A songwriter, itinerant laborer, and union organizer, Joe Hill became famous around the world after a Utah court convicted him of murder. Even before the international campaign to have his conviction reversed, however, Joe Hill was well known in hobo jungles, on picket lines and at workers' rallies as the author of popular labor songs and as an Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) agitator. Thanks in large part to his songs and to his stirring, well—publicized call to his fellow workers on the eve of his execution—"Don't waste time mourning, organize!"—Hill became, and he has remained, the best—known IWW martyr and labor folk hero."

Read more on AFL-CIO website.

Harry K McClintock performs one of Joe Hill's songs, "The Preacher and the Slave"

Great song by Michael Angelo, a folk musician known for his great acoustic guitar playing and awesome ballads. 

(Egyptian musician Ramy Essam - Photo credit Michael Chavez  - LA Times)

MUSIC AND THE ARAB SPRING

Protest music is playing a huge role in the Arab Spring of 2011, with many artists using their music to speak out against brutal regimes and injustice, and galvanizing the people in city squares. In Tunisia, where many believe was the "spark" of the 2011 freedom movement in the Mideast, Amel Mathlouthi sang "I Am Free, My Word is Free" in Tunis, giving a voice to the oppressed. When protesters gathered in Tahrir Square in Egypt as they brought down the Mubarak regime, the musicians Mohammed Mounir and Ramy Essam sang songs calling for Mubarak to step down. Mounir energized the crowd with his song "Ezzay" (How Come?), and Essam sang his song "Erhal" (Leave!) to the crowd in Tahrir Square, and both songs played a big part in the activist movement in Egypt.

Sout Al Horeya's "Voice of Freedom" has over 1 million views, and has almost become an anthem for the freedom movement. The Iranian student freedom song "Yar-e-Dabestani e-man" has been used as a rallying cry, including updated versions. In Syria, protest music is also playing a big role, even speaking out against the brutal attack on the poet Ali Ferzat.

JTMP has picked out the Top 5 Arab Spring Protest Songs:

GenON, an electrical utility company based in Virginia, has announced they are closing a coal-fired plant by October of 2012. They are closing this plant after tremendous pressure from citizen grassroots organizations and politicians from the area. Rep. Jim Moran (D VA) and DC Mayor Gray have worked hard and spoke out against the pollution caused by GenOn's plant in Alexandria, Virginia. In a statement, Rep. Jim Moran said, “This was a long fought but well won victory for the citizens of Alexandria and the nation's capital. What once was the largest stationary source of air pollution will be no more. Through citizen involvement and committed city officials, the Potomac River Generating Station and its 1949 coal-fired boilers will finally be shuttered.”

Read more here.

Justice Though Music was at the recent Power Shift 2011 rally and march, which stopped in front of GenOn's DC headquarters, where protesters chanted "Gen Off! Gen Off!" The video is below.