The Seattle Times: Nation & World: Foreign dissidents facing U.S. hurdles to publishing
In an apparent reversal of decades of U.S. practice, recent federal Office of Foreign Assets Control regulations bar American companies from publishing works by dissident writers in countries under sanction unless they first obtain U.S. government approval.
The restriction, condemned by critics as a violation of the First Amendment, means that books and other works banned by some totalitarian regimes cannot be published freely in the United States.
Way to export our values, guys– by not importing other values.
Shirin Ebadi, the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner, has joined the lawsuit, arguing that the rules preclude American publishers from helping craft her memoirs of surviving Iran’s Islamic revolution and her efforts to defend human rights in Iranian courts.
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Yeah, you’re right, PAD. IF I thought they were out of line, I would be all over them. On the other hand, if I didn’t think they were out of line why would I criticise them?
I didn’t like Clinton as a president, but that came about after he had been in office for some time. When he ran the first time, I voted for him. By his second term, I had turned against him.
But if you’re going by my writings, well, most of them were in response to subjects you or one of your minions brought up.
But I can give you at least two incidents when I did support Clinton. The Elian Gonzalez incident, and the Branch Davidians. I was all for the spanking he gave Saddam, and would have supported him going war, but Saddam backed down after ratling those chains.
I also pointed out that while I thought Clinton had lied under oath and should’ve been disbarred, I thought it was rather stupid for the Republicans to push the impeachment issue. Really, who cared at that point? He was going to be out of office soon and couldn’t run again anyway, so it was nothing more than pure spite driving that issue.
I like Hillary less than I like Bill, but I thought Falwell was tripping on acid to accuse her of having something to do with Vince Foster’s death.
Hëll, I’ve got issues with Bush. You just never talk about them here.
If violating the First Amendment doesn’t do it, I can’t imagine what will.
The Supreme Court disagrees with you. I’ve given you several examples where the First Amendment is not absolute, and I’ve given you a direct response to your “prior restraint” charge, and yet you won’t do anything but say, “the First Amendment is absolute”.
I see no point in making the same point over and over, if all you’re going to do is ignore it. We’ll see how it plays out.
I always thought the phrase “on you like a cheap suit” meant that a cheap suit would cling to you due to poor fitting, as opposed to an expensive suit which is supposed to look good on you because it id fitted to accentuate the right parts and de-emphasize the wrong ones…but it is at least equally likely that I have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about.
Alternate choices: “like white on rice” “Like ugly on an ape” “like flies on šhìŧ” “like Bill Mulligan on an all you can eat sushi buffet”
To recap:
December 10, 2004 04:39 PM
“no one says that they can’t publish, just that they have to apply for a license first”
But without a license, they can’t publish.
“it is just a policy change, not a law”
It is a policy with the force of law, so labeling it a ‘policy’ is just a way of trying to get around the law
————
December 10, 2004 07:55 PM
(me) “Where does the First Amendment say that a license may be required before a book may be published?
(EClark) “The second amendment doesn’t say anything about a license either, but a good number people in this forum and the real world (including me, BTW) think it’s a good idea”
Apples & oranges, but you still haven’t answered the question asked.
——————
December 10, 2004 08:22 PM
“Most likely the OFAC will argue that prior restraint WAS justified. I’m betting that no court will strike it down based on the argument that during a time of war and for national security purposes the United States has the right to inspect information to be deseminated that might compromise military objectives, divulge military secrets, or otherwise endanger the lives of people in sensitive or military missions. Remember that this only applies to certain totalitarian countries that the United States is most likely hostile to, particularly if there are sanctions placed against it.”
And if these other countries have this information, why would they publish it, thereby making it useless for them?
“Do you know of any less intrusive measures other than somebody sitting down and going through the material before its published to determine if some great and certain evil would result from its being published? “
Yet you support this being done.
———————
December 10, 2004 10:50 PM
“we’re not talking about US citizens here”
American publishers are U.S. citizens, and the government is saying they cannot publish certain items without permission.
“Third, the first amendment is not absolute. True, it covers a broad spectrum, but there are limits applied”
Yes, but very, VERY few limits, and the government needs to make a strong case to impose those limits. Saying we don’t like that other countries politics so their citizens cannot be published here is nowhere near good enough.
————————
December 12, 2004 05:22 PM
“I’ve given you several examples where the First Amendment is not absolute”
You’ve only given one (December 10, 2004 08:22 PM), and it doesn’t hold water.
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Lastly, does it make sense to say we don’t like a countries policies, and then refuse to give voice to those who are trying to change that government?
Besides, that person’s payments (advance, rights, royalties, etc) could always be put into a trust account where the money could only be accessed when/if the person comes to this country, which would keep the money out of the other nation.
“But if you’re going by my writings, well, most of them were in response to subjects you or one of your minions brought up.”
My minions? My MINIONS?
You know, between the cheap shot about feeling the pain of the black man and this bit, your stock is in double digit red with me. I don’t know what the hëll your problem is and I don’t know why you show up here, but knock it the hëll off or feel free to take it elsewhere.
PAD
What, you think it wouldn’t be cool to be a member of The Minions Of PAD? Me, I’d be printing up T-shirts if I were you.
Might as well print up a few “Accolytes Of Moore” and “Lemmings of Byrne” while you were at it…
“What exactly is that supposed to mean anyway? Just because a suit is cheap, I’ve never seen anyone rushing like mad to buy one. That’s a saying that should be tossed completely cuz it makes no sense.”
It has nothing to do with being a bargain. “Like a cheap suit” means that it’s ill fitting. That it is noticeably bad. When I say, “If there was even the slightest hint that a government agency under the Clinton administration was acting out of line, you’d be on them like a cheap suit,” I mean that he’d be making arguments that would be noticeably lame and poorly constructed since they would be–I suspect–the polar opposite of the standard he holds the Bush administration to.
PAD
Any chance of MOP (Minions Of Pad) buttons ala the FOE buttons of a few years ago?
Ok, I get the cheap suit saying now.
But here’s a question – I have a suit that is tight in the arms/chest sort of area. When I bought it, it fit very nicely. Now it doesn’t fit as well, its tight. However the suit itself was very expensive when I bought it and it’s probably still pretty pricey. Is that a “cheap suit” now?
Wait, cheap as in lame. Bad. Of marginal use. Not as in monetary worth.
Hmph. Nevermind.
. . .
I really shouldn’t even bother to post this.
Ah well.
I’ve dreamed of being a minion since I was a little girl growing up shoeless and walking 10 miles uphill to and from school in the snow….
But I never dreamed that someday I would be a minion of PAD. Now that I’ve reached the top of minionhood, I hope I can use my power for good and not let it corrupt me.
Your minions, you know, you and nine guys from your– oh, never mind.
For what it’s worth, folks, as I’ve repeated numerous times, I’m not a minion or a lackey. I’m a stooge.
Does this “minion” bit come with a health plan? Because I just got a really good offer from Brian K. Vaughan.
Bill, get your hands off of my sushi.
Hey, if you can’t be bothered to take your sushi with you when you leave to use the lavatory, don’t blame me if something “happens” to it.
“For what it’s worth, folks, as I’ve repeated numerous times, I’m not a minion or a lackey. I’m a stooge.”
And all of them are a big step up from lickspittle. Let me tell you, it was a happy day when I managed to scratch my way up to assistant toady.
Do we get promoted by evil action, ášš kìššìņg or assassination of those immediately over us? Because if it’s the latter a couple people here are looking like they might be easy targets.
“Hey, if you can’t be bothered to take your sushi with you when you leave to use the lavatory, don’t blame me if something “happens” to it.”
For some odd reason, that gave me a Hitchhikers’s Guide to the Galaxy flashback about asking for a receipt.
” MOP (Minions Of Pad)”
Shouldn
Peter, I’m with the others advocating that you find a way to take that “minions” bit and market the Hëll out of it. I like the idea of that kind of political/moneymaking judo.
Yours, Dwight