Foreign dissidents facing U.S. hurdles to publishing

[radfringe]

...apparantly Reading is FEDERALLY OFFENSIVE...

Foreign dissidents facing U.S. hurdles to publishing
By Scott Martelle --Los Angeles Times
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002112639_diss08.html

---snip---

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.

---snip---

It strikes me as very odd," said Douglas Kmiec, a constitutional law professor at Pepperdine University and former constitutional legal counsel to former presidents Reagan and Bush. "I think the government has an uphill struggle to justify this constitutionally."

Several groups, led by the PEN American Center and including Arcade Publishing, have filed suit in U.S. District Court in New York seeking to overturn the regulations, which cover writers in Iran, Sudan, Cuba, North Korea and, until recently, Iraq.

Violations carry severe reprisals — publishing houses can be fined $1 million and individual violators face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

[jamboi]

1. It just keeps on coming. :-( n/t

[UL_Approved]

2. Nobody believes me when I make NAZI comparisons to the U.S.

I guess that people have either no sense or no desire to see the obvious. It must be a great source of pride that the right-wing has lied its way to power. If they were legitimate representatives, they would not roll back publishing and free speech as they have. We don't have Bush in power yet, and this is what extreme things have come to in just one month. I dread the countdown of 24 months until 2006. I really do.

[neweurope]

3. What could possibly happen in 2006?

They're in power now and won't relinquish it.

Unless they can be stopped between now and the "coronation" day.

[UL_Approved]

5. State representatives can make a difference

Populism will either be in full swing in 2-4 years, or we will be living with concentration camps and the like within a decade. The vote was close, but a huge majority could swamp their efforts. They depended upon close turnout in many areas, and the country as a whole was not terribly in favor of Bush. I guess that if the people of this nation don't get the program together, they get exactly what they deserve.

[neweurope]

6. I cannot share your hopes. They have long prepared for this

and they are not going to give it up no matter what.

I share your fears, however. Only it won't be a decade before the concentration camps.

By the way I keep reading hints about jails standing around empty and waiting (and, yes, a couple of times I have even read something about concentration camps way in the middle of nowhere). Can sombody give me more details? Hard for me to judge the sources.

[radfringe]

7. lack of a leader

and organization

populism could go a long way -- but it needs a leader and it needs organization -- both of which is lacking

In the run up to the primaries -- Dean managed to be the 'frontrunner' --- why? He affirmed the anger and frustration that many of us had -- he became the voice in the forefront we had been waiting to hear. Unfortunately, he imploded or was exploded - depending on how you view the repetition of the "dean scream" on ad-newseum media

Could he have beaten bush* in a general election? Don't know, it's not enough just to affirm what people are feeling -- you also have to be able to lead and organize over the long run. You also have to have the populist vote supporting you and not just supporting you because they are against the "other guy"

If the Dems want to get back in the game they need a LEADER and they need one that will fight for him/herself against repug/conservative attacks -- if a Dem doesn't stand up for him/herself then why should I think they would stand up for me?

[radfringe]

4. I have this image in my head

of homeland insecurity cops surrounding a Barnes&Noble and yelling "put down the book -- step away from the shelves"

[Moderator]

8. Duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1057767