Speedkill

Of course, I don’t have a bizarre news category, but you can imagine.

Via Bob Harris,

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.

What could possibly make anyone decide to do that?

Officials from the U.S. Treasury Department, which oversees OFAC, declined comment on the lawsuit, but spokeswoman Molly Millerwise described the sanctions as “a very important part of our overall national security.”

“These are countries that pose serious threats to the United States, to our economy and security and our well-being around the globe,” Millerwise said, adding that publishers can still bring dissident writers to American readers as long as they first apply for a license.

“The licensing is a very important part of the sanctions policy because it allows people to engage with these countries,” Millerwise said. “Anyone is free to apply to OFAC for a license.”

Not much of a defense, really. I can’t see any possible reason for this. As I said, bizarre.