Export control reform

[Screw_Michigan]

Been reading up on export control reform for this lunch at the Capitol I am working tomorrow. Obviously there is a lot of support from the higher ups (Obama, Gates, defense industry) for reform of the archaic, 50-year old process. The current system stifles economic and technological development because current legal system doesn't provide for judicial review, transparency, or precedent. So since everyone seems to be all about export control reform...

...is there anyone (politicians, corporations, countries) who would be AGAINST export control reform? And why?

[mvscal]

It would depend on the specifics of this alleged reform. I don't believe the Hussein regime has gotten beyond the buzzword punctuated, arm-wavy generality phase.

Do I trust them to monkey around with a critical national security function? No, I don't and neither should anybody rlse in their right mind.

[Mikey]

rlse

Sounds like you're choking on something.

[Wolfman]

Let me see. The "qwerty" keyboard. Hmmm. Could he have accidentally hit the "r" key and not the "e" key, and then (heaven forbid) failed to pick up on his mistake when he edited the post before submit? Nah. Good thing no one makes such errors on this board. They'd be forced to post at stucknut or someplace like that.
Now to the topic. When anyone in the government starts talking about "reform", run away !!

[mvscal]

The current system stifles economic and technological development because current legal system doesn't provide for judicial review, transparency, or precedent.

Really? Is that an actual, verifiable fact? Have any specifics been provided to support that? The questions you need to be asking are why now and who benefits. What is broken that needs fixing right now? Have there been any recent security lapses? Dangerous dual use goods falling into the wrong hands? What are they really trying to do with this so called reform?

Don't be dazzled by buzzword bullshit and meaningless catchphrases. The entire presentation you will see tomorrow will be chock full of happy words with semantically null content. Words like 'reform.' Reform is good. Being against reform would be like being against ice cream. Who could possibly be against "sensible, badly needed reform"...or ice cream? And only the most dangerous reactionary would want to "stifle economic and technological development," right? These people are expert manipulators who can talk for hours without saying anything.

Remain skeptical. You're not a jizzmopper anymore...well, at least not full time anyway.

[Screw_Michigan]

The questions you need to be asking are why now and who benefits.

Thanks, MV. That's exactly why I asked.