Michael Froomkin writes:
I agree strongly with Tim May that this (fun) little joke has gone far enough. I enjoyed it while it lasted, but the CJR was clearly frivolous, the T-Shirt was clearly not a munition, IMHO, and that's that. Write up the experience, post it on the web somewhere (I'll provide a space if you need it), and call it a day.
I was unaware, Mr. Froomkin, that the legal system of our country had the right to arbitrarily ignore its own rules and refuse to answer a question. The munitions T-Shirt was not, in my opinion, substantially more frivolous than Phil Karn's floppy, which was rejected. I do not believe that the state department has the right to reject such things by refusing to accept their mail, and I do not believe that they have the right to violate their own proceedures. If someone asks "is this captain midnight decoder ring exportable" they are legally obligated to answer, one way or the other, unless we live under a government of men, and not laws. Perry