As the troubled Washington Times enters into what may be its final days, unless it accepts the cold embrace and re-emergence of its founder, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the paper has turned its back on some of it former friends and given a forum to, of all people, Gary Milhollin of the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms. Even though much of export reform is in areas that have nothing to do with Nuclear Arms, Mr. Milhollin — quelle surprise — is no fan of any export reform at all

Gary Milhollin, director of the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control, called the new policy a “defense industry bailout.”

“The financial industry and the auto industry had their bailouts, now it is the defense industry’s turn,” he said.

Mr. Milhollin also said the United States steadily relaxed arms-export controls since the end of the Cold War. “We have already reduced controls to the bone,” he said.

I can only imagine that Mr. Milhollin hasn’t glanced at the Commerce Control List or the United States Munitions List recently or even at all if he can say we have already reduced controls to the bone with a completely straight face.

The number of items on the CCL that have no business being there is, as most readers of this blog will know, significant. My favorite example, of course, is “horses by sea” controlled by ECCN 0A980. But no survey of the oddities of the CCL would be complete without mentioning controls on items easily obtainable throughout the world such as triethanolamine (ECCN C350.c.9) used in cosmetics such as shaving cream. Other unique oddities of the list include thumbcuffs, whips, cattle prods, fingerprint inks, pumps and valves, muzzle-loading pistols and rifles, and optical sights for BB guns.

And the USML has its own share of unnecessary controls, starting with, of course, its legendary controls on military railway trains which have pretty much gone the way of muzzle-loading pistols, catapults, jousting lances, and military calvary brigades as items of warfare. Others include weapons silencers, flash suppressors, rifle parts, body armor, powder bags, and cartridge casings, all of which are readily available outside the United States.

None of this sounds to me like these two lists have been “cut to the bone.”

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