What's needed is a flat ban, with obvious exceptions, like a piece of pie from the 4-H club.

Neither has dared to issue a flat ban on anti-Government news, but both are engaged in continuing campaigns to limit critical press coverage.

The factors they weigh show why a flat ban on bilingual education is unlikely to improve immigrants' chances of success.

But because of a parliamentary ruling, he said, his measure ended up as a flat ban on District payments for abortions.

Most important was a flat ban on any commuter tax, rendering 60 percent of the salaries earned here untouchable.

Yet flat bans against hiring ex-offenders - regardless of their experience, skills or motivation - are unjust and unwise.

The two-year timeout imposed by the new rule is not a flat ban on doing business with a government client.

One remedy would be a flat ban on civilian possession of semiautomatic military assault rifles.

United States officials, in a suggested compromise on the rights-of-the-child treaty, proposed a flat ban on soldiers younger than 18 for rebel armies.

In Suffolk, a flat ban on smoking in restaurants took effect three years ago.