[Lowell1775]

This may already have been beaten to death by Freepers....don't know...BUT I have a question.

How is lying about having medals any different than lying about colleges, certifications, being a Doctor, Lawyer, etc.....

A person's military service and record is often a key criteria used in hiring and association.....

I would certainly hire Audie Murphy over Bill Clinton.

I am confused. Comments?

[FlingWingFlyer]

Barry’s Supremes peed all over veterans today. I guess they figured this would be buried after they sided with Communist Party USA on CommieCare.

[ansel12]

I wonder if it is legal to carry an FBI or State Police badge and use it to impress and win entrance into events and awards.

[VoiceOfBruck]

So now outright fraud is protected speech.

[Joe 6-pack]

If you look back through some older threads on the Stolen Valor Act, you'll find there were plenty of FReepers who saw this strictly as a First Amendment/Freedom of Speech issue. I argued against them on a number of threads being strongly pro-SVA, but the main thrust of their argument was that lying, in and of itself, is not a crime (and that much I agree with them). They argue that if it's done with the intent to fraudulently obtain something of monetary value, existing fraud laws already cover that, and I also agree with them in that regard as well.

My contention is that not all things of worth can be expressed in monetary terms, and military service, and the recognition thereof, is not only one such thing, but needs to be given special consideration based on its essential role in preserving our society. Falsely claiming such recognition undermines the recognition bestowed upon the legitimate medal awardees in much the same way the holder of a counterfeit $100 bill victimizes every holder of a legitimate $100 bill.

Above and beyond that, it is my contention that as military medals, skills badges, tabs, etc. presuppose an extensive orders process, falsely claiming such should fall in the same category as forging or falsifying any other offical government record.

[Revel]

Bring back DITHF.

[TwelveOfTwenty]

How is lying about having medals any different than lying about colleges, certifications, being a Doctor, Lawyer, etc.....

It's the same thing, and I don't see how the Freedom of Speech, which is the freedom to express your opinions, covers lying about military service.

[Obama_Is_Sabotaging_America]

This law had to be overturned otherwise Obama might be subjected to fraud charges regarding his birth certificate. /s

[Perdogg]

I am not trying to be ugly about this, but try reading the opinions - they are quick and easy reads. I read Allito dissent, interesting. There is an explaination on this. It is only about 50 pages.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

I think the best bet here is to scare the fakes. There are now websites that expose fakes, so why not put a “bounty”, as it were, on them? That is, let it be known that it is open season on ‘spanking’ such fakes.

Remember back when some federal court decided that it was “free speech” to desecrate our flag, and the response was to punch out the flag burners? A lot of LEOs basically wagged their finger at the puncher and said, “naughty, naughty!”, but did nothing.

Right now, organizations like VeriSEAL estimate the number of fakes to real US Navy SEALs is about 200:1.

So the odds are that when you see some middle aged, pot-bellied and flabby, pasty faced, patchouli smelling, pencil-necked geek hitting on women in bars claiming to to be a an “ex-SEAL with a Congressional Medal of Honor”, he is *lying*.

And nobody is going to get really upset if he is wearing a nose splint for a week or two.

[Joe 6-pack]

Just wait ‘til I show up in DC in a black robe and tell everybody I’m a Sooooopreme Court Justice!

[bgill]

Kerry must be doing the happy dance tonight.