3 entries found for treason.
trea·son ( P ) Pronunciation Key (trzn)
n.
Violation of allegiance toward one's country or sovereign, especially the betrayal of one's country by waging war against it or by consciously and purposely acting to aid its enemies.
A betrayal of trust or confidence.
Middle English, from Anglo-Norman treson, from Latin trditi, trditin-, a handing over. See tradition.]
Main Entry: trea·son
Pronunciation: 'trEz-&noun
Function: noun
Etymology: Anglo-French treison crime of violence against a person to whom allegiance is owed, literally, betrayal, from Old French traïson, from traïr to betray, from Latin tradere to hand over, surrender
: the offense of attempting to overthrow the government of one's country or of assisting its enemies in war; specifically : the act of levying war against the United States or adhering to or giving aid and comfort to its enemies by one who owes it allegiance —trea·son·ous /-&s/ adjective
Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
treason
n 1: a crime that undermines the offender's government [syn: high treason, lese majesty] 2: disloyalty by virtue of subversive behavior [syn: subversiveness, traitorousness] 3: an act of deliberate betrayal [syn: treachery, betrayal, perfidy]
Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University
"Violation of allegiance toward one's country or sovereign, especially the betrayal of one's country by waging war against it or by consciously and purposely acting to aid its enemies."
Speaking and acting are two different things. we have freedom of speech. We do not always have freedom of action.
your definition is appreciated, however you must remember as mr belafonte has told you, new difintions are in order. come on, get with the times, multiculturalism, relativism, self esteem, indigenous peoples rights, all that stuff.
Meaningless. The only one that has meaning is
"Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court."And Venezuela isn't our declared enemy. The list of those tried for treason in this country is short, and all were for direct actions against the US or for giving secrets to or directly materially aiding our enemies. The one treason conviction I know of for making public statements beneficial to the enemy was "Tokyo Rose" (Iva Toguri D'Aquino), and that was questionable and later pardoned.
It's a fine line. To simply say "I think Bush is a bad President and I do not support him" is not treason.
Calling the leader of your own country a terrorist? I don't know...it's damn close to treason if it ain't already.