"Pleased to meet you, Your Majesty!"
Posted on 06/28/2012 9:54:34 AM PDT by ColdOne
The Supreme Court struck down the Stolen Valor Act today, saying that the First Amendment defends a person's right to lie -- even if that person is lying about awards and medals won through military service.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Good. Now I can be a Seal who took out BinLaden like Dear Reader.
HI!! I remember you, how's it going???You were one of my many junior staff members, glad you're O.K. !!!
“Exactly right. You nailed it and my agreement with the assessment.”
And many of us, and Congress, DON’T agree with that assessment. If the Supreme Court struck down the law on the basis that the 1st Amendment is more important than the consequences of stealing valor, then I think it’s a bad judgment decision, and one that should be in the hands of Congress, not the Court, but a technically “legal” decision, nonetheless. If however, the Supreme Court simply ruled that it’s an unconstitutional restriction of free speech, then it’s a horrible decision unsupported by rational thought. And I’d feel that way even if I did agree with your assessment.
Of course, the media is portraying it as the Court simply ruling that it’s an unconstitutional restriction of free speech. But you’d quickly go broke if you always bet on the media’s first take about something.
Still, the more I think about it, should the Court be ruling about the relative merit of a law compared to Constitutional principles? Shouldn’t it only be ruling on whether or not a law is permissible under the Constitution?
Well, there’s no such actual thing as “stealing valor”. Stolen from whom? Those that are legitimately awarded honors for genuine acts of valor are not diminished in any way by some drunk in a bar claiming to be a SEAL with a navy cross. The drunk dishonors himself, and himself only.
Sure, the drunk should be outed and humiliated for making such claims. Rightly so. But it serves no purpose and protects no one to send him to jail for it. Better... hopefully there’s a ~real~ SEAL at the ~other~ end of the bar that can work some better sense into the guy. :-)
—And many of us, and Congress, DON’T agree with that assessment.—
Yes. I understand that. To quote a line from Roadhouse, “Opinions vary.”
Yeah, I don’t like the decision, but I have to begrudgingly agree that it’s probably the right one.
“Those that are legitimately awarded honors for genuine acts of valor are not diminished in any way by some drunk in a bar claiming to be a SEAL with a navy cross.”
I disagree. Whenever I see someone behaving badly who represents a whole group of people, my opinion of the entire group is diminished. This for example, is why I have a very low opinion of L.A. Dodger fans. But I digress.
I think it serves the purpose of making the statement that there are some things our society won’t tolerate and this is one of them.
And you didn’t respond to my main point/question to you. How do you respond to this part of my post?:
“Because they (perjury, fraud) are defined as such in the law. And in these cases a specific type of LYING is specifically deemed illegal. But here the Court is saying you CAN’T separately define a previously unspecified type of lying as a specific unlawful type of lying, based on the First Amendment. Don’t you see that’s not logically consistent? Either all lying is protected by the Constitution, or else the government has the right to apply names (like “fraud” and “perjury” and “stolen valor”) to some types of lying, thereby making them illegal. Which is it?”
Most of these turkeys people were wise to as soon as they opened their yap. A lab partner in college claimed to be (like myself) a military veteran - it took all of about 10 minutes for me to figure out that he was a liar.
Nowadays one could probably get confirmation that they were full of it rather easily.
Let fools be fools. It isn't worth sacrificing the 1st Amendment over.
Now if they fill out any legal paperwork claiming to be a veteran - nail them!
But as long as they are flapping their gums making up hooey and claiming to be a Navy SEAL, just laugh at them.
They have the freedom to lie about their service (or lack of service). I have the freedom to figure out they are full of it and MOCK them.
"Pleased to meet you, Your Majesty!"
I loved blousing those bell bottoms into my jump boots, it was really dashing looking.
That’s how I see it
OK! I earned 4 Congressional Medals of Honor, 28 Purple Hearts and 1 FUSCOTUS.
>facepalm<
You can lie about having served in the military, wear medals you have not earned, and burn our nations standard. Is nothing beyond the pale?
But God forbid you lie to a federal agent...that’s a crime.
I’m thinking of actually going to the polling place instead of absentee voting and going in black face dressed as obammy the savior.
Appears legitimate on the surface based on this ruling from the SCOTUS. However, there would be no stolen valor based upon the person impersonating. If series, may want to consult an attorney.
Actually this ruling implies that if a person is dressed in a Military uniform lying is acceptable by the person in that uniform. Security Implications, yet perfectly acceptable. Hugh can of worms.
FReepmail me to subscribe to or unsubscribe from the SCOTUS ping list.
Isn’t claiming to be a police officer or a government official illegal too?
What if someone says they’re a doctor when they’re not? What if someone says they were a Green Beret when they were just an enlisted man? What if someone says they’re an American Indian and receive benefits under that regard? We have someone running for the Senate who did just that and no one is prosecuting her. The Cherokee nation should haul her bony @ss into court on that.
We have too many laws...
Functional fraud, where the person offers a service he or she is not qualified or able to give, is not the same as a nut who never was in the service strutting around with a bunch of pretend medals and ribbons. Unless said nut actually tries to sneak into the services on that basis, or claims a prize or award on that basis. It stinks of course and for shame to the impostor.
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