It's not stolen valor, it's free speech

As long as this country awards high school diplomas, college degrees, and jobs to undeserving “protected groups”, I could care less what some loser wears to make him/herself feel important.

I agree; it is pathetic, but not illegal.

If you misrepresented your cheap knock-off as a genuine Rolex and I used that assertion to place a value on the watch, then I most certainly could recover my money when the fraud was discovered. The contract was based on material misrepresentation, which nullifies it.

The Supreme Court made the right decision in this case. The Stolen Valor Act was unconstitutional because it imposed criminal penalties on people who did nothing more than lie about their past. People who do this are A-holes, but this is hardly anything remotely resembling criminal behavior. The SVA was effectively a pointless law by the time it got to the Supreme Court anyway, since the U.S. Justice Department had already given up on ever enforcing it in any practical sense.

Much as we might like to grant a special legal status to decorated military veterans, the reality is that there is no sound legal basis to impose criminal penalties in this kind of case. In order for something to be a crime there would have to be some kind of "harm" shown. A person who lies about his military awards is no different than someone who lies about being a dentist. If the person who lies about the military awards uses this information on a legal document and somehow gains monetarily, then he/she can be prosecuted for fraud under existing laws ... just as someone who lies about being a dentist and then proceeds to sell his/her services to people by giving examinations, doing root canal work, etc.

The regulars look up. The guy’s a stranger. Around his neck he’s wearing the Congressional Medal of Honor. The regulars put down their shot glasses and crowd around the guy. They befriend the hero and buy him drinks. They’re honored by his company.

What a stupid article.
It is EXTREMELY hard to imagine that any real American Hero would walk around, especially into a bar wearing the Congressional Medal of Honor..
Second most normal folks would be immediately suspicious of this person.
Third if found that the person was wearing this medal and had not earned it he likely would be getting a free ride to the nearest hospital..........

That’s true, but I stated that I thought it was a Rolex and I was pulling a fast one on the seller.

Fraud would be a cause to avoid the contract in civil court as well as cause the fraudster to face criminal charges.

In my example I didn’t misrepresent anything. I saw you sitting there wearing what I thought was a Rolex and offered you $1,000. You, perplexed by why anyone would want your $5 watch, gladly accepted.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.