Thursday, January 14, 2016

Emblematic of the "You Didn't Earn That" Mindset

A federal appeals court has tossed out an Idaho veteran's conviction in a "stolen valor" case. The judges ruled that the First Amendment protects a person's right to wear a military medal even if that person did not earn it. [More]
Say, if a guy can wear a medal he didn't earn, how about a badge?  Why wouldn't impersonating an "Only One" be "protected speech"?

5 comments:

  1. By the same logic, I think I'll put on my police uniform today.

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  2. You know why. A medal confers no present-day authority; it's simply a commemoration of past actions. A badge is a symbol of an office that confers on the officeholder the authority to detain, seize, or even kill other citizens under certain circumstances; its fraudulent use is always in violation of the civil rights of another.
    Claiming to be an ex-Army Ranger is no different from claiming to be an ex-Texas Ranger, or an ex-Detroit Lion, as long as the false claim is not used to fraudulently gain benefits.
    Like you, I find valor thieves to be repugnant scum. But I've always wondered if there's a First Amendment issue at play here, if it would ever be used as a defense, and what the outcome would be.

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  3. Yeah, I actually don't disagree with the ruling, but think it should also open the door to being able to call this guy all kinds of things without a slander or libel liability...

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  4. Those lacking a sense of shame probably would not be slandered by the appellation "poseur".

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  5. Every veteran that earned their medals were just slapped in the face. I'm not surprised it's in Kommifornia.

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