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Subversive Groups Must Now Register In South Carolina
Hugh Pickens writes "The Raw Story reports that terrorists who want to overthrow the United States government must now register with South Carolina's Secretary of State and declare their intentions — or face a $25,000 fine and up to 10 years in prison. The 'Subversive Activities Registration Act' passed last year in South Carolina and now officially on the books states that 'every member of a subversive organization, or an organization subject to foreign control, every foreign agent and every person who advocates, teaches, advises or practices the duty, necessity or propriety of controlling, conducting, seizing or overthrowing the government of the United States ... shall register with the Secretary of State.'"
This is just like those "marijuana tax stamp" acts. Laws like that typicly just end up being used to tack on extra years when you get convicted, and/or to assist the prosecutors since the more laws you break the easier it is to convict. IMHO, it's a waste of time since any serious act (ie, assault, murder) comitted by such a group is going to get them life or worse (does SC have the death penalty?)
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
Oddly enough North Carolina had a right to revolution written into their constitution. http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Legislation/constitution/article1.html (section 3D).
Their neighbors to the south, not so much.
Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
England did think of it, and they tried to stop the colonists from meeting up, which is precisely why "the right of the people peaceably to assemble" was put into the first amendment.
Indeed. The text of the law says it should not be construed to authorize censorship or infringe upon freedom of speech but I just don't see how you can do that.
This law is a ace up the sleeve for selective prosecution, nothing else.
You can't legislate goodness. Let each to his own destiny, by will of his freely made choices.
In case you didn't notice ... registration is required in South Carolina; the right to revolt is written in the North Carolina State Constitution. North != South.
...is currently planning on overthrowing the existing government of the United States. Have they registered?
Hahaha. If you bothered to read the statute, there is a useful clarification (emphasis added):
"(1) 'Subversive organization' means every corporation, society, association, camp, group, bund, political party, assembly, body or organization, composed of two or more persons, which directly or indirectly advocates, advises, teaches or practices the duty, necessity or propriety of controlling, conducting, seizing or overthrowing the government of the United States, of this State or of any political subdivision thereof by force or violence or other unlawful means;"
Ironic that this is passed by the state that STARTED THE CIVIL WAR!
Down here it's called the War of Northern Aggression.
Somewhere, there's an irony in this being passed by the state that was first to secede from the Union and instigate the Civil War.
Says the guy advertising a neo-nazi political group in his sig.
(Seriously, go on and look up the traditional definition of the "third position," and read through the A3P's political positions. I'm not calling them Nazis simply for the sake of being hyperbolic. They're one of the few groups that actually makes the law being discussed in TFA seem like a good idea.)
-- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
According to Eugene Volokh, the law was actually passed in 1951, is something of a dead letter, and they're currently trying to repeal it. Sorry to spoil all the hand-wringing.
No statement is true, not even this one.