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Subversives In South Carolina Mostly Safe

Posted by kdawson on from the as-you-were dept.

sabt-pestnu sends in an update on our story about South Carolina and subversives. "According to Eugene Volokh, the Raw Story article has got it backwards. Westlaw says that the cited statute dates back to 1951, when a lot of anti-Communist statutes were being enacted nationwide. What brought Raw Story's attention to it may be that South Carolina is once again trying to repeal the archaic law. And in any event, a half-century-old case (Yates vs. United States, 354 U.S. 298 (1957)) took most of the teeth out of such laws."

3 of 200 comments (clear)

  1. Re:I'm not a Commie! Cross My Heart! by mhajicek · · Score: 5, Insightful

    (The oath requires the signer to "support and defend" the California and U.S,. constitutions;

    If I had signed an oath like that I would be forced to attempt to overthrow those who claim to be the government, and reinstate a government that actually follows the constitution.

  2. Re:Maryland had something called the "Ober law" by maxume · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You are playing a definition game. McCarthy wasn't simply looking for Communists, he was looking for a threat to the American way of life. Oddly enough, it wasn't there.

    --
    Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
  3. Re:Maryland had something called the "Ober law" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The witch hunt analogy is very appropriate. In Salem, etc. they persecuted witches (or anyone who wasn't Bible thumpin protestant or they just didn't like). Didn't matter if the witches/communists were actually bad people doing bad things. The possibility that you might be a communist/witch was enough to get you or your career burned at the stake depending on the century. So yes, McCarthy was on a witch hunt. The morality and wisdom of such a hunt is left as an exercise for the reader.