Stolen Valor Act

[Niner]

Yesterday when the US was focused on the Obama Care ruling, the Supreme court made another judgement. Seems the law written to punish people who, for whatever screwball reason, lie about receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor and other valor awards is invalid. To lie about "valor" is just freedom of speech and guaranteed by the Constitution it seems.


http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington ... 55895020/1

Upon second thought..... we all know there have been a lot of embellished and lying war stories that have gone unpunished because the teller doesn't go to the extreme of awarding himself a CMH. Generally, if one only steals a little valor it is usually not a cause for a lynching, only a little eye rolling. However, the real danger to the person who is guilty of the crime is that some veteran will see through him and will meet out a worse punishment than any court.

[Aughnanure]

As I've remarked before, we call it 'wearing dead men's medals'; I'd not shed any tears if some of these posers got a bunch of fives or worse for their efforts.

[Tom-May]

As I've remarked before, we call it 'wearing dead men's medals'; I'd not shed any tears if some of these posers got a bunch of fives or worse for their efforts.

The problem is that the person handing out the (well deserved) punishment is the one that gets put through the legal mill afterward.

[Niner]

Looks like the House of Representatives has proposed a replacement for the law stricken down. I think it hinges on if the faker is looking to get some actual gain out of it or not. I wonder if a free beer or maybe a little gratuitous sex would qualify as ill gotten gain?


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-1 ... r-act.html

[Woftam]

As long as they made the concept of gain broad enough. Even that perverted thrill they get from doing it has got to be some sort of gain.