Subversive Groups Must Now Register In South Carolina 849
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.'"
So, do we get immunity? (Score:3, Interesting)
Ironic (Score:2, Interesting)
What's wrong with this picture? (Score:2, Interesting)
By "subversive organization," the law 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 [or] of this State."
Is it just me, or does that definition necessarily include all U.S. citizens of voting age? What ever happened to "for the People, by the People" ??? Silly me, I was under the impression that it is every citizen's civic duty to control the government. It's called voting.
New laws (Score:5, Interesting)
Is it just me or is there an increase in the number of new laws (not just in the US) that basically state that it's illegal to do illegal stuff? I'm trying to find the rational explanation for that, but so far I've failed.
Lobbyist Groups? (Score:4, Interesting)
From TFA - this is any group that "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".
Lobbyist groups are all about controlling the government (via substantial bribes). Does this mean they need to register?
Just a wee bit unconstitutional (Score:5, Interesting)
We aren't going to take this! (Score:4, Interesting)
Anarchists, unite!
Re:Easy way to "democratically" jail and fine diss (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Too bad (Score:5, Interesting)
Obviously such an abuse would not hold up in a court for a moment, but it could sure as hell be used to intimidate people until it's struck down.
Lets make the act of committing crimes illegal too (Score:2, Interesting)
First and Last solution? (Score:4, Interesting)
Can I register from a distance? (Score:5, Interesting)
I live in Nebraska, but I'd like to register anyway. I have advocated "controlling and conducting" the government by means of encouraging others to vote for the candidates I like and by donating time and money to their campaigns. By South Carolina's standard, I'm a subversive. Would I get a registration form I could hang on my wall next to my college diploma, a share of SCOX stock, and a Church of the SubGenius ordination certificate?
Actually, I'm kind of serious about that. In a dream world, I'd like to see a few hundred million people register as South Carolina subversives.
Re:First and Last solution? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Too bad (Score:1, Interesting)
South Carolina didn't start the War Between the States, you idiot, Lincoln did, when he invaded the CSA.
Re:First and Last solution? (Score:5, Interesting)
I would prefer a constitutional amendment that goes something like this:
Any law which isn't enforced and has no public record of ever having been enforced for a certain period of time, say 20 years or perhaps less, that the law in question simply is null and void.
A constitutional provision is one thing, such as procedures for impeachment or something that is rarely invoked for a good reason, but for laws that impact ordinary citizens, a failure to even enforce these laws (such as the anti-sodomy laws and co-habitation/fornication laws) ought to be simply declared obsolete due to lack of enforcement.
A token enforcement merely to keep the law on the books would not be considered acceptable. A pattern of widespread enforcement of such a law would have to be demonstrated for it to be considered valid under such a provision.
In this particular case with the terrorist registration law, I have my doubts that such a law would ever be proven to be enforced and its only purpose is to expand and exaggerate sentences in an effort to stifle free speech. Simply asking a state officer to testify in court about how many people actually engaged in registration would be sufficient in this case to show non-enforcement of such a law.
Too bad that such a provision or legal concept is not typically a part of common law.
George Soros (Score:4, Interesting)
Any chance George Soros would count as a foreign organization plotting the overthrow of the US Gov't?
Just a thought...
Any reason to think this would withstand a constitutional challenge?
Re:First and Last solution? (Score:2, Interesting)
I read that in Britain they pass on average a law a day
This is because once you have established the bureaucratic machinery required to debate, amend, pass, enact and enforce laws the people that constitute this administrative mass must do something to justify their wages. This is the same problem we have with the current Health and Safety obsession, the original motivation was good i.e. to reduce the amount of work place injuries, but once the machine was in place it's difficult to remove hence the absurdity now of SOP's and Risk Assessments for using a hole punch.
This seems to be a common, but understandable problem. Marx predicted the withering away of the Dictatorship by the Proletariat once the evils of capitalism had been redressed, but this never happened - Turkey's don't vote for Christmas. And what's the answer? As always with a radical problem one needs a radical solution: to periodically take back power through whatever means necessary. I'd like to reiterate that Turkey's don't vote for Christmas - if you expect the problem of stupid laws which increase the power and influence of one group (politicians) at the expense of the freedom of another (us) to just go away on it's own then you're whistling in the wind . . .
Re:First and Last solution? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Too bad (Score:2, Interesting)
It's even sadder when you realize he was probably closer to the truth than he knew. Foghorn Leghorn [wikipedia.org] is a parody of Senator Claghorn [wikipedia.org], who, while also fictional, was a radio show's parody of the stereotypical Southern Senator in the 40s.
If I may dig another reference out of America's cartoon cultural archives, We have met the enemy, and he is us. [igopogo.com] (Pogo, 1970)
(Any journalist can tell you the news. It takes a comedian to tell you the truth.)
Re:No Joke (Score:3, Interesting)
Given the context of Iraq, I was intrigued by the lack of a definite article. "This" or "our" or even "the" would have been different. But the question seemed so general. But the FBI guy giving me the interview clearly didn't have a sense of humor. So while it took all the self control I could muster, I stifled the urge to say, "Well, I am a citizen of the US..."
He must have seen me smirk or something, though, because since then I've been on the "turn your head and cough" list every time I try to board a plane. All for a three-day contract.
Re:First and Last solution? (Score:5, Interesting)
I'll worry about that after you've explained why canibalism and necrophilia should be illegal.
(I'm serious - why should they be illegal?)
United States (Score:2, Interesting)
is of course finished.
We no longer have a representative government. 85% OF congress is always re-elected, which really doesn't matter anyway because corporations put people in the places of power from either party. Your illusion of voting is there to keep the scenery of democracy recognizable so people are kept in line.
The differences between the two parties are really just to divert attention and amount to very little.
Some predictions on my part:
1) More of the US will become like Detroit, Mich. Mainly looking like a bombed out third world country.
2) Universities. Hey this is a prediction: Universities are next on the chopping block. Over priced, and under powered, American Universities are about to go the way of the do do bird.
The big "University" crashes will come in the next 5 years as the powers that be (Foreign Banks under direction of the Federal Reserve) finish gutting the financial system of the US. University campuses will probably be converted to low income housing "projects" developments for the poor, who are growing by leaps and bounds.
10 Years from now the wealthy will be sending their kids to China to learn Chinese, and to do research or get a job there. The rest of you poor bastards will end up working in a government job, or out on the streets in the projects where massive unrest will be common.
The fastest growing job is going to be in the "goon" squads the government hires to keep all of the mass unrest from getting out of control.
(Luckily since the demise of the University system, you don't need a degree to be a goon, just naivety and loyalty to the government.)
So being a government goon wielding a baton is going to be a BIG growth industry.
3) The US Dollar. Wow, what a huge crash that one is going to be. In the next 5-10 years the US dollar will no longer be a reserve currency. The powers that be won't let it crash all at once of course, they will most likely do a controlled demolition. (Mainly to protect their own assets in the USA.)
They already have started the process using deflation so that those on the top have time to sell their US securities at a decent price before the next phase hits. That will probably come this summer with a huge financial crisis with the banks _again_.
Not sure what excuse they will use this time, last time it was because _the little people where to blame for borrowing money_. My guess is it will be something to do with commercial real estate.
Doesn't matter really, because all of you poor bastards are going to pay, and YOU WILL PAY whatever the Fed decides it wants for its cronies.
Each and every American owes 80,000 dollars. You WILL pay this debt off or your grand kids will...but it WILL be paid.
The end result will be lots of poor and impoverished people with big rolls of money in their pockets looking into super market windows lusting at all of the food on the shelves, but too poor to buy anything except maybe butter and a little bit of flour.
(They won't be breaking those windows because the goons will be out in force on most street corners and businesses.)
4) Bombs. Wow this will be a cottage industry. 10 Years from now I see bombs going off all over the place. Washington DC will be transformed into a fortress with most of the government buildings moved or removed from the public eyes so they can't be hit by "terrorists" (i.e. People who are wondering why they have been robbed by the banks and have decided the political system doesn't work anymore and resort to violence to change it by assassinations on corporate and government leaders.)
I mean already all 10 heads of the Federal Reserve have private high tech militarys guarding their homes and families. All of them live in closed gated and heavily defended communities.
I wonder what they are afraid of? They couldn't possibly doing something illegal or criminal and are afraid of retribution could they?
5) Finally, a terrorist attack. Its going to happen. Not sure