It’s Okay To Lie

At least that’s what our courts are saying.  Last year, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, those über-liberal constitutional activists from San Francisco, ruled that the Stolen Valor Act is “too broad” and hence unconstitutional.  Now, a federal appeals court in Denver is heading down the same path.

The Stolen Valor Act of 2006 makes it a federal crime to lie about being a military hero.  The catalyst for the law was a sudden rash of liars hoping to cash in on the benefits of being a veteran and “war hero.”  Butt-monkeys are running around falsely claiming combat experience and awards they never had … many never even served in uniform.  So we’ve got young soldiers and Marines fighting and dying, earning Medals of Honor posthumously (with the sole exception of Army SSG Sal Giunta), and these humps think nothing of fabricating stories and awarding themselves medals for nothing more than self-gratification … and maybe to glom a few free meals from gullible people or groups who want to honor our warriors.

As the press tells it, defense lawyers for these slimeballs argue that “merely telling a lie” shouldn’t be a crime.  I guess this form of identity theft, involving the falsification of official government records, doesn’t count.  They and their lawyers claim the law violates their First Amendment rights.  And some pathetic excuse for a judge from the Ninth Circuit wrote in his opinion that if the court upheld the act, “then there would be no constitutional bar to criminalizing lying about one’s height, weight, age or financial status on Match.com or Facebook.”  Is he serious?  Equating trying to get laid online with serving one’s country?

Have I mentioned here that I think the First Amendment is over-rated?  Have I mentioned here how much I loathe and despise defense lawyers?

Moving on … I’m starting to feel a bit like Jon Stewart, highlighting the absurdity in the news.  Herewith another item … we’ve been pounding Libya for 60 days now, and the President is (in the opinion of some) required by the 1973 War Powers Resolution to get Congressional authorization to keep going beyond that timeframe.  Now an unlikely coalition of conservative Republican Congressmen and the ACLU are tag-teaming the President about his violation of the law.  Go figure.