Headline Muse, 6/28


Though I feel like a bit of a leech
With true honor just out of my reach
Screw my own pallid pallor
I’ll snatch stolen valor…
Which the SCOTUS now says is free speech!

Headline: Supreme Court rejects ‘Stolen Valor’ law, says lying about military honors isn’t a crime

The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a federal law that makes it a crime to lie about being a military hero. In fact, the justices ruled that many lies are protected by the First Amendment.

The 6-3 ruling came in a case involving Xavier Alvarez, a former local elected official who at a 2007 water board meeting in Southern California falsely claimed that he had served as a Marine and received a Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration. As Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote for the majority, “Lying was his habit.”

I’ll have to polish my medals.

Comments

  1. says

    Are you also going to sharpen your smile? And then amuse yourself, playing games for awhile?

    I actually earned a couple of medals, and if I see you wearing medals I know you deserve I’m going to rip them off your chest and might shove you and call you names and such, but I don’t think you need to do a couple of years in a federal prison.

  2. Cuttlefish says

    The weird thing is, Improbable Joe, if I understand today’s ruling correctly, I could then have you charged with assault and battery, and the law would be on my side.

    If I were you, I’d request a jury trial, and I wouldn’t stand a chance.

  3. machintelligence says

    All members of the Veterans of Future Wars can now breathe a sigh of relief.

  4. Die Anyway says

    Ok, not “illegal” but we should still tattoo the word LIAR in big letters across his forehead.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *