NY Lawmaker Seeks to Make Stolen Valor a State Crime
Steven Hawley (R-Batavia NY)
A New York state assemblyman is seeking to make Stolen Valor a state crime.
Hawley seeks to make ‘stolen valor’ a state crime
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia, NY) is blasting his colleagues in the Assembly Majority Conference for blocking an important piece of legislation this week that would have created the state crime of stolen valor in New York.
Numbered A.5701, this bill would have sought to increase the prosecution rate of the crime of impersonating a current or retired armed forces member, as currently, the federal punishment is few and far between. Hawley is livid that the Assembly Majority Conference would block such legislation.
“American Legion Commander James E. Koutz put it best when he stated: ‘Those who deliberately lie about military service, wear medals they did not earn or make claims of combat heroism they did not achieve are more than just liars. They are perpetrators of the worst kind of fraud.’” Hawley said. “Our men and women in the armed forces are valiant heroes, and the respect they earn and deserve in return for their service must not be co-opted by bad actors. To prevent the criminalization of this fraud on the state level is so inane I can’t even begin to understand why they would want to prevent it from passing into law.”
Hawley served as a First Lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve and he served in the Ohio Army National Guard.
Category: None, Politics, Stolen Valor, Stolen Valor Act
I’m all for it, but Laws are worthless unless they’re honestly enforced.
Same sentiments here. Seems to me that NY State has bigger issues that need to be resolved. Passing more legislation is a distraction – especially since that state can’t seem to enforce the laws already on the books.
Just my .02 cents.
Word! Until Stolen Valor is treated as a fully enforced FELONY, with swift and sure painful punishment meted out to the offenders, the nefarious activities will continue. Drawing and quartering would be a good start.
AWRIGHT! WHO THE F**K GAVE KOB A THUMBS DOWN!? HOPEFULLY IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, AND NOTHING MORE! WATCH YOUR LANE!
I’m countering it with a “thumbs up”.
The only person that deserves a “thumbs down” straight off the block is SPAPOS Kay-oh-em-em-eye-ess-ess-aye-are (hopefully “he” can’t spell or pronounce the letters of his name out loud. “Speak of the devil”, and all that)
They usually go after fraudulently obtained money and that overrides Stolen Valor.
Word.
Let’s Just go ahead and address the elephant in the room. If Koutz really cared he would go ahead and purge the American Legion ranks of all the phonies. He doesn’t need a single extra law on the books to do that.
5JC,
Not to mention (but I will anyway) the VFW.
By definition, Veterans of Foreign Wars.
VFW National sits on their fat cans
delegating all the verification of eligibility to local level VFW Posts,
and (worse)
more than a few Department (state) Headquarters
are asleep at the wheel
(but never miss dressing up and getting drunk at a convention).
Imminent…
the new 2023 State Commander of VFW Department of PA
had to remove “Combat Veteran of Iraq”
from his official bio 2 years ago.
He NEVER showed his DD-214, and neither did Department HQ.
But they put blowback on those (including myself) who dared to ask.
He was “elected” Dept. Jr Vice Commander 2 years ago anyway…
And now, he’s about to become Mayor McCheese in Harrisburg.
I don’t see anything about Stolen Valor in the VFW improving around here for awhile.
Unfortunately there isn’t much point in writing a law the Supreme Court has already determined to be unconstitutional. Unless the law adds fraudulent material gain the simple act of lying is not in and of itself a crime.
As an aside be really fucking careful what you ask for, because you just might get it. In the history of governments I am completely unaware of a well intentioned law about certain kinds of speech that doesn’t get perverted later…if lying about service is illegal it won’t be long until someone else decides that speech that offends should be banned along with lying about service….and then you’re fucked if we haven’t already fucked ourselves by our continual voting for the same two shitbag parties and wondering why nothing ever changes.
Concur. The last thing NY needs is more laws – even well-intentioned ones.
There Oughta Be a Law!
One wold assume that All-Points Logistics will not be opening an office in New York any time soon…..