The “Blumenthal Law”
Doug Sterner sent us this link from the Deseret News last night about orin hatch’s proposed bill that would add an amendment to the so-called Stolen Valor Law which would make it illegal to claim that an individual served in the armed services in combat.
The Stolen Valor Act makes it illegal to falsely wear military decorations and medals. In proposing his amendment, Hatch said, “It is a crime to dishonor the sacrifice of so many by falsely representing combat service for the purposes of self-promotion or benefit. My amendment would deter those who would falsely prop themselves up in order to appear worthy of the award and title of ‘combat veteran.’
Of course, the solution to Congress is always more legislation – when you’re a hammer, everything looks like a nail. I happen to agree with Mr. Sterner in this instance – we don’t need a law to make speech criminal, we need to build a national database. The availability of information coupled with the access that already exists would put an end to all of the phonies.
A braggart in a bar would have his lies capped when his military record can be checked on the spot from a cell phone. people like Blumenthal would think twice if their service records were available while he was giving his campaign speech. Military.com used to have such a database in rudimentary form but they’ve let it deteriorate over the past year or so.
All that isneeded is the money from Congress, and we can avoid all of the legal wrangling that a bill to curb 1st Amendment speech would cause.
Mr Sterner tells me he’s back before Congress with HR 666 (you can see the bill at the search function here) a bill which would require the services and the Department of Homeland Security, the Transportation Department, and the merchant marines to establish a database;
`(c) Public Availability- The Military Valor Roll of Honor shall be a searchable database and available for public inspection.’.
It might stem the recent spate of phonies.
Category: Military issues, Phony soldiers
Another of Orrin’s perpetual moon-bat attacks on First Amendment speech. All for our own good, of course.
Until recently he’d been proposing (every couple of years) a law or amendment that would make it illegal to burn the American flag. I guess he eventually stopped because he kept getting so much blowback on it from the Left AND the Right. [N.B. – Not that I agree with burning the flag, but I do maintain the right of choice of speech.]
Myself, let the potential politico say what they will. Just so long as I can call them on it. Equal free speech, both sides.
This is one of many reasons why, come his re-election in 2012, he’s OUTTA HERE as fast as Bob Bennett (and Bob B didn’t make it past the primary). Orrin’s original campaign slogan against Sen Moss, lo those many years ago? “What do you call a Senator who’s been in office for 18 years? You call him home.” And Orrin’s been in office now for 36 years. Elitist hypocrite.
HR 666?? I ain’t even goin’ there.
I’d be interested in hearing how the proposed legislation defines the word “combat.” I believe there’s a fundamental difference between being “in combat” and being stationed “in a combat zone.” Inside the wire is a completely different world than being outside the wire and in my opinion, there are Iraq/Afghanistan veterans and Iraq/Afghanistan combat veterans. If claiming to be “in combat” carries the same requirements as the receipt of a CIB/CAB/CAR/etc. then I’m all for it. If not, then it will just allow future public officials to obfuscate the fact that they were a fobbit for during a three month tour in a combat zone.
This proposed Amendment could be the DEATH of Stolen Valor. When we wrote the language, we very carefully contained what we went after in order to stay within Constitutional Law. While the SV Act is facing three different challenges on Constitutional Grounds, we believe it will hold up. What Senator Hatch, with his lack of information on this subject, may do is revise the SV Act in such a way as to push it beyond that tenuous Constitutional point and ultimately we will wind up with NOTHING!. SEnator Hatch resisted ALL our efforts to get him on board as a co-sponsor when we were pushing the SV Act of 2005 through Congress. Now he is trying to co-opt it and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth and a sense of fear for the Bill itself.