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April 05, 2008
The Sedition Act of 1918
I'm working on the book today and dug up the text of the Sedition Act of 1918. This was an actual law in America -- just 90 years ago:
…whoever, when the United States is at war, shall willfully utter, print, write or publish any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of government of the United States or the Constitution of the United States, or the military or naval forces of the United States, or the flag of the United States, or the uniform of the Army or Navy of the United States into contempt, scorn, contumely, or disrepute, or shall willfully utter, print, write, or publish any language intended to incite, provoke, or encourage resistance to the United States, or to promote the cause of its enemies, or shall willfully display the flag of any foreign enemy, or shall willfully by utterance, writing, printing, publication, or language spoken, urge, incite, or advocate any curtailment of production in this country of any thing or things, product or products, necessary or essential to the prosecution of the war in which the United States may be engaged, with intent by such curtailment to cripple or hinder the United States in the prosecution of war, and whoever shall willfully advocate, teach, defend, or suggest the doing of any of the acts or things in this section enumerated, and whoever shall by word or act support or favor the cause of any country with which the United States is at war or by word or act oppose the cause of the United States therein, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000 or the imprisonment for not more than twenty years, or both.
That's one hell of a scary run-on.
Posted By Bob Cesca | April 5, 2008 02:30 PM | DIGG ME!
Comments
Scary, yeah, but what's scarier is that if you introduced this as a bill in Congress right now, it would probably find more than a little bipartisan support.
Posted by: Nanotyrannus ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.bobcesca.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at April 5, 2008 03:43 PM
You could have told me it was the Patriot Act and I would have believed you.
Posted by: Alaska at April 6, 2008 01:37 AM
I'll have to read that again sometime when we're actually "at war" and not just running around killing people we think might not like us.
Posted by: Andhakari at April 8, 2008 01:48 AM
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