3.07.2008

The Art of Sedition

What's this you say? Sedition? Isn't that some old law that was kind of like treason, but only used against Commies and then dropped by our country?

Emphatically no! It was "some old law" that was turned into or rolled into some new laws, not only used against Commies, and certainly not dropped by our country. In fact, it is still being enforced as we speak. Let's, for one moment, set the record straight.

What it is:

Sedition;
Sedition is a term of law which refers to covert conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority as tending toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent (or resistance) to lawful authority. Sedition may include any commotion, though not aimed at direct and open violence against the laws. Seditious words in writing are seditious libel.
and
The Sedition Act of 1798 generated so much opposition (see Alien and Sedition Acts) that similar statutes were not enacted until the 20th cent. During World War I the Espionage Act (1917) and the Sedition Act (1918) punished speeches and writings that interfered with the war effort or caused contempt for the government.


How it was used.

Sedition is still very much on the books today, and during this time of war and period of national discontent the government has sought to remove it from it's hiding place, dust it off, and make it useful once again. It is (supposedly) harder now for our government to convict persons of acts of sedition in modern day courts, due to the changes the crime of sedition has gone through in our history. For example, forcing sedition charges to be proven to have a real and immediate threat to the nation, otherwise known as the clear-and-present-danger test.[1] Of course, our judiciary committee often times chose to circumvent or outright ignore this requirement in their pursuit of subversive citizens, but that is a topic for later discussion. The rolling of the sedition act into the espionage act of 1918 had some interesting results in our country, actually suppressing the first amendment rights of workers even more so by stipulating the criminal behavior to include
'"[...]utter, print, or publish disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of government, the Constitution, soldiers and sailors, [the] flag, or uniform of the armed forces[...]' with intent to bring scorn, contempt, and disrepute upon them."[1]


It would seem that my entire blog is an act of sedition, and I have it down to an art form at that. Of course it was widely labeled as being unconstitutional, not that it stopped our government from persecuting prosecuting approximately two thousand American citizens for simply having an opinion. Cases such as Schenck v. United states (249 U.S. 47, 1919) brought about that aforementioned clear-and-present-danger test, to supposedly protect American citizens from being unfairly, and unconstitutionally singled out for simply exercising their first amendment rights. This, of course, didn't work.Frohwerk v. United States (249 U.S. 204, 1919) maintained that even just printing a pamphlet would still land you a sedition and espionage conviction. Case after case and trial after trial, appeal denials after appeal denials, the unconstitutionally obtained power took hold and rooted quickly with not just the Judiciaries of the US, but also the people. It came full swing to bite us in the collective rears during the Red Scare of the cold war, where the nasty little sedition and espionage crime wave came back in full force.

Where is it today?

Fast forward for just a moment to present day issues. The vast majority of the population opposes not only the war waging on in Iraq, the movement towards Iran and other Middle Eastern countries, but a variety of domestic policies that have started a wave of analytical opposition by groups and individuals alike. In previous posts I have referenced new and old legislation pertaining to the organization of groups in the US who oppose the government, as well as bills such as HR 1955 and violations of our first amendment rights which not only include free speech, but also the right to petition our government for a redress of our grievances.

What's all the hubub, Bub?

Today, the government having been slapped with mild restrictions on who they can and can't lock away for speaking out against the government has found a new and improved way to use the old sedition act. Who says our country doesn't reuse and recycle? They have tied the act to our financial and economic dependency. Much like the Red Scare where people were often screened for Communist, Anarchist, Syndicalist and other subversive ties in their positions, particularly those of a sensitive nature, our government has saw fit to require the government's version of screening 4.0 of individuals in particular skills and trades on the basis of "Homeland Security". Most notably is the TWIC or Transportation Workers Identification Credentials. Any person who works in a port or transportation industry who may have unescorted access into secure or sensitive areas will be required to obtain additional dual interface integrated circuit chip encoded identification cards, at the bargain basement price of $132.50 a pop. No big deal, right? Wrong. The government has finally legalized the unconstitutional practice of employers asking employees if they've been to ant-war, anti- bush rallies, or if they are aligned with "subversive" political ideologies. Well, sort of.

Actually the government has seen fit to simply use the threat of financial loss to try and keep people from speaking out against their government. Here, See for yourself:

"What are the permanent disqualifying criminal offenses?

Per 1572.103(a):
(1) Espionage or conspiracy to commit espionage
(2) Sedition or conspiracy to commit sedition
(3) Treason or conspiracy to commit treason
(4) A federal crime of terrorism (18 U.S.C. 2332(g)) or comparable State law


Look at the first four reasons for disqualification and denial of the identity card. Sedition is number two. This is a blatant attempt to frighten people who's lives and families depend on the very income they will be denied if the government so much as whiffs seditious acts or subversive behavior. While most people certainly wouldn't be successfully tried right here, right now for sedition, the mere threat of losing one's ability to fully perform their duties at work, thus lose their job is typically enough to keep them from doing it in the first place. Also note that it say "conspiracy to commit sedition" meaning if that employees spouse, such oh, yours truly were to need one of these cards my blog could be enough to disqualify my husband's eligibility. All in the name of "safety". Even though most employees who have access now already undergo background checks and screening.

Of course, there is a rub to this, the loophole as it were. Sedition, as it is currently worded is to take action or encourage the abolition of, or oppose, obstruct etc.. a lawful authority. Who and what are lawful authorities? That is for the next post, I'm afraid.

Hat tip to Chelle from Offended Blogger for bringing this to my attention.



Sources:

[1] Civil Liberties and the Constitution Cases and Commentaries Barker, Lucius and Barker, Twiley Jr. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J. 1970 (pg178-193)

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sedition
http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/layers/twic/twic_faqs.shtm
and citations in text.

15 comments:

Chelle Blögger said...

I am glad I could help unstick your brain and this is a great post.

Lucky for me that my hubby and I are not actively practicing sedition.

Anonymous said...

Very interesting George Bush must hate my guts.

Anok said...

That IS good Chelle! And thanks again...

Shirley, why do you say that?

Highlander said...

Scary. And most likely where our government keeps getting there ideas from. Although at least our lot appear to be dropping proposals.....

jmsjoin said...

Yhea Anok I love it, you definitely have it down to an art and we are on the road to Sedition. This engineered well timed financial collapse is the final step to make people receptive being totally controlled supposedly for our ouwn good. it will get much worse before people do wake enmasse and realize sedition is our only option.

Unknown said...

Scary stuff. Unlike Emma Goldman though, Anok, I doubt if you'll get deported to Russia!

jmsjoin said...

Anok
In case you do not visit me today I wanted to make sure you saw this exchange! US Prepares For 'Doomsday' Rule As British Forces Arrive In America

Sorcha Faal

Russian Military Analysts are reporting in the Kremlin today that China's President Hu has refused the United States request for over $2 Trillion in emergency assistance to bolster the collapsing American Dollar, and asked for in a personal meeting with the former US President Bush, the father of the current President Bush.

Of the worst fears of the American Bush-Clinton Monarchy, which has ruled the US these past 20 years, these reports state, is the collapse of their privately owned hedge fund called the Carlyle Capital Fund and which is owned by their secretive war profiteering International behemoth Carlyle Group led by the Bush Family, Former British Prime Ministers, and others of the West's ruling elite, and as we can read as reported by Britain's Independent News Service:

"A fund managed by the US private equity giant Carlyle Group has become the latest to be hit by demands from lending banks making calls on loans secured on mortgage bonds.

Carlyle Capital Corp, a publicly traded fund that holds $21.7bn (£10.8bn) of securities, said it had received a default notice from one of its lending banks and expected at least one more after it failed to meet demands for extra security from jittery counterparties.

The Guernsey-based fund has struggled to meet more than $60m of margin calls and demands for extra collateral since the start of the month. It met the calls until Wednesday, when it was landed with more than $37m of demands and missed four out of seven calls."

To the greatest concerns, however, of Russian Military Commanders are the reports of President Bush's younger brother Neil's 'sudden' visit to the South American Nation of Paraguay as a guest of the secretive South Korean backer of the Bush-Clinton Monarchy, and self-proclaimed "messiah" Reverend Sun Myung Moon, and as we can read as reported by the Associated Press News Service:

"Neil Bush, younger brother of U.S. President George W. Bush, called on Paraguay's president as the guest of a business federation founded by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon.

A presidential press office source, who spoke on condition of not being named, confirmed the younger Bush met President Nicanor Duarte on Thursday along with a delegation from the Universal Peace Federation, a group associated with Moon."

[It is important to note that the Bush Family has reportedly already made plans to relocate from the United States to Paraguay, and as we had reported on in our October 15, 2006 report titled "US President Bush Makes Massive Land Purchase In Paraguay Ahead Of Expected War Crimes Charges", but denied by the US State Department, as that South American Nation has long been a refuge for Nazi War Criminals and their Western backers, of which the Bush Family were one of.]

The timing of this Bush Family-Moon visit to Paraguay during that Nation's horrific outbreak of yellow fever, and which has caused its President to declare a 'State of Emergency', meant, these reports say, that 'normal' abilities of [deleted] to track the whereabouts of these subjects was severely hampered due to the many restrictions placed upon the free movement of people within the country.

This has led Russian Commanders to believe that the Bush-Clinton Monarchy may be preparing for what the Americans themselves have titled a 'Doomsday' scenario under new laws passed in the US in 2005 and which has been described as:

"No longer do Capitol Hill legislators need a quorum to do the people's business. Now under a piece of hotly contested legislation passed without media attention on Jan. 5,[2005] only a few members of Congress are needed to do official business in the event of a catastrophe instead of the usual 218. Critics claim H. Res. 5 paves the way for tyranny, allowing "only a few to decide for so many."

As we had previously reported on in our February 24, 2008 report titled "Canadian Troops To Patrol US Cities As Food Riots Feared", and where Russian Military Analysts had voiced their fears of the agreement signed by the Americans and Canada to allow their troops on each others soil, these new reports detail an even darker picture that details that British, and not American, Officers are currently being trained to 'control' US citizens, and as we can read as reported by the LJWorld News Service in their report titled "Brits overrun town for training exercise", and which says:

"Thursday may have seemed like any other day for most in Leavenworth, but for about 180 British officers, an enemy was on the loose threatening civilians. Tactical forces were moved in, and soldiers took their positions outside schools and churches preparing to isolate the terrorist activity. While it may have been a fictional enemy in theory, for visiting officers with the United Kingdom's Intermediate Command and Staff Course who were roaming the streets of Leavenworth, the tactical solutions they used to end the threats were real."

In previous reports we had detailed how the US Military had begun asking their soldiers if they would fire on American citizens and which has led to their War Leaders request to have Canadian and British Military Forces take command in putting down the expected rebellions in the United States as they are more likely to have no problems killing those not of their own nationality.

Facing the American people now is the very real coming destruction of their Nation, and which their leaders have planned both for the success, and failure of, no matter the cost in human lives.

But, in viewing from outside this destruction of the United States, it remains unsettling how few of these people realize the great danger they are in. It is as if they believe that by their not knowing the truth of the monsters who are leading them they themselves will somehow be protected.

And, as their once World-valued currency plummets into worthlessness, as tens of thousands of them begin to lose their jobs, as the price they pay for fuel and food continues skyrocketing, as they continue to be forced out of their homes by the millions, as many millions more of them have watched the value of their homes crumble into dust, virtually none of them are preparing for the catastrophes to come.

One cannot help but believe that these peoples are all insane.

5:46 AM
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Blogger an average patriot said...

Brother
You make me laugh! If you have the room you should eventually get some chickens. They can take care of themselves essentially. You do not need a rooster for eggs only for reproduction. Interesting subject but anyway!
You are right though. I have posted on it a few times because now the chief idiot is telling the so called terrorists that it is okay to torture my sons. This gut is a friggen idiot. What a waste of humanity! We don't have enough to worry about he just keeps piling it on. Eventually...

5:49 AM
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Blogger an average patriot said...

larry
Sorcha Faals doomsday scenario as well as the crap about Bush and Paraguay we have again discussed numerous times but it is very scary and sadly real.
It is going to happen but most here are too pampered and stupid to realize how screwed we are. It is coming and soon!
When I got out of the service in 1978 I tried to get my 3 brothers to buy houses with me in a square so we could build a protective compound.
They thought I was crazy. I am not as vulnerable as most though and I will help those around me wherever I am. In this regard I had a good conversation with brother yesterday. I will send this to Brother and Anok so thanks. i haven't had a chance to check on Bush's crap for the day and maybe I will discuss this today, we'll see!

6:09 AM

Dave Dubya said...

Anok,

It looks like the choice has become clear. In the new American Reich, politically and socially conscious Americans must choose either sedition... or sedation.

Anonymous said...

The US was forged in the crucible of revolution, so surely sedition is as American as mom and apple pie?

Infensus Mentis said...

You're all punk rock and hardcore 'n anarchist 'n shit. See, we're not all stupid mono-profano-syllabic dumpster-divers after all.

Unknown said...

Huh, enfensus mentis? Were you having a go or being complementary?

jmsjoin said...

Hey Anok
I noticed you were not on TC's Roll Call of Progressive Patrios and he said if you contact him he will put you on his list on the left. Pretty cool I think!

Anok said...

Thanks for all the great comments - sorry I have been slightly overwhelmed at the moment to respond properly!

Dave Dubya, PhilBC, perfectly correct! And I will be stealing the Sedition or sedation line ;)

Highlander, thanks for stopping in! I think you're on to something!

Daniel, no I don't think they'd let me out of the country for fear I might come back with reinforcements! But, erm, having a go at what? I've been out of it a little, what did I miss?

Jim, as always, thanks for the great comments. I will check out that story as soon as I can!

I'll be back and blogging shortly folks, I've been blogging the old fashioned way a little bit, you know, pen and paper!

Till then, thanks a bunch!

Unknown said...

My comment was addressed to "Infensus Mentis". You're doing great work anok!

Anok said...

Oh, heh, yeah. I think he was being complimentary..he is all punk rock too, from what I can see ;)