When I’m in office, if you want to demonstrate, do it right in front of the White House if you want to. I want to know what you’re unhappy about. In fact I want to have meetings with citizen groups on a monthly basis, to hear, and to know your problems. Search “Sedition Act” on the Internet.
But read here: From Time Magazine October 6, 1967
There was little thought of prosecuting the anti-imperialist of 1898. But when the first of the 20th century's conflicts with the Germans began, President Woodrow Wilson, for all his liberal political philosophy, found it necessary to approve espionage and sedition laws designed to curb the scattered dissenters who opposed the idea of fighting Germany. Most of the protest was directed against military conscription. But the Socialist Party came out flatly against U.S. participation in the war. In all, some 1,500 dissenters were jailed; among them was Socialist Presidential Candidate Eugene V. Debs, who had praised draft dodgers, and subtly tried to spread dissension in the Army.
But Debs and the others caused little stir. The Federal Government's Committee on Public Information, headed by George Creel, whipped up pro-war sentiment so skillfully that Wilson, who had won re-election on the slogan "He kept us out of war," emerged relatively unscathed by his switch. Even so, he had his share of vocal critics. The rabidly pro-war Theodore Roosevelt damned the President as a "treacherous hypocrite," and pro-German Irish-Americans called him "the best President England ever had." Other enemies heaped scorn on his "messiah complex."
150,000 in America went to prison under this law during WW I. How dare citizens complain about the government. Now this situation is actually covered under the new Homeland Security Act, and The War Commissions Act of 2006.
Sedition Act of “1797” & “1917”: (to shut up Americans complaining)
16 May 1918
The U.S. Sedition Act
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
United States, Statutes at Large, Washington, D.C., 1918,
Vol. XL, pp 553 ff.
A portion of the amendment to Section 3 of the Espionage Act of
June 15, 1917. The act was subsequently repealed in 1921.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SECTION 3. Whoever, when the United
States is at war, shall willfully make or convey false reports, or false
statements with intent to interfere with the operation, or success of the
military, or naval forces of the United States, or to promote the success of
its enemies, or shall willfully make or convey false reports, or false
statements,...or incite insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of
duty, in the military or naval forces of the United States, or shall willfully
obstruct...the recruiting or enlistment service of the United States, or ... 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 shall willfully display the flag of any foreign enemy, or
shall willfully ... urge, incite, or advocate any curtailment of production ...
or 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 imprisonment for not more than twenty
years, or both....
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are about 186,000 entries on
“Google” about the Sedition Act. You will have to read more on your own.
If they did this in 1797, and again in 1918, they can do this
again, under the idea that this is needed to protect the American government,
from the citizens. (Really the politicians) so you can easily be
arrested for any interference, or badmouthing the government actions, to do
away with the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
To “protect” the government of
course, not the citizens.
News Flash: Associated Press
Thursday, May 4th, 2006
Helena, Montana (edited for
briefness)
It was a black mark on dozens of
family histories that lingered for nearly nine decades, until journalism
professor, and a group of law students examined what happened to citizens who
spoke out against the government during World War 1.
On Wednesday, (in Montana) nearly
80 people convicted of sedition amid the war’s anti-German hysteria received
the first posthumous pardons in Montana history, including one who was charged
merely for calling the conflict a “rich man’s war”, and mocking food
regulations during a time of rationing.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer said the state was “about 80 years too late” in
pardoning the mostly working class people of German decent who were convicted of
breaking what was then one of the harshest sedition laws in the nation.
Herman Bausch, was a pacifist who
refused to buy war bonds, and spent 28 months in prison for being outspoken
about it.
August Lambrecht was imprisoned for 7 months for predicting the United
States would get a licking in France.
Seventy-six men, and women were convicted of Sedition. They were
imprisoned for an average of 19 months, often based on casual comments made in
saloons. At the time profane language, or insulting the virtues of women
usually resulted in longer sentence.
78 received pardons Wednesday.
Liquor salesman Ben Kahn spent 34 months in prison. “This is a rich mans
war, and we have no business in it” he told a hotel owner. The poor man has no
show in this war. “The soldiers are fighting battles for the rich”.
But even those who cussed the president, and the flag should not be
considered criminals, said professor Clem Work, of the University of Montana.
Work said “many were turned in by friends, acquaintances, or in some cases by
people jealous of their land holdings”. Professor Work’s book “Darkest
before Dawn”: “Sedition, and Free Speech in the American West” inspired law
students at the university to write petitions for the pardons, and help find
family members. That was just in Montana, how many in other states were also
arrested?
Now we have the “Patriots Act”,
and “Homeland Security”, a different name, but to do the very same thing
to citizens, who may say anything against the present government system. There
was a Senate bill during Nixon’s presidency that enabled the government to
charge us with “that for any negative comments about our government,
you can be arrested”.
That’s exactly what President Bush
is up to.
Do we now have a
Sedition Act? You bet
Go to http://www.Thirdworldtraveler.com Search this site for many items, very
interesting.
Especially look
at these links to Fascism, and other subjects.
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Fascism/14_Characteristics_Fascism.html
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Thirdworldization_America/Thirdworldization_Amer.html
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Third_World_US/ThirdWorld_US.html
Are you MAD yet?