Doesn't The "Stolen Valor" Ruling Bother Anyone?

[SlowwHand]

There's no "deemed" to it. There's no "what exists in your mind" catch-all as an excuse.

[Wiglaf]

So the government should be in charge of determining what's bull**** and what's a sincere belief and prosecuting those who the government has deemed to be liars?

If no one is harmed, how is lying equivalent to theft or fraud? Does falsely claiming you won the medal of honor actually hurt anyone? It would hurt yourself of course, since if you're exposed you now have a reputation as a liar. So if you can actually prove someone is lying, then lying already hurts them.

who cares if it hurts anyone, or how much it hurts anyone? stealing a $50 painting from a poor man is as much a crime as stealing the same painting from a multi billionaire...

some lies hurt people very much and are not criminal. when i lie to my girlfriend and tell her i am not seeing anyone else, that is hurtful and not criminal. if i lie to my employer to get a job, that becomes criminal b/c fradulent; if i lie to the police to hide my affairs that could be obstruction; if i lie under oath that is perjury; etc...even if it hurts no one, or is a technicality...

[loinburger]

I led my niece to believe that Santa Claus is real - I guess I can look forward to her eventually accusing me of being a thief and subsequently shooting me

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

If they land a job because of that deception, it looks like a clear-cut case of fraud to me. Why do Americans tie themselves up in knots over these laws?

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Actually, ignore everything I wrote up there. It's a great approach to the law. I'm off to the nearest US hospital where I will be claiming to be a gynaecologist.

[Aeson]

I received Medal of Honor (for the PS2) as a gift. That makes me a Medal of Honor recipient ... no lie.

[Elok]

Actually, ignore everything I wrote up there. It's a great approach to the law. I'm off to the nearest US hospital where I will be claiming to be a gynaecologist.

There are jobs where having a military honor is not only a requirement, but a relevant requirement affecting one's ability to perform the job?

Also, how hard is it to confirm that someone did, in fact, receive a medal, esp. a medal of honor? Those aren't all that common.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Who would they check with? Someone else who might exercise their freedom of speech to lie about it as well?

[Elok]

The branch of the military, or congress, that supposedly awarded the thing in the first place? I know multiple people have asked the Navy and confirmed that L. Ron Hubbard's purported eighteen billion medals are BS. I don't think that's restricted to founders of religions.

[Al B. Sure!]

The problem is there's Stolen Valor people running around misrepresenting and bringing dishonor to the US military; detailing atrocities, etc.

This is a case where a basic sense of justice says throw the ****ers in jail but unfortunately, consistency with regards to the 1st amendment requires them to be not prosecuted.

[Al B. Sure!]

There are jobs where having a military honor is not only a requirement, but a relevant requirement affecting one's ability to perform the job?

Not a medal but service? Yes definitely, including preferential hiring for veterans.

We're not just talking about people claiming medals here. We're also talking people claiming to be in the military or having served.

I've heard second-hand about this stuff. Where a Marine reservist starting working at a job and was told there's this former special forces Marine that worked there. The reservist asked a few questions and easily found out the guy was a fake yet he had the staff, that don't know any better, fooled for years and had long considered the guy a special hero they had working there.

Dishonesty, especially dishonesty with regards to something that we deem as heroic, just bothers our moral sensibilities and you should feel there should be some justice. If anyone acts like Sloww is an idiot, you apparently operate in a different world with regards to right and wrong from us. Unfortunately, that pesky free speech...

[loinburger]

There are many things that offend my moral sensibilities, but I'm not an idiot Texan who thinks that people should be shot merely for offending my moral sensibilities

[Lorizael]

Yes definitely, including preferential hiring for veterans.

That probably explains why the unemployment rate among veterans is so much higher than among the population generally.

[Wiglaf]

Who would they check with? Someone else who might exercise their freedom of speech to lie about it as well?

They'd just check with the government. And yes, if a job applicant and the government both willingly lie to help the applicant get hired, those are examples of fraud.

I have no idea on earth why you would criminalize saying "I have a medal of valor" unless it involves fraud/perjury/etc. Should it also be a crime to lie and tell girlfriend she isn't fat? Because your honor I would plead GUILTY AS HELL. To be honest, I'm closer to having a medal of valor/honor/whatever you losers call it than a skinny girlfriend.

[Hauldren Collider]

Whay part of free do you not understand?

The part where sometimes people say things that he doesn't like.