If you intend to overthrow the government, you must notify it in advance and pay a $5.00 fee. [Bruce Schneier, Patrick at Popehat]
Correction/P.S.: According to Eugene Volokh, the underlying source (Raw Story) erred in thinking that there’s anything new about this South Carolina law, which has been on the books since 1951, a period when many anti-Communist laws were being enacted. I’ve amended the headline accordingly. Commenters at Volokh.com say a pending bill in the state legislature would repeal the provision, whose enforceability is in any case doubtful under established constitutional law.
9 Comments
Does that include the Republican Party?
Bob
How much help do we need?
Somewhere there are people who thought this was a good idea…and not enough of them had the balls or common sense to say, “hey, I think we might have a problem here.”
To whom should I make out the check?
/sarc
This is one of those evil laws that will allow the authorities to threaten people accused of otherwise minor offenses and people who haven’t done anything illegal at all with lengthy prison sentences. The foolish teenager who scrawls racist graffiti on a bathroom wall, the Marxist handing out literature on a university campus, the libertarian blogging from South Carolina against the government, and the Muslim proselytizing for his religion; all can now be threatened with lengthy jail terms because of their failure to register as subversives.
Much like the time I read that Bloomington, IL issues a license for necromancers (I have no idea if that was true, or is true), I’m tempted to apply just to say I did.
“Oh, I’m allowed to say that. I’m a licensed subversive. And necromancer.”
Are you sure it wasn’t North Carolina? Because I thought I was already registered;)
Do you think the rest of the Sanford family would qualify if they want to overthrow their governor husband/father?
[…] Eugene Volokh says there’s nothing new about it, it appears to date to the Red Scare in 1951. Corrected earlier post here. […]