[BITList] only in america

[x50type at cox.net]

  only in america could it be construed as free speech [and so protected under the constitution] to lie about military medals you didn’t earn!
  ct

    High court to rule on lying about military medals
      a.. 
    (AP)  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will decide if telling a lie about yourself is a crime — if the lie claims military medals you didn't earn.

    The court said Monday it will rule on the constitutionality of a law that makes it a federal crime for people to claim falsely, either in writing or aloud, that they have been awarded the Medal of Honor, a Silver Star, Purple Heart or any other military medal.

    The Stolen Valor Act, which passed Congress with overwhelming support in 2006, apparently has been used only a few dozen times, but the underlying issue of false claims of military heroism has struck a chord in an era in which American soldiers are fighting two wars.

    At the same time, the justices have issued a series of rulings in recent terms in favor of free expression, striking down California's violent video restrictions and a federal law involving cruelty to animals. It also upheld the right of protesters to picket military funerals with provocative, even offensive, messages.

    The federal appeals court in California struck down the military medals law on free speech grounds, and appeals courts in Colorado, Georgia and Missouri are considering similar cases.
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