On July 16th, a federal Judge ruled against an Act that previously made it a crime to lie about valiant service and having won a metal. In his ruling, judge Blackburn ruled in favor of the First Amendment, arguing that the accused's actions were in the intreats of freedom of speech. The case was brought up when Rick Glen Strandlof claimed he was an ex-Marine who was wounded in Iraq and received the Purple Heart and Silver Star, but the military had no record of said service. He was charged with violating the Stolen Valor Act, which makes it a crime punishable by up to a year in jail to falsely claim to have won a military medal.
The presiding U.S. District Judge, Robert Blackburn, dismissed the case and said the law is unconstitutional, ruling the government did not show it has a compelling reason to restrict that type of statement.
Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., who sponsored the Stolen Valor Act in the House, predicted that the decision would be overturned on appeal.
"This is an issue of fraud, plain and simple!" Salazar said in a written release. "The individuals who violate this law are those who knowingly portray themselves as pillars of the community for personal and monetary gain."
I am not sure on what grounds Judge Robert Blackburn based his decision, but I thought fraud was defined as intending to defraud someone for personal or private gain. This is exactly what Rick Strandlof appeared to do. What about the harm it does to all the true heroes who earned their medals the hard way, by shedding their blood or giving their life for this country, just to have someone misrepresent themselves for personnel and private gain.
This is a blatant slap in the face to all veterans and patriotic American citizens.
No comments:
Post a Comment