Registration
Leads to, err, I dunno:
Five-dollar registration fee for persons planning to overthrow US government
Terrorists who want to overthrow the United States government must now register with South Carolina’s Secretary of State and declare their intentions — or face a $25,000 fine and up to 10 years in prison.
February 8th, 2010 at 10:35 am
This is a just tax on the people of South Carolina. The politicians know you all hate them so they are going to tax you for it. Every time you vote someone out of office you overthrow the government.
February 8th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
You know, color me silly, but I think that law would run into a slight conflict with the 5th Amendment Right against self-incrimination. Just sayin’.
February 8th, 2010 at 3:57 pm
“how can you get a permit for a damned illegal thing!?” – Dr. Leonard McCoy, Star Trek III: The Search For Spock.
February 8th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
As the article mentions in passing toward the end, this merely imitates a strategy used against drug dealers and organized crime. Failure to declare income and pay taxes is an easier conviction than the base crime. The filing fee twist just means there’s no money in overthrowing the government.
And yes, to a layman like me it does seem like a violation of the 5th, but the courts have generally upheld it so far. Maybe this’ll turn out to be a different beast and constitutionally protected, if they find a judge more sympathetic to revolutionaries than common criminals.
February 8th, 2010 at 6:28 pm
Is there a fee for thinking that the South Carolina legislature is a bunch of ridiculous retards?
February 8th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
Nk that will be 5 dollars.
February 8th, 2010 at 11:39 pm
We “overthrow” our government each election year. Now, we can all either sign up as anarchists, or we can all tell them to “take a hike”. It is illegal to require payment of a “fee” as a qualifier for voting. Their actions are criminal and necessitate the use of self defense.