Stolen Valor Act of 2005

[chat_noir]

Stolen Valor Act of 2005 - Amends the federal criminal code to expand the prohibition against wearing, manufacturing, or selling military decorations or medals without legal authorization to prohibit purchasing, soliciting, mailing, shipping, importing, exporting, producing blank certificates of receipt for, advertising, trading, bartering, or exchanging such decorations or medals without authorization.

Prohibits falsely representing oneself as having been awarded any decoration or medal authorized by Congress for the Armed Forces or any of the service medals or badges.

Increases penalties for violations if the offense involves a distinguished service cross, an Air Force Cross, a Navy Cross, a silver star, or a Purple Heart.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SN01998:@@@D&summ2=m&



After weeks of denigration of the Democratic challenger's Vietnam war record, Mr Kerry's backers have responded with allegations against the President - including the claim that he was once photographed in uniform wearing a medal ribbon he had not earned.

As polls showed that Mr Bush had edged ahead of Mr Kerry for the first time, a pro-Kerry organisation labelled the President an "impostor" over the photograph, taken in 1970 and discovered in his father's Presidential Library in Houston, Texas.

The ribbon is an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award - which was not awarded to the 111th Fighter Intercept Squadron in which Mr Bush served until 1975, five years after the photograph was taken, according to the group US War Report.

"Why is this fraud important? Because it betrays the Honour Code that every officer learns and carries throughout his or her career," said Walt Starr who investigated the medals for the group. Separately a new book, Deserter, by Ian Williams, a British-born author, challenges the President with details of how he used his father's influence to join the Texas Air National Guard as a trainee pilot, thereby avoiding service in Vietnam, and then allegedly disappeared from his base without fulfilling his duty.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=684479&mesg_id=684479

[acmejack]

1. Good. Too many fake heroes running around.

It should be a crime to falsely display an unearned military decoration IMHO.

[fasttense]

2. I see this as nothing more than a restriction on Free Trade.

They are destroying the newly emerging market of war medals. If you are a billionaire and have never served your country, you should be able to buy a medal instead of risking your very valuable life for your country. How are all the neocons going to be able to get a hold of a medal if they aren't allowed to buy one? :shrug:

[TexasProgresive]

3. "Why is this fraud important?"

"Why is this fraud important? Because it betrays the Honour Code that every officer learns and carries throughout his or her career,"

Since BabyBush never went to OTS (Officer's Training School) I guess he didn't learn the honor code and his subsequent actions show that he is not carrying it in life.