Sedition and Treason

[GTurck]

These are two words that should enter our lexicon more and more. Every time I read or hear the right spout off these words jump to my mind and it could be the use of these words are game changer we need. Can they claim otherwise? If they did how would it sound?

I am not against a fair and reasoned opposition to my liberal views but I am against all 'isms' that become seditious and treasonous as regards the American experiment. We are not a perfect nation but until Reagan we often tried, successfully, to correct the worst of our issues. Until Reagan the trains ran on time, schools worked fairly well and were trying to improve, electricity - water - telephones were fairly well run (always room for improvement though). The only benefit was that more working class people could fly across the country much cheaper.

That is if they had a job that allowed for vacations and had a wage that could pay the new "lower" prices. You know union jobs.

But back to sedition and treason which seems to be the way the Tea Parties and the GOP intend to save this country from the Constitution.

[MadHound]

1. Oh geez, we've been down this road before,

It got really ugly then, it would get really ugly now.

And frankly how are you going to judge what is seditious and treasonous? What are the criteria? Is it going to be aimed only at conservatives? What happens when it is used, as it inevitably will be, against the left.

Believe it or not, we've had this kind of turmoil on the right before, and we've worked through it without resorting to extreme measures. I think that we can do so again.

[EstimatedProphet]

2. But what about when it really is seditious and treasonous?

For example, openly calling for the assassination of the president. Some people on the right have done that (although to my knowledge no one in the media has yet).

It is my opinion that there are elements on the right that have the ultimate goal of fomenting civic violence. I simply do not believe that Fox directors and personalities, for example, can actually believe that the obvious propaganda they put out daily about how the country is being destroyed will not lead to violence. They have to know it will - it's already happened enough times. Yet they still keep racheting up the rhetoric even though it is obvious that it will cause violence at some point. How is that not incitement? How is that not sedition?

[pinboy3niner]

3. +1

I'm not sure we even HAVE a statute on sedition any more, after this country's past experience. And there is a much higher standard for conduct to meet to amount to treason.

Usually, it's the Right--the professed staunch defenders of the Constitution--that wants to weaken constitutional protections, and the Left that defends them (despite disagreements over interpretation of the Second Amendment).

The spewings of some on the right may seem to be inciting violence, but there is a high bar to meet for that crime, as well. Short of directing specific violent acts, it's free speech--something that is protected for all of us, and which shouldn't be modified for partisan ends, despite the ugliness.

[GTurck]

4. My point...

is that the right is saying things that are way out of normal opposition. They carp of their disdain for the rights and freedoms of Americans because those Americans are different from them or have had different experiences from them and see the world differently because of it.

The word respect is important but sedition is another name for rabble-rousing and agitation meant to weaken the common good to privilege themselves.

Having lived through the McCarthy era I am mindful of knee jerk behaviors and thinking but also that it takes courage to speak the truth when truth is not respected. Currently the attempt is being made by rabble-rousers to frighten Americans into acquiescence. They want individuals to become a mob that follows them. That is sedition.

[galileoreloaded]

5. We need a left leaning McCarthy, one who carries out witchhunts for US

and we need him soon.......:eyes:

[GTurck]

6. No...

no, no! We just need to hold people accountable and aware of what they are saying.