Where did they leave that petard?

[pecunium]

South Carolina has just passed a law requiring, "subversive agents" to register Subversive Agent Registration Form(pdf), with the Secretary of State.

Subversive agent is a pretty broad category, in this law.

Check the appropriate box.
Do you or your organization directly or indirectly advocate, advise, teach or practice the duty or necessity of controlling, seizing or overthrowing the government of the United States, the state of South Carolina or any political division thereof?
[ ] YES [ ] NO

Penalties for failing to register are a fine of up to 25,000 dollars and as much as ten years in prison.

I wonder how many member of the Americans for a Republican Majority, etc. will register.

Comments

[onyxlynx]

Oh dear oh dear.

ROFLMAO!

(Ooops, that might be subversive; I'd better take some MAO-inhibitors.)

Oh, that could be so misused!

Thanks! That dropped my blood pressure.

[commodorified.livejournal.com]

Do you ... advocate, advise, teach or practice the duty or necessity of controlling ...the government of the United States...?

Um, I think people as are eligible to should control it by voting. Should I fill out the form? Will I get a sticker?

[fengi.livejournal.com]

Whut?

My theory:

1. Some constitutional lawyers hard up for cash arranged to have this passed.

2. REM wasn't getting enough royalties, and engineered this to make "Exhuming McCarthy" a topical hit.

[lonebear.livejournal.com]

I'd be willing to throw in $5 to register Palin. Or Limbaugh. Or BoneheadBoehner.

[benet.livejournal.com]

I just hope somebody registers the Continental Congress.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

I suspect they are defunct. I particularly like the, "list other members" portion of the form.

[benet.livejournal.com]

I meant more to make the point. With the "right of revolution" passages from the Declaration of Independence helpfully stapled to the form.

[baron-elric.livejournal.com]

Seems like Mark Sanford should register.

[baron-elric.livejournal.com]

Better would be how to find out how to report him for failing to register.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Yeppers. :)

[jpmassar.livejournal.com]

It would be kind of cool to start a movement to have millions of registered Democrats in the country all mail in their Subversive Agent Registration Forms, listing B. Obama under 'other members'.

[baron-elric.livejournal.com]

Just read the wording of the document again. Any person who votes at any level of government in South Carolina, or who lives there and votes in a federal election, or who encourages any other person to vote, falls under that definition as a subversive agent. Doesn't matter what party they support or anything else. Or that's how I read it.

It's an amazing source of funds for a battered state treasury or something that will be thrown out the first time a court has access to it.

[jpmassar.livejournal.com]

The form is in violation of the law. (Not the Constitution, the South Carolina law!).

The actual law (http://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t23c029.htm) specifies that the organization must advocate taking control, seizing or overthrowing the government by force or other illegal means whereas the form (http://www.scsos.com/forms/Miscellaneous/SubversiveAgentForm.pdf) leaves out this rather important qualification.

This is well worth printing out and sending in...

[izzydesan.livejournal.com]

And indeed, just the folks who would spend the time filling out such a form which was produced by said government they are attempting to overthrow!

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

*laughing* Yes, I wonder how many of them will register.

Good grief. Can't people take the 5th on that law.
Notice too, that they make you pay $5 to file the form.

[sylphslider.livejournal.com]

As a person who has just done an intensive reading of Civil War and Reconstruction history, including a large volume on the KKK - BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

This is too funny! I am going to repost it. :)

ETA: it occurs to me that all of the state's elementary school teachers and history or government teachers from 7th grade through University should also be required to fill that form out. I wonder - is the $5 deductible under business expenses?

[porysski.livejournal.com]

If I lived in SC, I'd definitely fill it out as the equivalent form was filled out in Wasp.