# Sedition **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 18, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sedition/671550 "2013-10-18T03:19:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sedition/671550/21 "2013-10-18T20:02:21Z")
They are economic terrorists. They conspired to do economic harm to the US and then they did it. They should be grabbed from their homes have black hoods put on them and never seen from again. (though they’d probably end up in Gitmo) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sedition/671550/22 "2013-10-18T20:22:46Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Not even if they are impeached? It’s not completely clear that members of Congress can be impeached. The Constitution says that “The President, Vice President, and all civil Officers of the United States” are subject to impeachment. But beyond naming the President and Vice President no definition is given on what constitutes a civil officer. There has only been one attempt at impeached a member of Congress: Senator William Blount in 1797 (he was the first person to be impeached in the United States). The House of Representatives passed a bill of impeachment against Blount but the Senate dismissed the bill without conducting an impeachment hearing on the grounds that it did not have jurisdiction to impeach Blount. It’s not clear on the exact grounds the Senate was citing. Some Senators argued at the time that a Senator was not a civil officer and was therefore not subject to impeachment. But the Senate did initially schedule an impeachment hearing and ordered Blount to appear before it. Blount, however, refused to appear and the Senate voted to expel Blount from the Senate due to his refusal. Lacking the accused, the hearing was postponed and eventually dismissed several months later. It could be argued that the impeachment had made moot only because it was superseded by Blount’s expulsion but that he was legally subject to impeachment before then. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sedition/671550/23 "2013-10-18T22:30:28Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > There are American federal sedition laws, still on the books, and having passed the test of First Amendment challenges in the SCOTUS… Not sure that’s true, actually. Which of these has there been a prosecution under the modern First Amendment tests (i.e., _Brandenburg_)? ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sedition/671550/24 "2013-10-18T22:34:59Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > They are economic terrorists. They conspired to do economic harm to the US and then they did it. > > They should be grabbed from their homes have black hoods put on them and never seen from again. > > (though they’d probably end up in Gitmo) :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sedition/671550/25 "2013-10-19T00:38:11Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > :rolleyes: wwwwwwhhhhhoooOOOOOOOOOoooooosssssshhhhhh ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sedition/671550/26 "2013-10-19T01:25:22Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > wwwwwwhhhhhoooOOOOOOOOOoooooosssssshhhhhh To be fair to **Lemur** , there have been all kinds of threads started in the last few weeks about how the TP Congresscritters should be prosecuted for what they did, or that Congress should be dissolved, or whatever. It’s funny how some lefties on this board are willing to shred the constitution in ways that would make Dick Cheney blush when it suits them. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sedition/671550/27 "2013-10-19T01:39:32Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > It’s funny how some lefties on this board are willing to shred the constitution in ways that would make Dick Cheney blush when it suits them. Does Cheney still have enough blood to blush? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sedition/671550/28 "2013-10-19T02:15:02Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > Does Cheney still have enough blood to blush? Sun’s been down a couple of hours in Wyoming. Give him a few minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sedition/671550/29 "2013-10-19T02:31:52Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > “Boy, it’s been a while since MoveOn has been in the news… How can we raise the profile of our organization? I know! We’ll put out a petition saying something outrageous that will get our partisan membership all fired up! Shoot, this petition doesn’t even have to be grounded in reality at all, just as long as it gets attention!” > > [/highfive] Well not really: Note: MoveOn Civic Action does not necessarily endorse the contents of petitions posted on this site. MoveOn Petitions is an open tool that anyone can use to post a petition advocating any point of view, so long as the petition does not violate our terms of service. The terms of service prohibits petitions that, “advocates hate, violence, abuse, threats, or harm against any group, individual or entity;” as well as an assortment of other criteria including, “is patently offensive under a community standard that we deem appropriate, examples include promoting racism, bigotry, pornography, hatred, or physical harm of any kind; is inconsistent with the goals, objectives, philosophies, and/or purpose of [MoveOn.org](http://MoveOn.org);” I’m not clear whether this qualifies as having such inconsistence. One might hope it would, but who knows? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sedition/671550/30 "2013-10-19T03:29:55Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > Does Cheney still have enough blood to blush? He can make the scales turn pretty much any color, so blood is not really an issue. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sedition/671550/31 "2013-10-19T06:51:31Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > See the [Espionage Act of 1917,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espionage_Act_of_1917) the [Sedition Act of 1918](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedition_Act_of_1918), and \*\*the [Smith Act,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_Act) the latter of which [was used to try and convict Communists just for being Communists\*\*](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_Act_Trials). Well, then we can also try and convict Republicans just for, you know, being Republicans! Sounds good to me! Anyway . . . THIS THREAD HAS BEEN TOO DAMN FUCKING CIVIL SO FAR! Come on, folks! This is THE PIT, y’know? Let’s have a bit more cursing, insults, and invective. Y’all want this thread to get moved to Great Debates or something? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sedition/671550/32 "2013-10-19T07:33:47Z")
I think our recent dose of idiocy was just want the country needed to remind us that many of the people who govern us are idiots who should not be in charge of anything as important as sorting mail. That is why we send them to Congress, where they can froth like a cappuccino of crazy. These are the same kinds of morons who gave us HUAC and the red scare. My concern is that Ted Cruz is a wickedly smart and capable demagogue of the highest order, and that he will turn his new found fame and two million strong idiot donor list into a political movement. He doesn’t seem to have scruples, morals, ethics or anything that might impede his manipulation of the Gullible Ordinary People for his own twisted ends. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sedition/671550/33 "2013-10-19T13:02:41Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > My concern is that Ted Cruz is a wickedly smart and capable demagogue of the highest order, and that he will turn his new found fame and two million strong idiot donor list into a political movement. He doesn’t seem to have scruples, morals, ethics or anything that might impede his manipulation of the Gullible Ordinary People for his own twisted ends. Well, at least you don’t have to worry about him becoming president - after all, he was born in Canada. All the birthers, being logical and consistent individuals, would never _ever_ let anyone not born in the US of A be prez. (goose, gander, . . .) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sedition/671550/34 "2013-10-19T13:11:35Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > My concern is that Ted Cruz is a wickedly smart and capable demagogue of the highest order, and that he will turn his new found fame and two million strong idiot donor list into a political movement. He doesn’t seem to have scruples, morals, ethics or anything that might impede his manipulation of the Gullible Ordinary People for his own twisted ends. But his planned path to power will be thwarted when somebody explains to him that the United States doesn’t have an office of Chancellor for him to be appointed to. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sedition/671550/35 "2013-10-19T16:34:36Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > But his planned path to power will be thwarted when somebody explains to him that the United States doesn’t have an office of Chancellor for him to be appointed to. He got into Harvard Law school, meaning he is smarter than 99.99 percent of the population. We see what he is doing, but two million people who didn’t know him before this crisis donated money to his campaign over the last month. We’ve seen the idiot drunk Joe McCarthy take this country by the throat, but not a sober genius with no scruples. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sedition/671550/36 "2013-10-19T18:08:17Z")
> [@raventhief](#): > > Obamacare is the law of the land. Passed, signed and vetted by the Supremes. Failing numerous attempts to legally overturn it, it appears that some parties decided to try to use leverage to prevent the law from going into effect through a shutdown, invective, and whatnot. Can legal representatives of the government be guilty of sedition? No because Congress is not legally obliged to fund it so they did nothing illegal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sedition/671550.md?page=1)