December 13, 2005

Invoke The Logan Act

The Logan Act prohibits American citizens from disrupting American foreign policy via direct contact with foreign government or officials.

"Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

This section shall not abridge the right of a citizen to apply, himself or his agent, to any foreign government or the agents thereof for redress of any injury which he may have sustained from such government or any of its agents or subjects."

In light of this long-standing statutory prohibition, will there be an indctment of this seditious loon?

The Irish Government must stop the US military using Shannon Airport to transport troops to the Middle East, American anti-war campaigner Cindy Sheehan demanded ahead of a meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern today.

The ‘Peace Mom’ spent the summer camped outside President George Bush’s Texan ranch waiting for him to speak to her about the death of her 24-year-old son in Iraq in April 2004.

Her actions galvanised the anti-war movement in the US and today she called on Irish people to stand up against their countryÂ’s involvement in the Iraq conflict.

Ms Sheehan said she wanted an end to the occupation of Iraq and to IrelandÂ’s involvement in allowing troop flights to stop over in the airport.

And she wanted to show Mr Ahern the face of a grieving mother.

Ms Sheehan, who was wearing a badge with her son’s face on it, said: “I want him to see Casey, and to see the face of a mother and to say that it’s not just about right and left, not about politics, it’s about flesh and blood.”

The violation of federal law is clear here. Three steps need to be taken immediately regarding Ms. Sheehan.

Investigate.

Indict.

Imprison.

She has become a potential national security threat -- even if no one takes her seriously.

Posted by: Greg at 11:40 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 That would be fun to see the government try to silence Sheehan. It would be the biggest PR disaster ever, and they wouldn't get a conviction. Go ahead, hand her a highly-publicized victory and interfere with an American's free speech.

Posted by: Dan at Wed Dec 14 00:37:31 2005 (aSKj6)

2 So Dan, you must be advocating taking the Logan Act through the courts as it's an unconstitutional infringement on the 1st Amendment? Or, doesn't the 1st Amendment have limits?

Posted by: Hube at Wed Dec 14 12:25:26 2005 (TeQbW)

3 The Logan Act has been repeatedly upheld over the last two hundred years. And since those who wrote it were more or less the same group who drafted the First Amendment, I think we would have to argue that they knew where free speech ended and seditious actions began.

Posted by: Rhymes With Right at Wed Dec 14 14:01:52 2005 (cpBb3)

4 No, I didn't say it's always unconstitutional. I'm just promising that they would lose in this case. Let me play like I'm W for a moment, and taunt my opponents where someone else is bearing the risk - if the right wing wants to prosecute Sheehan for a Logan Act violation, "Bring it on."

Posted by: Dan at Thu Dec 15 00:44:34 2005 (aSKj6)

5 And the basis for your assertion?

Posted by: Rhymes With Right at Thu Dec 15 13:03:00 2005 (I6NwB)

6 And by the way, dan, you implicitly argue the unconstitutionality of the Logan Act by calling it a "free speech" case -- it is not.

Posted by: Rhymes With Right at Thu Dec 15 13:07:37 2005 (I6NwB)

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