Quote:I am deeply, deeply, deeply disappointed to see this, and hope thatThey have; there are already laws on the book to cover such things and they mostly fall under fraud.
Congress can indeed pass the alternative legislation already being
suggested (criminalizing the use of such deception to seek monetary gain
or other considerations).
A recent example.
http://www.wjla.com/artic...cted-of-fraud-74783.html
Lying is not in and of itself illegal. Hell there are dipshits like the Hovinds, Ken Ham, Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron and Casey Luskin for whom lying is big business. Yes. Lying and misrepresenting yourself as a member of the military is a loathsome act; so is lying to people about science. You don't need separate and distinct laws to cut them out; you use the ones that are already in place. Whether it be the ones noted about or those sited in the Dover trial.
You also have to do your due diligence. When Jesse Macbeth shot off his mouth; no one did their due diligence in evaluating his claims. He eventually got nailed on multiple fraud charges.
Xavier Alvarez, while something of a scumbag; has not met the definition of fraud under law; I think his case is valid - as free speech is hugely important - even for scumbags. Fortunately the court of public opinion is not going to treat him kindly and his career as a public servant is at an end.
Shayne