Stolen Valor Act

[zx6rdr]

DENVER - A federal judge dismissed the criminal case against admitted veteran imposter Rick Strandlof, also known as Rick Duncan, and said the law that prohibits lying about military honors is unconstitutional.



The decision, issued Friday morning by US District Court Judge Robert Blackburn, ends the prosecution of Strandlof, who admitted to 9Wants to Know Investigator Jace Larson that he lied about receiving military decorations.

The Stolen Valor Act makes it a crime to falsely represent such service honors.

Blackburn wrote in his opinion that the Act "is unconstitutional as a content-based restriction on First Amendment speech that is not narrowly tailored to serve a compelling government interest."

Strandlof did not serve in the military but he duped politicians, veterans and the news media into believing that he served several tours in Iraq and was awarded the Purple Heart and Silver Star.

Strandlof, who founded Colorado Veterans Alliance in 2007, faced five misdemeanor charges.

His anti-war views made him the darling of sympathetic advocacy groups and Democratic politicians.

Strandlof's attorney, and civil liberties groups that filed supporting briefs, argued successfully that Strandlof's lies were protected speech. Federal prosecutors disagreed.

"I acknowledge that there is much irony, to put it gently, in concluding that the core values of our system of governance, which our military men and women serve to defend with their very lives, are here invoked to protect false claims," Blackburn wrote in his decision. "I have profound faith - a faith that appears to be questioned by the government here - that the reputation, honor, and dignity military decorations embody are not so tenuous or ephemeral as to be erased by the mere utterance of a false claim of entitlement."

In an exclusive interview with 9NEWS in 2009, Strandlof hedged, blaming his deceit on mental illness.

"People are alleging that some of the information on the [Colorado Veterans Alliance's] website was not true, some of the background info was not true and some assertions made in public were not true," Strandlof said at the time. "I guess it depends on how true you want them to be."

[June 1975]

I do not believe that Judge Blackburn has the right to determine if a law is unconstitutional. I think that has to be determined at the Supreme Court level.

[Marine1955]

DENVER - A federal judge dismissed the criminal case against admitted veteran imposter Rick Strandlof, also known as Rick Duncan, and said the law that prohibits lying about military honors is unconstitutional.



The decision, issued Friday morning by US District Court Judge Robert Blackburn, ends the prosecution of Strandlof, who admitted to 9Wants to Know Investigator Jace Larson that he lied about receiving military decorations.

The Stolen Valor Act makes it a crime to falsely represent such service honors.

Blackburn wrote in his opinion that the Act "is unconstitutional as a content-based restriction on First Amendment speech that is not narrowly tailored to serve a compelling government interest."

Strandlof did not serve in the military but he duped politicians, veterans and the news media into believing that he served several tours in Iraq and was awarded the Purple Heart and Silver Star.

Strandlof, who founded Colorado Veterans Alliance in 2007, faced five misdemeanor charges.

His anti-war views made him the darling of sympathetic advocacy groups and Democratic politicians.

Strandlof's attorney, and civil liberties groups that filed supporting briefs, argued successfully that Strandlof's lies were protected speech. Federal prosecutors disagreed.

"I acknowledge that there is much irony, to put it gently, in concluding that the core values of our system of governance, which our military men and women serve to defend with their very lives, are here invoked to protect false claims," Blackburn wrote in his decision. "I have profound faith - a faith that appears to be questioned by the government here - that the reputation, honor, and dignity military decorations embody are not so tenuous or ephemeral as to be erased by the mere utterance of a false claim of entitlement."

In an exclusive interview with 9NEWS in 2009, Strandlof hedged, blaming his deceit on mental illness.

"People are alleging that some of the information on the [Colorado Veterans Alliance's] website was not true, some of the background info was not true and some assertions made in public were not true," Strandlof said at the time. "I guess it depends on how true you want them to be."

Colorado really screwed up to today. now they have open the gates of Hell for all to get away with Murder!!! What a shame!! Shame on them...

[yanacek]

So let me see if I got this correct. One can lie all they want about military service and/or awards, and that is not a crime. I don't see any indication that he ruled on the wearing of unauthorized awards or uniforms, or using false claims to get benefits (money, license plates, etc). So perhaps he is just saying that lying is not a criminal offense.

[FPM]

[quote His anti-war views made him the darling of sympathetic advocacy groups and Democratic politicians.
"People are alleging that some of the information on the [Colorado Veterans Alliance's] website was not true, some of the background info was not true and some assertions made in public were not true," Strandlof said at the time. "I guess it depends on how true you want them to be."[/quote]

WTF, Since when does Truth have a gray area, You're either telling the truth or not. There is no in-between. Is it because he and the Judge are are Lib's or what ?

Semper Fi

[Crashtrash56]

So what's next, when someone lies and claims to be a cop they are going to get away with that because it is just "freedom of speech"?

[Riven37]

What do we do about actors who play in these movies as military officers who ware all the medals isn't this the same under the Stolen Valor Act ???

Or what about the kids maybe you kid who walks around the malls wearing CIB's, PH, BS, SS and other high decorations how do we stop them ?

[USNAviator]

Just from a legal standpoint this is not a good decision. The Judge's ruling will open doors for appeals concerning everyone who was convicted under the SVA

Too many walking around since 9/11 claiming to be heroes.It's now fashionable to be in the military, whether you were or not.

"Strandlof's attorney, and civil liberties groups that filed supporting briefs, argued successfully that Strandlof's lies were protected speech"

And this ruling essentially says your right to lie is a protected freedom? Sad!!

Perhaps if the judge had visited Bethesda and sat next to the bed of a true Marine hero, Cpl John Peck, a quad amputee, he would have sent this POS, Strandlof to prison

Just saying.....

[Marine1955]

You honestly can't compare Actors who are making believe there Officers and Military men as the same as chit bags who go out and do it to deceive Men and Women to gain honor and the one's who really did earn the right to be Any branch of the service man or woman's Title !! If you think that some actor is wrong or is the same as some dirt bag then your wrong. We earn the right,we went through Boot camp to earn the right to be called U.S.MARINES.
And these Dirt bags that go around and say yea I was in the Army ,Navy,Air Force and the Marines and wear the uniform and lie about it they need to go to jail or better yet send them to boot camp and make them honest about it.Make them real Marines are what ever the uniform they were wearing.
This is Bull-chit that he got away with stolen valor act !!!

[Marine1955]

Just from a legal standpoint this is not a good decision. The Judge's ruling will open doors for appeals concerning everyone who was convicted under the SVA

Too many walking around since 9/11 claiming to be heroes.It's now fashionable to be in the military, whether you were or not.

"Strandlof's attorney, and civil liberties groups that filed supporting briefs, argued successfully that Strandlof's lies were protected speech"

And this ruling essentially says your right to lie is a protected freedom? Sad!!

Perhaps if the judge had visited Bethesda and sat next to the bed of a true Marine hero, Cpl John Peck, a quad amputee, he would have sent this POS, Strandlof to prison

Just saying.....

your right every swinging pecker-head that out there that didn't earn the right will now see that I want get in trouble so frack it lets do it.
It's a sad , sad, sad day now.

[USNAviator]

You honestly can't compare Actors who are making believe there Officers and Military men as the same as chit bags who go out and do it to deceive Men and Women to gain honor and the one's who really did earn the right to be Any branch of the service man or woman's Title !! If you think that some actor is wrong or is the same as some dirt bag then your wrong. We earn the right,we went through Boot camp to earn the right to be called U.S.MARINES.
And these Dirt bags that go around and say yea I was in the Army ,Navy,Air Force and the Marines and wear the uniform and lie about it they need to go to jail or better yet send them to boot camp and make them honest about it.Make them real Marines are what ever the uniform they were wearing.
This is Bull-chit that he got away with stolen valor act !!!

Amen Bill

[Phantom Blooper]

The judge maybe a closet poser...and is sympathetic to this cause....

Might be looking for a hookup on cheap military items.

Or then again I maybe totally wrong....the judge may just be a dick head.

Yeah I think that's right!

[hbharrison]

This judge is nothing more than one more of the Lib judges that have been appointed over the years to lower bench seats by Lib Press the only way this is going to change for a lot of things is that the 1st amendment is changed and as long as we have the congress we do that will never happen. To these judges everthing falls under freedom of speech what a load of crap we need to drop kick these judges who now have the right to stay in office for life clean out of office let the people elect them instead.