Stealing Valor
Episode: 15 April 2012, Question 3
Should "stealing valor" be a crime? Rencently, a man was arrested by the FBI in Houston and charged with "stolen valor." This is the charge made against someone who falsely poses as a decorated soldier. Is it proper to make this a crime? Why or why not?
My Answer, In Brief: Undoubtedly, "stealing valor" is reprehensible, but not everything reprehensible should be a crime. The legal response to "stealing valor" ought to be the same as for other kinds of credentials fraud, whether protect speech, civil fraud, or criminal fraud.
Listen Now
- Download: MP3 Segment
- Duration: 12:13
Relevant Links
- Facebook: Discussion of Stolen Valor
- Criminal Fraud by Ellen Podgor
- Criminalizing Lying about Heroism by James Joyner
- Ninth Circuit: Lying About Military Honors Is Protected Speech by Doug Mataconis
- The Atlantic: Why It's Criminal to Lie About Military Honors
- Knowingly False Statements of Fact and the First Amendment by Eugene Volokh
- Emotional Distress, Knowing Lies, Xavier Alvarez, Warren Spahn, and the Bronze Star by Eugene Volokh
Topics
- Constitution, Ethics, Fraud, Free Speech, Government, Law, Rights
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