Friday, April 6, 2007

Pelosi and the Logan Act of 1799


Speaker of the Blouse Nancy Pelosi cuddled up with some big-time scumbags this week despite the wishes of the President and was called "brave" by the Syrian dictators that support cowardly terrorists. I don't know about brave, but the word "bold" comes to mind. Now, it isn't at all unheard of for law makers to break the law, but it is pretty foolish, when in the middle of two wars, to ignore U.S. code that strictly prohibits such interference in international policy. Bold, indeed , is the word that comes to mind when the Speaker (or anyone else for that matter) feels herself to be so powerful, so untouchable, that she would circumvent the wishes of the president and the law of the land in order to appease the anti-war kooks on the far left. This makes her more of a rogue agent than a servant of the people, and it makes her a stooge for the very people that want us and the Israelis dead. While it's true that no one has ever been prosecuted under the Logan Act, this is very dangerous, and illegal, so pay attention. Here's the law, for those of you who don't know it:

§ 953. Private correspondence with foreign governments.
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.
18 U.S.C. § 953 (2004).
Now, this was passed into law in 1799, so before you start shouting things about freedom of speech and the constitution, you should know that this was passed by the Adams administration, the very people who wrote the constitution, so I think it's safe to assume they knew what they were doing. Historically, of course, this act was used mostly as a warning, a kind of strong-arm political "don't you dare," but in 1803, there was an indictment, and had it not been for the Louisiana Purchase, who's to say that one Kentucky Farmer might not have gone to prison under the act? I know, times have changed, but the law has not, and for good reason. This kind of "diplomacy" sends mixed messages to the enemy, and we can't have that.
Now, I'm not saying that the Speaker of the Blouse should be in jail right now with only dog food and water for sustenance. Three years is a long time, and I hear the dog food has poison in it these days. Besides, George Bush would never dare invoke the act. Still, instead of coming off of the plane looking like the cat that ate the canary, she should be hiding her shame under that ridiculous babushka. She has, like it or not, broken a federal law under the Logan act, and not so she could make nice with these killers and show them all how highly we think of ourselves, but to further her own political career. When our men and women are dying at the hands of terrorists, it is unconscionable to go and shake hands with and make phony promises to a nation that is a known enemy to ourselves and our allies. When you think about it, maybe three years and some dog food would clear her mind a little, huh?

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