Does stolen valor anger you as much as it does me?

[Ronin13]

Well now this guy has just gone full fledged douchebag!

This tub of subhuman waste doesn't even deserve to stand within 3 feet of anyone who actually put on the uniform for real.
This piece of slime is actually defending himself. (note, the video is 2 years old, yet the mall video is pretty recent).
http://video.breitbart.com/Valor-Thi...u-can-28225810
Video:

He's actually daring veterans to come after him. Well just one problem... If he is actually using a military benefit (or claim) that he didn't actually earn to gain a tangible benefit therefrom, he is actually in violation of the Stolen Valor Act of 2013. This guy deserves whatever is coming to him... Most satisfying would be a lengthy prison sentence, I'm sure he wouldn't last very long with his attitude. My question is, does anyone think impersonating a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine should carry a more harsh penalty? Such as making it the same as impersonating a police officer or fire fighter? Because I sure do.

[wctriumph]

What bothers me more is the AG and CIC are stealing valor from this nation's law enforcement community.



TEA

III

[asmo]

My question is, does anyone think impersonating a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine should carry a more harsh penalty? Such as making it the same as impersonating a police officer or fire fighter? Because I sure do.

I know I am probably not going to make any friends here. But since you asked, and since I'm drinking.. Here goes.

No. Impersonating a soldier (or cop, or fire fighter, or prisoner, or political figure) doesn't spin me up much. Why? Its a personal choice on what you wear, its an expression of who you are, its an expression of your beliefs, its an expression of what you care about -- in the end people need to be able to have freedom of expression. Even if that upsets other people. If you want to dress up in a Confederate flag, go for it. You want to wear the American flag as a cape while you dress up like a 3 star general - fucking go for it. If anyone gets upset by that its their fucking problem. Freedom of expression means you are free to have beliefs and opinions that are different than others, even if those beliefs and opinions make other people angry/upset/sad. Otherwise, if you restrict what people can express then you are censoring anything that you don't like; which makes you no better than a fucking liberal.

Now - all that said. If a person dresses up in a military, police, firefighter, emt, etc. uniform for the express purpose of receiving special benefits (e.g. discounts, favors, etc); or if those people represent themselves verbally or in writing as being something they are not - then those people should be held liable for fraud and punished as such. If we wanted to make the punishment a little more severe due to the nature of the training and capabilities that we expect from people in uniform, then I can get behind that. But ultimately it is still fraud and needs to be treated as such -- nothing extra special just because its a uniform.

[cstone]

That is a very sad human being. I hope he seeks help. I hope he is not completely lonely.

I have no problem with those calling out posers. I have no interest in using tax payer funds to prosecute and incarcerate people who commit this type of fraud, as long as they are not using the fraud to obtain money or something else of value by means of their fraud. This type of false existence can be it's own type of punishment.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Some occupations just encourage wannabees and buffs.

[asmo]

P.S. I *love* watching posers get called out (in any profession). So don't take what I said above as defending or encouraging these idiots.

[Zundfolge]

My question is, does anyone think impersonating a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine should carry a more harsh penalty? Such as making it the same as impersonating a police officer or fire fighter? Because I sure do.

Simply impersonating a service member or veteran should carry no penalty at all as long as you're not doing so to defraud anyone or get benefits to which you're not entitled or to otherwise engage in other illegal activity (like accessing a military base when you shouldn't).

One has the right in America to be a douche. That doesn't mean I wouldn't gladly ridicule and taunt or even punch such a douche in the mouth if I met one.

[275RLTW]

It's been handled by the 75th Ranger Regiment community. He wants to claim that he's out shopping with CSM Folino?!? That caught a lot of attention. He has already been fired from his job, gets constant media attention at his home, and the state of PA is being pressured by the Senator to investigate the entire incident, including where he bought the fake awards (wearing the CIB without authorization is a crime in PA) as well as a federal investigation for wearing a patch and falsely representing himself as part of a special operations unit.

[J]

Yep. They have the right to dress however they want as a form of freedom of speech (dress is a kind of speech... too lazy to dig up the court prescience, but it has been upheld)... and similarly, those that figure out these idiots of imitation are douches have the very same freedom of speech to call them out, embarrass them, post them on the internet for all to witness the supreme fail of that individuals life choices.

[jerrymrc]

That is a very sad human being. I hope he seeks help. I hope he is not completely lonely.

I have no problem with those calling out posers. I have no interest in using tax payer funds to prosecute and incarcerate people who commit this type of fraud, as long as they are not using the fraud to obtain money or something else of value by means of their fraud. This type of false existence can be it's own type of punishment.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Some occupations just encourage wannabees and buffs.

This. ^^^^^ I have never had any desire to wear the uniform after I got out. My class A sits in a bag hanging up waiting for me to die. That will be the only time it sees me. ....

I also kinda understand why some do this. So many have a fascination with something and for one reason or another play it out and wind up like this guy. The thing is if he did not have all the BS he might never have been called out on it. That is the only thing that bothers me is why do they always have to wear the HS/LD crap.

[kidicarus13]

Stolen valor? Mehhhh, not one of America's Top 50 problems.