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Treason Defined

Reader comment on item: None Dare Call It Treason... 25 Years Later
in response to reader comment: conspiracy, sedition, and treason defined

Submitted by Truth.Teller (United States), Feb 23, 2008 at 22:32

Treason is defined by the Constitution:

"Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court."

This is a very strict definition. It does not apply to ordinary political differences, though the charge of "giving aid and comfort to the enemy" is frequently raised. It further requires an overt act and two witnesses. Treason is any easy charge to make, but a difficult one to prove.

Few people have ever been convicted of treason. Aaron Burr was acquitted in 1807, despite the strong efforts of Thomas Jefferson, owing to the lack of two witnesses. No supporter of the Confederate States of America was convicted of treason after the war. Spies such as Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were charged with espionage rather than treason. John Walker Lindh, the "American Taliban," was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, but not treason. The last person convicted of treason in the U.S. was Tomoya Kawakita, an American-born man who had moved to Japan and aided the Japanese war effort. He was convicted in 1952.

As for accusing someone of treason because of his position on inflation, I would call that un-American. Americans tolerate a diversity of political views, which is what distinguishes a democratic society from a tryranny, such as Communism.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (35) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
WHY NOT FASCISTIC INSTEAD OF COMMUNISTIC? [105 words]Joe HonickJan 26, 2019 11:55247352
8NONE DARE CALL IT TREASON [177 words]DebbieMay 9, 2012 20:55195539
1what is backstairs political literature? [130 words]decoraMar 12, 2011 21:51183352
7Stormer has been unfaithful to reality [162 words]JJ HonickDec 5, 2010 18:15180718
1treason as intentionality [180 words]richardMay 2, 2011 05:26180718
None Dare Call It Treason-25 years Later [182 words]JJ HonickMay 2, 2011 19:47180718
1the intentionality of treason [163 words]richardMay 4, 2011 01:01180718
None Dare Call It Treason-25 years Later [266 words]Joe HonickMay 4, 2011 18:06180718
4intentionality of treason [108 words]richardMay 6, 2011 01:47180718
2Reading book [17 words]GaryOct 1, 2010 15:47178874
3conspiracy, sedition, and treason defined [570 words]onesimusJan 13, 2008 11:46118078
1Treason Defined [246 words]Truth.TellerFeb 23, 2008 22:32118078
4History has proven..sadly ,,that the JBS is right all along.. [122 words]Nino BaldinoDec 2, 2008 16:04118078
John Perkins vis None dare.... [18 words]T.M. HartDec 5, 2008 11:37118078
So this is how democracy ends........ [16 words]J. FreemanMar 7, 2009 22:58118078
"100% Correct"? [91 words]Ernie LazarMar 27, 2009 10:10118078
1Onesimus Comments [171 words]Ernie LazarMar 27, 2009 10:18118078
2treason as intentionality [583 words]richardMay 2, 2011 05:07118078
A Bit Off the Mark, but Just a Bit [59 words]Long Time ConservativeDec 20, 2007 16:26116697
it all stacks up [61 words]paulDec 9, 2007 05:25115950
None Dare Call It Treason - how many sold? [54 words]AileenNov 7, 2007 14:18113348
None Dare Call It Treason [28 words]justin wizardOct 13, 2007 14:35111383
1It still goes on [119 words]Ted GriffinMay 28, 2007 07:4595001
I have this book [117 words]JonOct 16, 2007 06:4595001
2I read the original in the 60's [98 words]Dave in TexasNov 30, 2007 12:4795001
None Dare Call It Treason [18 words]A Son of LibertyNov 15, 2011 08:3295001
1FBI Evaluation of Birch Society Arguments [288 words]ernieNov 9, 2006 16:5965685
1I recall None Dare Call it Treason [232 words]PhilNov 18, 2005 20:5428605
Jury still out? [451 words]FrankJan 30, 2006 15:1028605
2Follow-up... as promised [870 words]FrankFeb 15, 2006 12:3528605
1Liberalism [141 words]Robert FultonFeb 18, 2006 00:3128605
1follow the money, you will know the truth.... [313 words]warren baconApr 16, 2006 10:0628605
1Greed is the root of treason [13 words]marilyn huntOct 7, 2006 19:4928605
2Marilyn Hunt has it backwards [55 words]Jake RobertsOct 3, 2007 10:3728605
1Very good analysis [106 words]ChampSep 11, 2009 04:3128605

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