Notable Nurses - Laura Berg - Accused of sedition

I work with eldercare, so I guess they can answer that for me, What is considered crossing boundaries when you work as a nurse at a VA hospital and you care not at all for American policies during wartime, how did they handle that mess in the 1940's, 50's 20's or 30's? since most of my pts will vote, i wonder if they care for Hills or Obama and his antics or are they wondering about Mcain or will they want to vote at all, and since I respect their right to privacy not to ask them about their opinions in their disscussions at their activity groups, I do know its against the law to have to announce who you voted for, its a private act, like abotions, divorce, what color undies or if ya wear em at all, some of these elders conversations would blow us all away, how they truly feel about being in Nursinfg Homes that are understaffed, healthcare costs, its a monster we all have been warned about, all of it.

Where I work Eldercare also its not proper or right down south to speak of certain things in presence of the pts or their families, so no its not a freedom or right to say whatever one wants wearing a certain agency badge, its disperectful to do most of what each of us does and says everyday anyway. I 'd hate to get fired for speaking my mind at work or under the guise of saying I work at such and suh a place and I disagree with this matter, its just shooting oneself in one's own foot, to put it politely.

I think i wil write to our next president , tonight about lots of things, but I learned my lesson... I prefer to remain respectful, anonymous and other than that truthful , maybe I can also lose my job, but OOOh the lawsuit I will pursue if that happens . President Hopefuls all 3 remaining candidates will recieve mail from me, whether they read it or not ,oh well Lets just see... I will use my own computer or a library computer, on my own time, not use my workplace, but use a former workplace that is SOOOOO WONDERFUL that it lies about good employees and allows lots of unethical and dangerous practices to go on.

My whole family is in the miltary too, I an AF brat, this is a strange time to be proud to be an American but its also a strange time to be against American way of life, When the past war was treated like a joke by uncaring parties who now wish to "speak out " against "infair" wars. All hate and war is unfair. WWi and WWii were bad enough, and totally uncalled for , Hitler never would have succeeded whether or not USA wanted to win or stay put. Our government has been the superpower since 1903 (really since 1776)when Ford invented the car, and then we put men on the moon, its too late to go back. Whether we all admit it or not, all of us is responsible for war, oil prices, hate, etc, as well as peace, conservation, and love. I consider myself too busy anyway at work to worry about it, another thought, possibly the gov officials think this Borg woman oops Laura Berg should be thankful that she has lots of pts to work with, all coming home fom war and worse, and so, she has job security, or rather had security for a while? Just a thought.

Plus most elders had relatives who were in WW1 or WW2. I did nd I am still young enough to work. Times have changed since women and children have more rights now, White an Black American men who choose not to serve in American military if they are fit, have no sense of what it is to serve their country, but doctors and nurses do, most have to care for some form of military induced illness, whether they like it or not, whether they know it or not. To blame the president who was voted into office for something other countries have done to demoralize our way of life in the west is kind of insane, he is not the one who startd the war, nor are any of us in America, its as PI as saying all Muslims are terrorists, or all Europeans and Russians are communists or worse. China quietly sits there watching the world go round and round, buying up tons of oil, hoarding rice and sending this country poisons for our sons and daughtrs and pets. Do we send hate mail to that country's eaders or our leaders blaming them for that? No . WE BOYCOTT THEIR GOODS. Do we blame a president for Katrina etc knowing both republican and democratic parties were not able to build up levies and warn people about a five day hence storm, the only warning was less than a week to get people out. Those that panicked and died were not able to get out, but I bet donuts to dollars if the government said Go west to the desrt and we'll give you homes, food money for free, sit on your behinds all day smoke and drink and on top of that get free healthcrare AT THE EXPENSE OF AMERICAN WORKERS WHO ARE LIVING PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK... there would not have been a dead dog left behind in the whole state of Loisiana. Get used to it, that day is coming, no matter who is in office, with bleeding heart liberals who whine about the government's lack of response to EVERYTHING... and please do not be surprised when people like me say "JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT PREPARED DOES NOT EXACTLY JUSTIFY AN EMERGENCY ON OUR PART" " Nor does it constitute any emergency imagined or otherwise on my part for the lack of preparation on your part"

Ummm.......we got it, Iamlicensed! Please do not hijack the topic at hand.......

Do military auxillary personel agree to not speak against military actions at employment? Not sure if that applies here.
found this stuff on the sedition act. This was applicable during world war one, so it is not new stuff. Farther down is the sedition act of 1798.[edit] Text of the Sedition Act
(can't find section 1 and 2)

[edit] Section 3
Whoever, when the United States is at war, shall willfully make or convey false reports or false statements with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military or naval forces of the United States, or to promote the success of its enemies, or shall willfully make or convey false reports or false statements, or say or do anything except by way of bona fide and not disloyal advice to an investor or investors, with intent to obstruct the sale by the United States of bonds or other securities of the United States or the making of loans by or to the United States, and whoever when the United States is at war, shall willfully cause or attempt to cause, or incite or attempt to incite, insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of duty, in the military or naval forces of the United States, or shall willfully obstruct or attempt to obstruct the recruiting or enlistment services of the United States, and whoever, when the United States is at war, shall willfully utter, print, write or publish any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of government of the United States or the Constitution of the United States, or the military or naval forces of the United States, or the flag of the United States, or the uniform of the Army or Navy of the United States into contempt, scorn, contumely, or disrepute, or shall willfully utter, print, write, or publish any language intended to incite, provoke, or encourage resistance to the United States, or to promote the cause of its enemies, or shall willfully display the flag of any foreign enemy, or shall willfully by utterance, writing, printing, publication, or language spoken, urge, incite, or advocate any curtailment of production in this country of any thing or things, product or products, necessary or essential to the prosecution of the war in which the United States may be engaged, with intent by such curtailment to cripple or hinder the United States in the prosecution of war, and whoever shall willfully advocate, teach, defend, or suggest the doing of any of the acts or things in this section enumerated, and whoever shall by word or act support or favor the cause of any country with which the United States is at war or by word or act oppose the cause of the United States therein, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000 or the imprisonment for not more than twenty years, or both: Provided, That any employee or official of the United States Government who commits any disloyal act or utters any unpatriotic or disloyal language, or who, in an abusive and violent manner criticizes the Army or Navy or the flag of the United States shall be at once dismissed from the service..

[edit] Section 4
When the United States is at war, the Postmaster General may, upon evidence satisfactory to him that any person or concern is using the mails in violation of any of the provisions of this Act, instruct the postmaster at any post office at which mail is received addressed to such person or concern to return to the postmaster at the office at which they were originally mailed all letters or other matter so addressed, with the words "Mail to this address undeliverable under Espionage Act" plainly written or stamped upon the outside thereof, and all such letters or other matter so returned to such postmasters shall be by them returned to the senders thereof under such regulations as the Postmaster General may prescribe.

here is some stuff from the sedition act of 1798
SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That if any persons shall unlawfully combine or conspire together, with intent to oppose any measure or measures of the government of the United States, which are or shall be directed by proper authority, or to impede the operation of any law of the United States, or to intimidate or prevent any person holding a place or office in or under the government of the United States, from undertaking, performing or executing his trust or duty, and if any person or persons, with intent as aforesaid, shall counsel, advise or attempt to procure any insurrection, riot, unlawful assembly, or combination, whether such conspiracy, threatening, counsel, advice, or attempt shall have the proposed effect or not, he or they shall be deemed guilty of a high misdemeanor, and on conviction, before any court of the United States having jurisdiction thereof, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars, and by imprisonment during a term not less than six months nor exceeding five years; and further, at the discretion of the court may be ho]den to find sureties for his good behaviour in such sum, and for such time, as the said court may direct.

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SEC. 2. And be it farther enacted, That if any person shall write, print, utter or publish, or shall cause or procure to be written, printed, uttered or published, or shall knowingly and willingly assist or aid in writing, printing, uttering or publishing any false, scandalous and malicious writing or writings against the government of the United States, or either house of the Congress of the United States, or the President of the United States, with intent to defame the said government, or either house of the said Congress, or the said President, or to bring them, or either of them, into contempt or disrepute; or to excite against them, or either or any of them, the hatred of the good people of the United States, or to stir up sedition within the United States, or to excite any unlawful combinations therein, for opposing or resisting any law of the United States, or any act of the President of the United States, done in pursuance of any such law, or of the powers in him vested by the constitution of the United States, or to resist, oppose, or defeat any such law or act, or to aid, encourage or abet any hostile designs of any foreign nation against United States, their people or government, then such person, being thereof convicted before any court of the United States having jurisdiction thereof, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars, and by imprisonment not exceeding two years.



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SEC. 3. And be it further enacted and declared, That if any person shall be prosecuted under this act, for the writing or publishing any libel aforesaid, it shall be lawful for the defendant, upon the trial of the cause, to give in evidence in his defence, the truth of the matter contained in Republication charged as a libel. And the jury who shall try the cause, shall have a right to determine the law and the fact, under the direction of the court, as in other cases.

SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That this act shall continue and be in force until the third day of March, one thousand eight hundred and one, and no longer: Provided, that the expiration of the act shall not prevent or defeat a prosecution and punishment of any offence against the law, during the time it shall be in force.

APPROVED, July 14, 1798

Not arguing that this is right, but the safety of our troops on the ground could be compromised by statements that undermind there legitimacy. During world war two, anti war statements were considered treasonous. I am not suggesting that would be applicable to this circumstance, but this clearly is not a case of do we "still live in a democracy"...clearly we never have.

Thought I might better express what I mean by this nation never being a democracy.
There were concerns at the very founding of this nation about the dangers of pure democracy, and based on that, our founding fathers determined to form a representative republic. In the federalist papers it says that democracies "have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths"
Republic government certainly has it's flaws, but consider this. If we were a pure democracy, slavery would not have been abolished in the 1860's. In fact, Lincoln, in his debates with (forget his name...oops!) contended against a vote to decide the issue, stating that the will of the people should be superseded by our moral obligation to free the slaves. A republic allows for this. If the issue had been taken to popular vote, I am ashamed to say that the abolishionist would have lost.
The idea of federal employees not being allowed to suggest that we forcibly overthrow a current administration, though rarely enforced, is a safeguard against the likes of Hitler (and I beg to differ with a previous poster: thank God we helped defeat this monster) finding solace and incentive to act on those words. Unfortunately, though our current administration and government may be off course or worse, according to differing opinions, the idea of overthrow by force is scary S**t.

Gosh, guys, I didnt mean to kill the discussion. Carry on!

Our veterans deserve safe, therapeutic, effective, compassionate care. Their need is not the past it is right NOW.