Check the appropriate box. Do you or your organization directly or indirectly advocate, advise, teach or practice the duty or necessity of controlling, seizing or overthrowing the government of the United States, the state of South Carolina or any political division thereof?
[ ] YES [ ] NOIf yes, please outline the fundamental beliefs. If applicable, attach a copy of the bylaws or minutes of meetings from the last year.
State of South Carolina Secretary of State Subversive Agent Form
Tags: big brother, doomed
Current Music: Product01 -- Access ♬
21 Responses:
"Could I also register for your 'Preferred Insurgents' plan while we're at it?"
"Certainly. Where's that form? ..."
This would be the same South Carolina that boasts Fort Sumter, that bastion of defense of the United States during the, er, War of Northern Aggression?
My, how times have changed.
And I assume those subversive members of both the Country and the Western Parties who advocate controlling all sorts of political divisions will have to register?
"This form is submitted by subversive organizations. The organization must designate a chief agent."
I bet that puts the Anarchists in quandary.
"This form is submitted by subversive organizations."
Anarchists apparently don't need to fill it.
The government of South Carolina needs to be overthrown. This is a state that brags about how little it spends on education.
Ahem.
Name: Democratic Party of South Carolina
Do you etc.: YES
If so, please outline etc.: We wish to gain more seats in the House of Representatives and/or Senate than the Republican party, and/or have our candidate elected Governor.
Please name all other members of this organization: attach membership roster.
This is as silly as the US immigration forms that ask you whether you are a terrorist, or were ever a Nazi / committed crimes against humanity. At least the customs forms asked you, in the same tickbox, whether you were carrying biological weapons or snails.
I mean, I'd be interested too.
It's sillier. Only South Carolina could be so silly.
It's sillier, but only because they added a fee.
They added a fee because like most US states they are under water.
http://news.google.com/news?q=state+budget+shortfalls
There is a serious purpose for this: to provide prosecutors with another chargeable offense in cases where proving a related crime would be difficult or awkward.
There are similar Federal laws, like the Voorhis Act and the statute (50 U.S.C. § 851) requiring people trained as spies by foreign governments to register with the Attorney General.
No one seriously expects trained spies to send in a registration form, but if they don't and are caught later, the prosecution only needs to show that they received the training and failed to register, rather than that they committed actual espionage. The former may be much easier to prove, particularly if the government doesn't want to reveal the nature of the secrets that were stolen or the details of a counterintelligence investigation.
Similarly, as recently noted by failblog, if you steal something, that's taxable income.
If they register and are caught, the registration can be used as proof of intent.
Net benefit to the subversive is nil, but at least by not registering they can afford a breakfast at McDonald's.
I worked for an educational dealer, I had to fill out this form for my employer so we could register as a vendor for them. It's slightly less silly:
(skip to page 2)
http://www.bgsu.edu/downloads/execvp/file20582.pdf
Dealing education? I hope you paid the tax, citizen.
Educational dealers pay no sales tax
Reminding me of Lee Maguire:
I think we went over this already, but every state seems to have a marijuana tax, here's mine's.
And here's a handy brochure showing how it can help support the seizure of someone's property!
You can read that as "Do you practice the necessity of overthrowing the government"
Which kind of implies it's your duty as US citizens to keep your government in order and make every effort to get rid of them.
Well there's the old gag (Young Ones?), "Do you favor the overthrow of the government by subversion or violence?" "Uh... violence."
I less than three The Young Ones... I think one of my favorite scenes is from Nasty:
"Greetings from South Africa!"
"A vampire!"
"In a parcel!"
"In the kitchen!"
"... hate mail!"
Note: Read not-very-narrowly, if your organization is dedicated to the overthrow of the government for strictly recreational purposes, this form is not required to be filed.