Hi Lorne - the definition of treason I gave was from the United States Constitution, and the bit I quoted was not written by me but by the United States Supreme Court, giving a gloss on the Constitutional definition.
The Oxford definition is authoritative, but the two sources which I cited are the ones which matter when discussing United States law.
In response to the questions you ask, I would answer that demonstrating against our government during war, or organizing or inciting a demonstration is not treason, but that does not mean that it can't be punished under other laws.
The acts you describe were considered sedition under a statute which existed during World War I. According to Justice Rehnquist, in "All the Laws but One," approximately 2000 people were prosecuted for sedition, and approximately 1000 were convicted.
Having participated in anti-war demonstrations during the Viet Nam War, I don't believe that I, personally, was motivated by treason or sedition. My opinion, at the time, was that we were not fighting the war to win, and so we should not be fighting at all. I still believe that. It's not fair to the US military to put them into a situation where they are hobbled. The Viet Cong were able to go into neighboring countries like Cambodia, and our military was not. Our military was not even allowed to invade North Viet Nam. I thought that was wrong. Further, I had zero respect for President Johnson.
I have even less respect for President Clinton. Is that treason? |
