A law passed by the State of South Carolina now requires anyone who wishes to overthrow the government register with the state and pay a five dollar fee. Robert Mueller must be kicking himself for not being the first to think of brilliant scheme for tracking terrorists.

[Derived from an article at Daily Kos. H/t to Daily Kos readers grada8734, for Blazing Saddles reference, and murphy for link to Marijuana Tax Act of 1937.]

Similar laws have been declared unconstitutional, as a violation of the Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination.

The law in question, the "Subversive Activities Registration Act," includes the following requirements. (h/t to JeffVrabel.com)

Every member of a subversive organization, or an organization subject to foreign control, every foreign agent and every person who advocates, teaches, advises or practices the duty, necessity or propriety of controlling, conducting, seizing or overthrowing the government of the United States, of this State or of any political subdivision thereof by force or violence or other unlawful means, who resides, transacts any business or attempts to influence political action in this State, shall register with the Secretary of State on the forms and at the times prescribed by him.

Of course, there's a penalty for failing to pay the registration fee.

Any organization or person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not more than twenty-five thousand dollars or imprisonment for not more than ten years, or by both fine and imprisonment.

But, would anyone willing to kill thousands of people and themselves for a cause be deterred by this? Probably not.

• South
• Carolina,
• law,
• subversives,
• terrorists,
• registration