The history of “sedition” – the indictment of the so-called “Christian Militia 9” contained a very significant phrase – “seditious conspiracy” (that was the “violent act” they are accused of committing while in possession of guns).
“Sedition” is a big red flag – its most recent incarnation was the “Sedition Act of 1918”, which was requested and signed into law by one…. Woodrow Wilson…. Ding Ding Ding, we have a winna! The Sedition act was repealed in December 1920 following the landslide election of Republican Warren G Harding. (He defeated James M Cox (60% to 34%) – the same “Cox” you know as Cox Broadcasting / cable / radio and publisher of the Atlanta Constitution).
a similar law was in place during and following WW2 to deal with Communist organizations who expressly wanted to overthrow the Constitutional form of government.
Treason is providing actual assistance to the enemies of the United States in a time of war. Sedition takes that one step broader and makes it a crime to be disloyal or encourage others to oppose the actions of the government during war time. Given the history of the United States and our Constitution, suppressing speech or freedom of association is so unthinkable that sedition has almost never been pursued criminally (think about the people who actively supported Iraq during the war and the things they said and did).
