Want to seize control of the US government? Just fill out this 'subversive agent' form and pay a $5 fee, thank you
What would the rest of America do without South Carolina? The state that gave us Governor Mark Sanford's "Appalachian Trail" sex scandal and zany politicians who want to replace the US dollar with gold just keeps on giving.
This time it's a law on South Carolina's statute books, called the Subversive Activities Registration Act, allowing anyone wishing to seize or overthrow the government of the US to register with South Carolina's secretary of state and pay a $5 fee.
The law states:
"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."
And what happens if you don't? "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 $25,000 or imprisonment for not more than 10 years, or by both fine and imprisonment."
The good news is that the form is only one page long, and is straight forward to fill out. It reads:
SUBVERSIVE AGENT FORM
Filing Fee – $5.00
Name of Subversive Organization
Name of Chief Agent of Organization
Address of Chief Agent
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 [ ] NO
If yes, please outline the fundamental beliefs. If applicable, attach a copy of the bylaws or minutes of meetings from the last year.
Filing Instructions
Subversive Agent Form (filed in duplicate)
$5.00 made payable to the South Carolina Secretary of State
Self-Addressed, Stamped Return Envelope
Return all documents to:
South Carolina Secretary of State's Office
Attn: Corporate Filings
PO Box 11350
Columbia, SC 29211
You can download your own copy of the form here from an official state website, where it is filed under "miscellaneous forms".
Sadly, filling in the form and paying the $5 fee won't bring about the overthrow of the US government. You and your organisation are still expected to do all the hard work.
The secretary of state's office told CBS News Hotsheet that 11 registrations have recently been received, among them an atheist group, a liberal law firm and someone claiming to represent "Democratic Party of the United States," which allegedly has the fundamental beliefs of "socialism – Marx, Englels, Sanders."
Another $5 well spent was received from the "American Citizens for the Extermination of South Carolina," which says it believes "the US should use its nuclear arsenal to detach SC from the mainland, use heavy ships to tow the state into the Atlantic and sink it and its political idiots."
The law dates back to the height of the "red scare" of the 1950s – but no one took any notice until last month, when news of the form's existence began to circulate on the internet.
Photo: Shearer/WireImage
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