South Carolina's Subversive Registration Act goes into effect

South Carolina has enacted a law that charges a five-dollar registration fee for persons planning to overthrow the US government.

Terrorists who endeavor to overthrow the US government have to register with South Carolina's office of the Secretary of State declaring their intentions, the name of any organization they work for, and all the members of that organization. Should they fail to do so, they could face a $25,000 fine, and up to 10 years in prison. The "Subversive Activities Registration Act," which was passed a year ago, and has now actually gone into effect, orders that"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 ... shall register with the Secretary of State." Luckily, the filing fee is low, just $5 per organization. In defining "subversive organization," South Carolina now claims that "every corporation, society, association, camp, group, political party, assembly, body or organization, composed of two or more persons, which directly or indirectly advocates, advises, teaches or practices the duty, necessity or propriety of controlling, conducting, seizing or overthrowing the government of the United States [or] of this State." can be regarded as a terrorist organization. While this is clearly a redundant law, it's hardly the first time the state has doubled down on certain crimes. South Carolina also has a law on the books that requires that drug dealers declare their illegal earnings, or face stiff fines, and additional jail time. However, at least one South Carolina blog finds this new law beyond the pale. FitsNews calls the law "bureaucracy for terrorists" and pulls no punches in criticizing it. "In the long and storied history of utterly retarded legislation in South Carolina, we may have finally found the legal statute that takes the cake for sheer stupidity, which we think you’ll agree is saying something." A copy of the registration form can be found here