Since your average tea-bagger enjoys pontificating about how the country needs to get back to the "principles the Founding Fathers built this country upon", it seems somehow appropriate that in view of recent events and, indeed - the last five long, agonizing years - some honest payback would seem to be quite appropriate and in order. After all, since those people can't seem to wrap their heads around the concept that those guys back in the 1700s created the Constitution and subsequent Bill Of Rights around the idea that they were specifically intended as living documents subject to amendments and interpretation current to changing times as required, there is one special episode early in American history that those Fathers deemed necessary to redefine the word "liberty". Internal allegiances within the country at the time were split between those who supported France and those who did not while the French Revolution was happening. Thereafter, things got very nasty and consequently the Federalists deemed it necessary to assemble a set of regulations called the "Aliens and Sedition Acts".
Should the upcoming 2014 elections return favorable outcomes for progressive candidates, the following out-take from that original legislation could be implemented for a couple of years as both a "gift" to the republican party and its neocon thugs and a present to the American people who have suffered enough under the feet of the right wing financial elite and their purchased servants in Washington. I've italicized sections therein that seem to be especially apt, given the current environment.
SPECIAL EMPHASIS PART: I offer this as an intellectual exercise with the full understanding that if it were ever codified into law- however temporary - that it would go BOTH WAYS. Please don't lambast me for something that is patently obvious. And even if it ever did get the President's signature, the Roberts court would kill it faster than voting rights in North Carolina. I'm also aware that legislation similar in intent was enacted as a temporary measure in 1918. It's not like this is a new idea. For that matter, neither is the behavior of thugs and anarchists throughout history, and sometimes the rule of law requires adjustments to contain them, however briefly...
The Sedition Act of 1798
An Act in addition to the act, entitled "An act for the punishment of certain crimes against the United States. "
1. Be it enacted . . .That if any persons shall unlawfully combine or conspire together, with intent to oppose any measure or measures of the government of the United States, which are or shall be directed by proper authority, or to impede the operation of any law of the United States, or to intimidate or prevent any person holding a place or office in or under the government of the United States, from undertaking, performing or executing his trust or duty; and if any person or persons, with intent as aforesaid, shall counsel, advise or attempt to procure any insurrection, riot. unlawful assembly, or combination, whether such conspiracy, threatening, counsel, advice, or attempt shall have the proposed effect or not, he or they shall be deemed guilty of a high misdemeanor, and on conviction, before any court of the United States having jurisdiction thereof, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars, and by imprisonment during a term not less than six months nor exceeding five years; and further, at the discretion of the court may be beholden to find sureties for his good behavior in such sum, and for such time, as the said court may direct.
2. That if any person shall write, print, utter. Or publish, or shall cause or procure to be written, printed, uttered or published, or shall knowingly and willingly assist or aid in writing, printing, uttering or publishing any false, scandalous and malicious writing or writings against the government of the United States, or either house of the Congress of the United States, or the President of the United States, with intent to defame the said government, or either house of the said Congress, or the said President, or to bring them or either of them, into contempt or disrepute; or to excite against them, or either or any of them, the hatred of the good people of the United States, or to excite any unlawful combinations therein, for opposing or resisting any law of the United States, or any act of the President of the United States, done in pursuance of any such law, or of the powers in him vested by the constitution of the United States, or to resist, oppose, or defeat any such law or act, or to aid, encourage or abet any hostile designs of any foreign nation against the United States, their people or government, then such person, being thereof convicted before any court of the United States having jurisdiction thereof, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars, and by imprisonment not exceeding two years.
3. That if any person shall be prosecuted under this act, for the writing or publishing any libel aforesaid, it shall be lawful for the defendant, upon the trial of the cause, to give in evidence in his defense, the truth of the matter contained in the publication charged as a libel. And the jury who shall try the cause, shall have a right to determine the law and the fact, under the direction of the court, as in other cases.
4. That this act shall continue to be in force until March 3, 1801, and no longer.
And yes, there were repercussions. Jefferson and Madison were staunchly opposed to this; Jefferson even pardoned some of the people who were serving jail sentences from the previous administration early in his presidency; however he did implement it briefly to mitigate some fairly brutal, libelous opposition until its expiration in 1801.
And yes, there were court challenges to the laws, both the 1789 acts and the 1918 acts as well. Somehow, the country managed to survive in spite of itself.