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[Jboy2000000]

I just noticed that at L+ Free Speech laws, Flag Burning and Terrorism should be illegal. In real life the Supreme Court says that buring an American flag is legal as long as its part of political protest, and I think terrorism falls under the same blanket of politacal protest.

[KA101]

I'm not clear on that first sentence: it reads as though L+ Free Speech should override Flag Burning ("should be illegal" = act as though Flag was at least M, if not C or C+ ??) and do something to the Terrorism charge.  Based on your second sentence, though, I'd guess you want L+ Free Speech to trump Flag Burning (act as though Flag was L/L+) and make Terrorism similarly not-charged.

My understanding is that LCS!Terrorism = messing with the nuclear plant's red button.  Not sure if there are other ways to get it in-game.  Burning a flag generally only puts the burner at risk of physical harm (set self on fire), whereas messing with the reactor/nuclear waste could contaminate the whole city.  (Not to mention possible consequences from the generator suddenly going offline.  Example: Power outage throughout the southern US in summer = no A/C and heatstroke fatalities.)

I'd say endangering thousands/millions of lives really couldn't be justified under "expressive conduct", no matter how Liberal the justices are.  Changing flag-burning is an decent idea, but LCS!jurisprudence might have somehow carved out an exception for flag-burning.

[Jonathan S. Fox]

At L+ free speech, you can burn flags without incurring charges. In fact, any outstanding charges against you for flag burning are lifted if free speech hits L or L+, I believe.

Terrorism, in the actually harming people sense, isn't permitted at L+ free speech because you're actually hurting people.

[misko27]

At L+ free speech, you can burn flags without incurring charges. In fact, any outstanding charges against you for flag burning are lifted if free speech hits L or L+, I believe.

Terrorism, in the actually harming people sense, isn't permitted at L+ free speech because you're actually hurting people.

Wait a minute, charges don't hold when law changes? Laws do not apply Ex Post Facto IRL.

Still, I can understand that it's a necessary mechanic in a game where yo can start out in trouble for cursing.

[Jonathan S. Fox]

Wait a minute, charges don't hold when law changes? Laws do not apply Ex Post Facto IRL.

While this is true in principle, there's a relevant loophole when it comes to repealing criminal laws. You can't be convicted of a crime that doesn't exist anymore, even if it was a crime at the time you committed it.

[KA101]

I'd guess that the answer is "no, code limitations" but I'll ask anyway:  If a Liberal is convicted of and serving the sentence for a given law-dependent crime in LCS (such as Flag Murder), and the law changes such that an outstanding charge would be lifted, is there any possibility of an amnesty or other such relief?

(I'm betting at least 5 of the 6 life sentences my founder received were due to killing 7-8 flags.  3xTreason & 100+ Harmful Speech can only account for so much, I'd guess.  Yes, I had a sleeper judge.)

[Jonathan S. Fox]

Not as the game is written now, since the game forgets about why you were convicted after you get convicted. It's not impossible to do however; we'd just have to make sure the game remembers why you're doing time.