To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces;
Under this authority, Congress has the right to regulate who can wear specific ribbons. This also gives them the authority to say who cannot wear the specific ribbons.
The power you cited only covers the regulation of land and naval forces, not all persons in the U.S.
An argument could be made that the "necessary and proper" clause authorizes restrictions on the wearing of awards by non-land or naval forces (i.e. all persons in the U.S.) since awards have less "value" if many people falsely claim to have earned them, and that less valuable awards will result in a reduced ability to regulate the land and naval forces.
However, that seems like a very tenuous argument. If the "necessary and proper" clause can be stretched that far then there is really almost nothing beyond the scope of Congress's power, which is not what the Founders intended.
Even if these restrictions are technically Constitutional, it seems obvious that they are being imposed because people are offended by phony veterans, not because anyone is really worried that the lies of a few dirtbags will hinder the operation of the armed forces. As people who value liberty, we should not support using legal technicalities to achieve ends that are contrary to the principles of limited government.
timm22: “Even if these restrictions are technically Constitutional, it seems obvious that they are being imposed because people are offended by phony veterans, not because anyone is really worried that the lies of a few dirtbags will hinder the operation of the armed forces. As people who value liberty, we should not support using legal technicalities to achieve ends that are contrary to the principles of limited government.”
Very well stated! The leftists aren’t apparently the only ones who like twisting the US Constitution to fit their personal agendas!