Friday, January 15, 2010

Oath Keepers? I'm still waiting

Oath Keepers? I'm still waiting

I have been critical of Oath Keepers in the past, and my concerns have not changed. However, judging by some comments on The War on Guns, I think some people are focused on the wrong things.

If the Oath Keepers actually do what they are swearing an oath to do- obey the Constitution by refusing to obey unconstitutional orders- then I will applaud them. I am simply encouraging them to actually keep the oath they have sworn and reaffirmed as part of Oath Keepers. I am also convinced that Stewart Rhodes, the founder of Oath Keepers, is an honorable man without a secret agenda and with no desire to force anyone to do anything. This movement is all about refusing to force compliance with unconstitutional "laws". That's all.

No, I am not a fan of the Constitution, although I do believe a Constitutional government would be better than the travesty that attempts to rule us now. I have to wonder, though, if the individual Oath Keepers really understand what "unconstitutional" means. Don't rely on the black-robed furniture abusers of the Supreme Court to tell you what the Constitution means. They are wrong more often than they are right, and it was never their job to tell you and me what the Constitution means. That authority rests in you and me alone. They stole that "authority" for themselves and have gotten away with it so far.

"Unconstitutional" does not mean the Constitution clearly says that the action in question is forbidden, but that the Constitution does NOT say, explicitly, that the action in question is an authorized power of the government. Of course, where the Constitution and coercion, theft, and fraud join purposes (which they often do), the Constitution is in the wrong.

My concern remains: how many Oath Keepers are still doing unconstitutional things as a part of their "job"? How many LEOs who have taken the oath are still enforcing traffic "laws", drug "laws", or gun "laws"? Where are those "laws" explicitly authorized in the Constitution? How many are helping "arrest" (kidnap) people for violating tax "laws" or are helping other agents of the state steal the houses and other property of these people? Doesn't "right and wrong" mean more than "Constitutional"? How many military Oath Keepers are still allowing the government to send them around the globe to occupy other people's territory, and then killing those who fight back?

I don't believe an honest Oath Keeper could remain employed if they actually honored the oath. In fact, I doubt an honest Oath Keeper would stay out of prison for long.

I want to see Oath Keepers make a difference. I will not be shocked if they don't. It is amazing what a person can justify to themselves when a paycheck is on the line, or when nationalistic brainwashing has worked its magic.