| Oath Keepers: Patriotic Defenders of the Republic? | | Print | |
| Written by Joe Wolverton, II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Friday, 23 October 2009 11:35 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In other words, according to the group's website, Oath Keepers "won't just follow orders." Stewart Rhodes is the founder of Oath Keepers. He has all his conservative and constitutional bona fides, viz: he is a former member of Congressman Ron Paul's Washington, D.C., staff, as well as a graduate of the Yale School of Law and a former Army paratrooper disabled during a night jump. While at Yale Law School, Rhodes received an award for his paper entitled, "Solving the Puzzle of Enemy Combatant Status." He continues to teach on military history, the Constitution, as well as writing articles on similar topics for numerous publications. Rhodes started Oath Keepers because of his belief that the time is fast approaching when Americans must decide whether to remain free or be slaves to a government that grows and grasps daily, stealthily robbing Americans of their birthright of liberty and mocking their unalienable rights of life, liberty, and property. To prevent such a slouch into despotism, Rhodes has organized Oath Keepers and called upon the military and local police to stand up for the principles of freedom as declared in the Constitution and to refuse to follow orders that would enslave the American people or encroach upon the sovereignty of the several states. Specifically, the Oath Keepers asks its adherents to make and defend the following "Declaration of Orders We Will Not Obey." 1. We will not obey any order to disarm the American people. Oath Keepers believe that any attempt to deprive the people of their weaponry is treasonous and is an act of war upon the people of the United States. 2. We will not obey any order to conduct warrantless searches of the American people, their homes, vehicles, papers, or effects — such as warrantless house-to-house searches for weapons or persons. Basically, Oath Keepers refuse to violate the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution that forbids unlawful searches and seizures. 3. We will not obey any order to detain American citizens as "unlawful enemy combatants" or to subject them to trial by military tribunal. According to the organization's website, the Oath Keepers hold that military tribunals are not to be used in the trial of citizens not in the military and furthermore, the only constitutionally endorsed means of trying a citizen accused of treason is Article III wherein the requirements for the trial and punishment of one accused of treason is set forth. 4. We will not obey orders to impose martial law or a "state of emergency" on a state, or to enter with force into a state, without the express consent and invitation of that state's legislature and governor. Simply, the Oath Keepers state that the attempt to impose martial law on the people of Massachusetts was one of the principal causes of the American War for Independence and that the right of the national government to declare military rule is "nowhere enumerated in the Constitution." 5. We will not obey orders to invade and subjugate any state that asserts its sovereignty and declares the national government to be in violation of the compact by which that stated entered the Union. This is perhaps the most controversial of the Oath Keepers avowals. The organization's members hereby swear to uphold the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution, as well as espouse the principle of states' rights as contained in the "Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions." 6. We will not obey an order to blockade American cities, thus turning them into giant concentration camps. The group equates such an order with an act of treason and to be redolent of the stench of similar tactics used by the Nazis and Japanese to enslave their own people. 7. We will not obey any order to force American citizens into any form of detention camps under any pretext. Oath Keepers explains this tenet thus: "Oppressive governments often use the internment of women and children to break the will of the men fighting for their liberty — as was done to the Boers, the Jewish resisters in the Warsaw Ghetto, and to the Chechens, for example." 8. We will not obey orders to assist or support the use of any foreign troops on U.S. soil against the American people to "keep the peace" or "maintain control" during any emergency or under any other pretext. We will consider such use of foreign troops against our people to be an invasion and an act of war. 9. We will not obey any orders to confiscate the property of the American people, including food and other essential supplies, under any emergency pretext whatsoever. Citing again one of the British atrocities against Americans that was one of the underlying causes of the American War for Independence, the Oath Keepers swear to never deprive the American people of their food. 10. We will not obey any orders which infringe on the right of the people to free speech, to peaceably assemble, and to petition their government for a redress of grievances. The Oath Keepers hereby promise never to be a tool in silencing the voice of those patriots who would "set brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." As the foregoing tenets illustrate, the Oath Keepers target audience are those enlisted in the military, as they see them as the first line of defense of the principles of freedom upon which our republic was founded. The literature produced by Oath Keepers attempts to identify patterns in the early acts of various rulers and governments of history that they assert were "tripwires" or warnings of the impending imposition of despotism. Their goal, then, is to alert the American people when these tripwires are sprung in our country and to prevent the enslavement of Americans by recruiting likeminded servicemen and sheriffs who refuse to become the pawns of tyranny. "The whole point of Oath Keepers is to stop a dictatorship from ever happening here," said Steward Rhodes in a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Predictably, the Oath Keepers and the oaths they promise to keep are controversial and have drawn attention from many who see the organization as nothing more than an extremist, anti-establishment militia bent on overthrowing the government. The Southern Poverty Law Center, for example, monitors the group's activity on their "Hate Watch" blog and in a July report described them as a "particularly worrisome example of the Patriot revival." To the Southern Poverty Law Center, it seems, patriotism is something onerous and hateful. Other similar leftist "watchdogs" have declared the Oath Keepers to be an embryonic revolutionary force that, but for the fact that the group is so small, would use its military influence to impose its own narrow version of the Founders' ideal government on the majority and thus become that which they claim to loathe — despots. The very existence of the Oath Keepers, however, whether they be the true guardians of the republic or misguided patriots, is evidence of the fear and distrust of government felt by Americans and of their legitimate concern that the national government consistently and unrepentantly marches with heavy boots across constitutional boundaries and is willfully concentrating power into an executive that without much effort could assume all power into a single hand and then use that strength to finally and irreparably break free from the fetters placed upon it by the Constitution and to obliterate the walls of protection erected by our Founders around the highest and final citadel of sovereignty — the American people.
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Bonnie
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Oath Keepers is a nationwide association of currently serving members of the armed forces, national guard units, police officers, and veterans of the same that have recently united with the declared purpose of unequivocally and without fear or favor staying true to the oath to defend the Constitution of the United States of America "against all enemies, foreign and domestic."
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... For those interested, you do not have to be military, police, firefighter, first responder, or veteran. You may join as a "Citizen Associate Member". Dues are $30/year. Here is the link to the Oath Keepers web site: http://oathkeepers.org/oath/ |
DONALD RUTLEDGE
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OATHKEEPER BEING A VETERAN WITH OVER 20 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION, THIS COUNTRY IS THE GREATEST COUNTRY ON EARTH I HAVE BEEN TO OTHER COUNTRIES WHERE PEOPLE WERE OPPRESSED WHERE PEOPLE WERE TREATED LIKE SECOND RATE RATS, WE ARE HOWEVER ARE DECAYING AS A NATION BECAUSE WE ARE STRAYING AWAY FROM OUR BELIEFS AS A COUNTRY, I DO HAVE ONE THING AND THAT IS GOD AND MY OATH TO PROTECT YOU AND OTHERS OF THIS COUNTRY AND WILL UNIT MY LAST BREATH, WITH ALL DUES RESPECT A DEVOTED PATRIOT |
Gregory Girard
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Guardians of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness I was beyond ecstatic to read the overview above. America's armed citizenry would ultimately possess the capability to decisively prevail in any conflict involving the need to preserve the Constitution and our way of life against the growing throngs of leftist traitors (mostly domestic). But defending our lives, our homes, and our liberties against an attack by professional criminal forces would doubtless include an initial tragic period of chaos and bloodshed before ending badly for the tyrannts. Those same tyrannts may be forced to reconsider their traiterous ambitions when they become aware that many of the patriotic men and woman of the armed forces refuse to violate their sacred oath, to discard their deepest moral beliefs, and subsequently participate in acts of terror and treachery against U.S. citizens. The success of the above "Oath" may largely determine wheter a tyrannt, who is planning to rely upon the U.S. armed forces to subjugate the U.S. populace, will need another plan. The only soldiers, sailors, and airman available to tyrannts will be those willing to commit treason in the name of "duty." And of course they must also be willing to risk actions taken by their peers in defense of the Constitution and the American people. I firmly believe that, in general, U.S. soldiers, sailors, and airmen would never submit to be used as minions to do the evil work of a tyrannt. But liberals make little, if any distinction between good and evil, and likely would not see harm to individuals as evil if the collective idealogical goals were furthered. For this reason, I believe that it is critical that those in the armed forces be explicit in their intention not to participate in terroring U.S. citizens. If, however, thousands of U.S. soldiers, sailors and airmen sign their name to the pledge, even those lacking a moral compass will be able to plainly see that the U.S. armed forces shall never be used as tool for treachery and tyranny. |
Cartrite
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Everything isn't cut and dry; black and white; right or wrong; good or evil. First of all, I want to say that our troops are brave and honorable men and women who are protecting our country and they have my eternal respect and gratitude in that regard. Now onto the comment made by Gregory. Conservatives and Liberals are not synonymous with good and evil, right and wrong or black and white, they just happen to be different ideologies. Also, I don't get how (although you didn't mention him by name) that President Obama is a tyrant. What rights has he taken away? Oddly enough, George W. Bush ;however, violated our Constitution by waging an illegal war, by authorizing torture and he even threatened to deploy U.S. military troops on American soil to make an arrest( which has not happened since the civi war centuries ago and The FBI's responsibility is to arrest high profile criminals like terorists in Domestic situations). I don't get how liberals are evil because they disagree with your views. We are all united in the fact that we want our country to be safe and secure and we all want to keep our rights. I find it oddly disturbing that you are advocating another civil war within our country, which would not be serving the greater good, nor would it improve the lives of our children, friends, or loved ones. I've never lived through a civil war and i doubt ANY Americans ever want to again. We don't always have to agree with each other and that is why we debate issues and why we elect officials to lead our nations and advocate ideals for us. |
Thomas Paine
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Way to go Oathkeepers! Looks very legit. Sheriff Mack is a member as well. We will need men like that with some law enforcement or military clout to help prevent our merger into the New World Order. I am all for them. |
Audrey Temple
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... Why are there dues to join this organization when it involves only a pledge? There are already too many groups with this same patriotic emphasis on the Constitution who want our money. We can all stand up for our rights without paying for them. |
Justin Honaker
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No Longer a Republican, Never a Democrat . . . Cartrite: Also, I don't get how (although you didn't mention him by name) that President Obama is a tyrant. What rights has he taken away? You wonder what Mr. Obama has done. Well, for one thing, he has continued Bush's illegal war. He is even considering sending more troops to Afghanistan. On another point, the "Civil War" (more properly called The War for Southern Independence or the War of Northern Aggression) did not happen "centuries ago". It began in 1861, 148 years ago, and "ended" in 1865, 144 years ago. This is less than the 200 years necessary for it to have been "centuries". . . . and always an Un-Reconstructed Southron. |
Frank
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Dont Blame Obama No disrespect intended, but He's merely a puppet of wall Street and only following btheir orders. Do a little video research, watch "Fall of the Republic" and you will see Obama campaigning with promises that he later broke, dozens of them. So why isnt the media tearing him up for that? I dont care what color, or party he is either. Its obvious that hes an obedient puppet or else they would tear him up! There is a clear adjenda here with the collapse of the US economy, the US Dollar dying because of the FED Reserve. And by the way...The last 7 presidents are all guilty of destroying and enslaving the US. Any president who has allowed the private bank system, the federal reserve to enslave the American people through taxation, is GUILTY-OBAMA Included. |
David Wimberly
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Colonel X I am a Member of Oath Keepers and a Veteran of the USMC and USN. I have heard many people state they area radical group, etc., much like I heard about the John Birch Society in the 60s and 70s. I do not believe that either of these groups are 'radical' unless you consider the Constitution and upholding the oath we took to it to be radical. My father was a Bircher and me too. We're not radicals. Just Constitutionalists!!! |
bigJack
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oat keepers? 11. We will not obey any orders to confiscate the American oat, oat meal has always been, still is, and always be deep rooted in American values, every American should eat oat meal at least once a week, failure to do so should result in a swift fedexation of the subject, all his close relatives as well as his sympatizers to their country of origin, if they are American born then a DNA sample should be taken and sequenced to reveal the subjects country of origin where he shall be expediated at once ! The group equates such orders with an act of high treason and to be redolent of the stench of similar tactics used by the Nazis and Japanese to enslave their own people, deprive them from their freedom to eat oat meal and thus preventing them from raising a new generation of free oat meal eaters. |
Teri Ippolito
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Loss of Liberty If I shall be in the minority, I shall suffer that painful sensation of the conviction of being overpowered in a good cause, I will be a peaceable citizen. My head, my hand and my heart shall be at liberty to retrieve the loss of liberty, and to remove the defects of that system in a constitutional way.I wish not to go in violence, I will patiently wait, with the expectation of seeing government changed, as to be compatible with the safety, Liberty and happiness of the people. |
Ben
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Study on Oath Keepers MediaCurves.com conducted a study among 300 viewers of a news clip featuring the Oath Keepers organization. Results found that majority of viewers (53%) felt that armed militia groups should be outlawed in the United States. The percentage of viewers that support the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, which protects the right to keep and bear arms, declined from 80% to 73% after viewing the video. In addition, more than one-third of the viewers (37%) reported that the existence of the Oath Keepers organization causes them to feel less safe. http://www.mediacurves.com/Pol...Index.cfm Thanks, Ben |
