Oath — A solemn, formal promise or declaration that often calls upon a deity or a sacred object as a witness to the truth of a statement or the sincerity of a pledge.
We are a month away from the critical midterm elections, and I pondered something during my Tuesday morning run. I remember the day, 31 July 1982, that I first took my oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” I repeated that oath with each promotion as I was taking on a new office, and therefore affirmed that “I would well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter.” From Second Lieutenant to Lieutenant Colonel, I recited that oath, each time closing with “so help me God.”
As I sit here writing this missive, I am in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, at the Courtyard by Marriott Ft. Lauderdale East. This is part of the congressional district that I was honored to represent fifteen years ago. In 1961, when I was born in a segregated hospital in Atlanta, there were portions of this congressional district that I would not have been allowed to enter, from Ft. Lauderdale beach all the way up to Palm Beach Island. In 2011, fifty years later, I was the congressional representative of the very same beautiful, pristine stretch of land. In January 2011, there I was in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives preparing once again to take the oath of office, this time as a congressional representative. What shocked me was that I was not required to verbally take the oath. It was read by the Speaker of the House, John Boehner. I was just required to stand there and raise my right hand. I looked around and was surprised at the lack of deference to this solemn moment. We were the congressional representatives of the American people, some say lawmakers, yet it did not seem that the gravity of the moment struck my so-called colleagues.
As we are 30 days away from this midterm election, perhaps the American people should be asking themselves: Who will honor the oath they are taking?
It is very perplexing to me that we have those who seek elected office whose actions are in complete and utter violation of the oath that they take to uphold our rule of law. I understand debate and differing perspectives on economic, fiscal, and tax policies. However, when there are those who embrace the idea of open borders, that is completely unconstitutional. When we have elected officials who do not believe that lower jurisdictions must follow the law, that is a violation of the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause. When there are those who openly admit that they seek to undermine our representative democracy by allowing people here illegally to vote, or, worse, destroy our system of three branches of governance — legislative, executive, and judicial — that is not just a difference in policy; it is unconstitutional. As we watch more states implement the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), which is intended to undermine the Electoral College system, meaning drive our Republic towards a pure democracy and not a Constitutional Republic — talk about a threat to democracy.
There are those who seek elected office in America who are observant of an ideology that states there is no law higher than their law: Sharia. They follow a belief system rooted in the rejection of individual rights, freedoms, and liberties. It is an ideology that rejects our basic constitutional right to freedom of religion. It is an ideology that does not accept our affirmation of equal rights, certainly not for women. How funny: leftist feminists rarely speak out about the gender apartheid and misogyny of Islam. Or when will the LGBTQIA+, I think I got all the alphabets right, speak up against the violence towards them by said ideology? The question is an important one that this nation, and truthfully all Western democratic countries, must ask: Are Islam and its adherents acting in compliance with our constitutional principles and values?
And yes, when the response is “Islamophobia,” the goal being suppression of free speech, thought, and censoring of expression, and not a serious debate, the aforementioned question is answered.
Perhaps we have crossed a critical point in the life cycle of our Republic. We the People no longer believe that an oath to the Constitution of the United States matters. We now just see it as a simple recitation of irrelevant words. I, for one, do not, and never will. The oath I first took in 1982 has no statute of limitations. I hold myself accountable to that oath, but do Americans hold their elected officials accountable to the very same oath? It would appear not, and that is what this midterm election is truly about.
Marxism and Islamism are contrary to our rule of law, our Constitution, but does that matter to the American electorate? There are three demographics that are woeful in voter participation in our Republic: Christians (First Amendment), gun owners (Second Amendment), and veterans (the true defenders of our Constitution). But to all Americans, the question of this midterm election is this: Is America just that horrible that you want it fundamentally transformed? Do we really want to resemble the U.K. and France right now? Yes, let’s have a policy debate, but to electorally support individuals, candidates, or incumbents who have a proven disdain for our rule of law, our Constitution, is suicidal.
Always remember: when tolerance becomes a one-way street, it leads to cultural suicide. Vote, and as you cast your vote, consider: Will your choice enable America 300? Do your choices believe in the oath, or is it just a recitation of useless words?
Steadfast and Loyal.
Republished from ACRU Action.
