We've talked about Oath Keepers many times here on Gun Rights Examiner. Now the "mainstream media" is starting to take notice of them. And some are taking their cues from fabricated and hysterical Southern Poverty Law Center cries of "Witch!"...I mean "Hate group!"
For those of you who may not be familiar with the organization, here's how they describe themselves:
Oath Keepers is a non-partisan association of currently serving military, reserves, National Guard, veterans, Peace Officers, and Fire Fighters who will fulfill the Oath we swore, with the support of like minded citizens who take an Oath to stand with us, to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, so help us God. Our Oath is to the Constitution
Our motto is "Not on our watch!"
Their founder, Stewart Rhodes...
...served as a U.S. Army paratrooper until disabled in a rough terrain parachuting accident during a night jump...Stewart graduated from Yale Law School in 2004, where his paper 'Solving the Puzzle of Enemy Combatant Status' won Yale’s Miller prize for best paper on the Bill of Rights. He assisted teaching U.S. military history at Yale, was a Yale Research Scholar, and is writing a book on the dangers of applying the laws of war to the American people.
Gee, that sounds pretty hateful and extreme...
Particularly in light of their "What We are Not" statement, that includes such inflammatory and radical proclamations like:
We are Not advocating or promoting the overthrow of any government whether local, state or national. We want our governments to return to the Constitutional Republic which the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution defined and instituted.
We are Not advocating or promoting violence towards any organization, group or person. We are determined to Keep our Oath to support and defend the Constitution...
We are Not advocating or promoting any act or acts of aggression against any organization or person for any reason including, but not limited to; race, religion, national origin, political affiliation, gender or sexual orientation.
We hope for a return to a Constitutional Republic free from fear and hatred. We hate only tyranny.
Witch!!!
The movement has started to gain notice from national media outlets. Now that I've established a background, I'll tell you about that in part two, coming right up.
Comments
Strange oversight, but I assume it must be one, but David's quoted excerpt from the Oath Keeper's self-description (". . .a non-partisan association of currently serving military, reserves, National Guard, veterans, Peace Officers, and Fire Fighters. . . .") doesn't include veterans of regular military service. I've noticed that in other discussions of the group so I feel certain it isn't David's omission, but results from a rather careless presentation by the group. Is that correct?
I messed up and did a terrible disservice to David and whoever described the Oath Keepers' membership. My comment was rendered all the more unjustified because I was long an editor of indescribably harsh repute. I MISSED A COMMA!!! that separates the terms "National Guard" and "veterans." I tricked myself into thimking the reference was to veterans of the Guard only and not to all veterans (which would include me).
Mea maxima culpa.
Please read my view of Oath Keepers here:
Oaths, War, And Liberty
On this beautiful Mother's Day an email from the HispanicLibertarians Yahoo Group landed in my inbox. It was a post titled "Troops and Law enforcement officers say not on my watch!". The entire post was this link, [deleted], the Oath Keepers website. At first glance I thought good for them; this is a step in the right direction.
Unfortunately, further examination quickly revealed another side of this organization. While they advocate liberty and respect for the Constitution they also support the US government's imperial wars. It is not possible to be pro war and empire, on the one hand, and pro liberty at the same time. One must choose one or the other.
(snip)
Since they don't allow links in the comments please Google the title above to read the rest.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!