The Oathkeepers

A big H/T goes to Matt at Conservative Hideout 2.0 for this article.

“The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their Houses, and Farms, are to be pillaged and destroyed, and they consigned to a State of Wretchedness from which no human efforts will probably deliver them. The fate of unborn Millions will now depend, under God, on the Courage and Conduct of this army” — Gen. George Washington, to his troops before the battle of Long Island


This quote is taken from the Oathkeepers website. I’ve been aware of them for a few weeks now, but am now finally getting around to doing a post on them. As the name implies, the Oathkeepers believe in keeping their oath to uphold and protect the Constitution. Their oath is in ten statements shown here.

1) We will NOT obey any order to disarm the American people.

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.


3) We will NOT obey any order to detain American citizens as “unlawful enemy combatants” or to subject them to trial by military tribunal.


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.


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 state entered the Union.


6) We will NOT obey any order to blockade American cities, thus turning them into giant concentration camps.


7) We will NOT obey any order to force American citizens into any form of detention camps under any pretext.


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 to “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.


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.

Here is more from their website.

Oath Keepers is a non partisan association of currently serving military, peace officers, fire-fighters, and veterans who will fulfill our oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, so help us God.

Our oath is to the Constitution, not to the politicians, and not to any political party. In the long-standing tradition of the U.S. military, we are apolitical. We don’t care if unlawful orders come from a Democrat or a Republican, or if the violation is bi-partisan. We will not obey unconstitutional (and thus unlawful) and immoral orders, such as orders to disarm the American people or to place them under martial law. We won’t “just follow orders.” Our motto: “Not on Our Watch!” or to put it even more succinctly, in the words of 101st Airborne Commander General Anthony McAuliffe at the Battle of the Bulge, “NUTS!”

There is at this time a debate within the ranks of the military regarding their oath. Some mistakenly believe they must follow any order the President issues. But many others do understand that their loyalty is to the Constitution and to the people, and understand what that means.

The mission of Oath Keepers is to vastly increase their numbers.


We are in a battle for the hearts and minds of our own troops.


Help us win it.

This, in my opinion, is an outstanding development. I am pleased to see that many Americans are choosing to take on the responsibility of actually keeping their oath to protect and uphold the constitution. While that comment may sound sarcastic, that is not the intent. As we all are aware, we are watching an unprecedented attempt by our own government to water down, or outright eliminate many of our individual freedoms. Distrust of the government, particularly at the federal level, is at all time highs. I personally take great comfort that there are people in positions of responsibility willing to take this oath.

I would have to assume that taking this oath might come at some personal risk. Given the federal government’s stance that anyone who disagrees with the POTUS is a terrorist, these people are facing probable investigation. Given the extent to which government officials visit this blog (thanks Stat Counter), it’s not a stretch to believe that the government would also check on the online activities of people that take this oath. Also depending upon the scenario, people taking this oath, and as well as depending upon their employment or service, they could face job loss, imprisonment, court-martial, or other punishments for upholding their oath. These people are taking their oath seriously, perhaps at personal risk to themselves. If you know an Oathkeeper, thank them and support them. If you are in a position that may one day require you to participate in anything described in the Oathkeeper’s statements, please consider taking the oath yourself. Just know that you will have made yourself some powerful enemies in the process.