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On Oaths and Politics [1]
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Date: 2025-03-31
I had a recent email conversation with some fellow veterans where the subject veered invariably to the latest outrage from the Administration, one dealing with violations of fundamental rights like Habeas Corpus, the 1st Amendment, and due process, among others. One of the group objected to “politics” being injected into the thread, and after a round of apologies, the list admin set new ground rules banning discussing “politics.”
Here was my response to my shipmates: Cameraderie and shared bonhomie between veterans is treasured, and we all agreed it was worth it to avoid “politics” to avoid introducing friction where it was not necessary — but it did make me think much harder about what was really at stake when we fence off discussion of things more fundamental under the guise of “politics.”
On Oaths and Politics
Tariffs are politics. Interest rates and the size of the federal government and the budget, environmental and educational policy, immigration, crime fighting, and gun safety, that’s politics.
The wisdom of how and where and when our country chooses our allies and enemies, be they north or south of us, or forged far away in blood and battle, what countries we give aid to, that is geopolitics and generally out of our hands. We provide advice but salute those who make those decisions.
But those with whom we personally have served, and trusted with our lives, and call friends and shipmates - that is never politics, and that understanding of shared duty to each other is beyond politics - and will never be broken despite the treachery of a word filled with it. We have earned and deserve each other’s trust, love, and respect.
What brought us together in the first place, though, was duty not just to each other, but to an oath to an idea - to uphold and defend not just a piece of paper but the ideas behind it; life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, against all enemies.
It is the core of our service. It is why we came together.
That is also not politics - it is a sacred oath that we all took, and is the root of our brother and sisterhood.
If the words to which our oath was sworn are bypassed, ignored, or bulldozed by those in power, it matters not whether it is just one word, paragraph, or amendment- an act in violation of any piece or principle is an attack on the entire thing.
Violation of it is a violation of not just their own sworn oath, but also a threat to ours to uphold, defend, and faithfully execute our duty to it. It challenges us in a very personal way to contemplate the unthinkable - having to consider the lawfulness of orders that of necessity are usually unquestioned.
The “other” sacred document, the Declaration of Independence, is clear about what the remedy is for a government of the powerful to whom those words are not self-evident, but I think the founders realized this was not something to be done regularly and built in provisions in the Constitution for most contingencies.
The authority of those in power does indeed derive from “We the People,” but not just from those who voted for them - it is from ALL the people, and within the limitations prescribed by our founding document and the laws that spring from it. The winning party may have the opportunity to attempt to change the laws, but it is not a license to run roughshod over them.
The Constitution also provides the guardrails and guarantee of our freedom - it is not just the source of power but also the talisman for its safety, and ignoring it is a fundamental threat to our freedom.
It is my hope that we all use our voices to defend our freedom and guard our oaths to our core principles, and encourage all to respect not just the brotherhood of our service, but also its foundation in our mutual love of this great United States of America. After all, isn’t that what we all signed up for in the first place?
Peace!
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