Declaration Of Orders We Will Not Obey
Orders We Will Not Obey
“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
Such a time is near at hand again. The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the Courage and Conduct of this Army – and this Marine Corps, This Air Force, This Navy and the National Guard and police units of these sovereign states.
Oath Keepers is a non-partisan association of currently serving military, reserves, National Guard, peace officers, fire-fighters, and veterans who swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic … and meant it. We won’t “just follow orders.”
Below is our declaration of orders we will NOT obey because we will consider them unconstitutional (and thus unlawful) and immoral violations of the natural rights of the people. Such orders would be acts of war against the American people by their own government, and thus acts of treason. We will not make war against our own people. We will not commit treason. We will defend the Republic.
Declaration of Orders We Will NOT Obey
Recognizing that we each swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and affirming that we are guardians of the Republic, of the principles in our Declaration of Independence, and of the rights of our people, we affirm and declare the following:
1. We will NOT obey any order to disarm the American people.
The attempt to disarm the people on April 19, 1775 was the spark of open conflict in the American Revolution. That vile attempt was an act of war, and the American people fought back in justified, righteous self-defense of their natural rights. Any such order today would also be an act of war against the American people, and thus an act of treason. We will not make war on our own people, and we will not commit treason by obeying any such treasonous order.
Nor will we assist, or support any such attempt to disarm the people by other government entities, either state or federal.
In addition, we affirm that the purpose of the Second Amendment is to preserve the military power of the people so that they will, in the last resort, have effective final recourse to arms and to the God of Hosts in the face of tyranny. Accordingly, we oppose any and all further infringements on the right of the people to keep and bear arms. In particular we oppose a renewal of the misnamed “assault-weapons” ban or the enactment of H.R. 45 (which would register and track gun owners like convicted pedophiles).
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.
One of the causes of the American Revolution was the use of “writs of assistance,” which were essentially warrantless searches because there was no requirement of a showing of probable cause to a judge, and the first fiery embers of American resistance were born in opposition to those infamous writs. The Founders considered all warrantless searches to be unreasonable and egregious. It was to prevent a repeat of such violations of the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects that the Fourth Amendment was written.
We expect that sweeping warrantless searches of homes and vehicles, under some pretext, will be the means used to attempt to disarm the people.
3. We will NOT obey any order to detain American citizens as “unlawful enemy combatants” or to subject them to trial by military tribunal.
One of the causes of the American Revolution was the denial of the right to jury trial, the use of admiralty courts (military tribunals) instead, and the application of the laws of war to the colonists. After that experience, and being well aware of the infamous Star Chamber in English history, the Founders ensured that the international laws of war would apply only to foreign enemies, not to the American people. Thus, the Article III Treason Clause establishes the only constitutional form of trial for an American, not serving in the military, who is accused of making war on his own nation. Such a trial for treason must be before a civilian jury, not a tribunal.
The international laws of war do not trump our Bill of Rights. We reject as illegitimate any such claimed power, as did the Supreme Court in Ex Parte Milligan (1865). Any attempt to apply the laws of war to American civilians, under any pretext, such as against domestic “militia” groups the government brands “domestic terrorists,” is an act of war and an act of treason.
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.
One of the causes of the American Revolution was the attempt “to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power” by disbanding the Massachusetts legislature and appointing General Gage as “military governor.” The attempt to disarm the people of Massachusetts during that martial law sparked our Revolution. Accordingly, the power to impose martial law – the absolute rule over the people by a military officer with his will alone being law – is nowhere enumerated in our Constitution.
Further, it is the militia of a state and of the several states that the Constitution contemplates being used in any context, during any emergency within a state, not the standing army.
The imposition of martial law by the national government over a state and its people, treating them as an occupied enemy nation, is an act of war. Such an attempted suspension of the Constitution and Bill of Rights voids the compact with the states and with the people.
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.
In response to the obscene growth of federal power and to the absurdly totalitarian claimed powers of the Executive, upwards of 20 states are considering, have considered, or have passed courageous resolutions affirming states rights and sovereignty.
Those resolutions follow in the honored and revered footsteps of Jefferson and Madison in their Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, and likewise seek to enforce the Constitution by affirming the very same principles of our Declaration, Constitution, and Bill of Rights that we Oath Keepers recognize and affirm.
Chief among those principles is that ours is a dual sovereignty system, with the people of each state retaining all powers not granted to the national government they created, and thus the people of each state reserved to themselves the right to judge when the national government they created has voided the compact between the states by asserting powers never granted.
Upon the declaration by a state that such a breach has occurred, we will not obey orders to force that state to submit to the national government.
6. We will NOT obey any order to blockade American cities, thus turning them into giant concentration camps.
One of the causes of the American Revolution was the blockade of Boston, and the occupying of that city by the British military, under martial law. Once hostilities began, the people of Boston were tricked into turning in their arms in exchange for safe passage, but were then forbidden to leave. That confinement of the residents of an entire city was an act of war.
Such tactics were repeated by the Nazis in the Warsaw Ghetto, and by the Imperial Japanese in Nanking, turning entire cities into death camps. Any such order to disarm and confine the people of an American city will be an act of war and thus an act of treason.
7. We will NOT obey any order to force American citizens into any form of detention camps under any pretext.
Mass, forced internment into concentration camps was a hallmark of every fascist and communist dictatorship in the 20th Century. Such internment was unfortunately even used against American citizens of Japanese descent during World War II. Whenever a government interns its own people, it treats them like an occupied enemy population. 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, to the Jewish resisters in the Warsaw Ghetto, and to the Chechens, for example.
Such a vile order to forcibly intern Americans without charges or trial would be an act of war against the American people, and thus an act of treason, regardless of the pretext used. We will not commit treason, nor will we facilitate or support it.”NOT on Our Watch!”
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.
During the American Revolution, the British government enlisted the aid of Hessian mercenaries in an attempt to subjugate the rebellious American people. Throughout history, repressive regimes have enlisted the aid of foreign troops and mercenaries who have no bonds with the people.
Accordingly, as the militia of the several states are the only military force contemplated by the Constitution, in Article I, Section 8, for domestic keeping of the peace, and as the use of even our own standing army for such purposes is without such constitutional support, the use of foreign troops and mercenaries against the people is wildly unconstitutional, egregious, and an act of war.
We will oppose such troops as enemies of the people and we will treat all who request, invite, and aid those foreign troops as the traitors they are.
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.
One of the causes of the American Revolution was the seizure and forfeiture of American ships, goods, and supplies, along with the seizure of American timber for the Royal Navy, all in violation of the people’s natural right to their property and to the fruits of their labor. The final spark of the Revolution was the attempt by the government to seize powder and cannon stores at Concord.
Deprivation of food has long been a weapon of war and oppression, with millions intentionally starved to death by fascist and communist governments in the 20th Century alone.
Accordingly, we will not obey or facilitate orders to confiscate food and other essential supplies from the people, and we will consider all those who issue or carry out such orders to be the enemies of the people.
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.
There would have been no American Revolution without fiery speakers and writers such as James Otis, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, and Sam Adams “setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.”
Patrick Henry: “Give me Liberty, or Give me DEATH!”
Tyrants know that the pen of a man such as Thomas Paine can cause them more damage than entire armies, and thus they always seek to suppress the natural rights of speech, association, and assembly. Without freedom of speech, the people will have no recourse but to arms. Without freedom of speech and conscience, there is no freedom.
Therefore, we will not obey or support any orders to suppress or violate the right of the people to speak, associate, worship, assemble, communicate, or petition government for the redress of grievances.
— And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually affirm our oath and pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor. Oath Keepers
The above list is not exhaustive but we do consider them to be clear tripwires – they form our “line in the sand,” and if we receive such orders, we will not obey them. Further, we will know that the time for another American Revolution is nigh. If you the people decide that you have no recourse, and such a revolution comes, at that time, not only will we NOT fire upon our fellow Americans who righteously resist such egregious violations of their God given rights, we will join them in fighting against those who dare attempt to enslave them.
NOTE: please also read our Principles of Our Republic We Are Sworn to Defend
More About Oath Keepers
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.
PLEASE DONATE AND SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS
Oath Keepers is growing FAST, but like General Patton, we are outpacing our own supply lines. Your donations are “fuel” for our advance!
Oath Keepers Declaration of Orders We Will NOT Obey
To view Comments pre July 4th, 2009 please visit our old blog at http://oath-keepers.blogspot.com/2009/03/oath-keepers-declaration-of-orders-we.html
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Free music concerts for the troops, with direct outreach to them about their oath
July 31st, 2009 at 8:24 pm
Orders We Will Not Obey…This is a great start, but it falls short. Our Military, Police and Sheriffs not only need to refuse to obey these treasonous acts that certainly loom on our horizon, but they need to immediately take action against the tyrannical government that would issue any such orders against our citizens and our Consitution. Obviously we all feel very threatened or this site would not exist. I ask, at what point will this rogue administration and the disgraceful anti-american liberal/communists that seek the destruction of our nation be seen for what they are…DOMESTIC TERRORISTS!!!
August 1st, 2009 at 9:28 am
Our oath is to defend the constitution against all enemies, foreign and DOMESTIC. A substantial portion of one of our major political parties now falls under the latter category, and the One may fall into the former.
The problem is, we can’t just kill them in the streets. Nor can we try them for treason and summarily execute them. But we CAN make their worthless lives miserable, by having a few of us at their heels at all times. Surveillance of their homes and offices, tracking their movements, greeting their public appearances with non-violent protests.
Oh, that’s right, I forgot…most of us WORK for a living, unlike their minions who mooch off of us…
August 1st, 2009 at 11:08 pm
When the time comes, as it always does in every long standing government, there is already a network in place to reduce the number of civilian casualties ( because as unfortunate as it is there always are some) and to support those who have the required skills to effect change according to the constitution in this country. If you have the skills i am referring to, (you know what they are) i would encourage you to stay in the military as long as you can. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. And most importantly, make sure you KNOW the person watching your six. HHOOAH SEMPER FI and God Bless America
August 2nd, 2009 at 8:45 am
Some breaking news-(well hasn’t broke yet)on the Eligibility issue.The layer for the cases has recieced info and photos of BHO’s COLB that is From and States he was born in Mombasa KENYA.Lawyer has filed motion on discovery and will be traveling to Kenya for verification of the pysical document evidence. Read info and See photo of the Kenya COLB here:
http://www.orlytaitzesq.com/blog1/
You’ll land on a page warning of it being a possible “attck site” Ignore it.I’ve been there repeatedly for the last few days in spite of it.My software says it’s safe for me.Most likely trying to keep folks from view the photo of the B/C and the info…
August 2nd, 2009 at 12:27 pm
I am a retired District Conservationist Soil Conservation Service. The District Conservationist in each county was assigned as a member of the local county defense committee. This committee was composed of the director of the local ASCS office, executive director of the FhMA with the county agent a non voting member. In some of the western states additonal members were included from the Forest Service, BLM and Corps of Engineers.
What was our job? Like the current FEMA organization the USDA had issued to each county committee a 3 inch thick binder containing the handbook rules.
In the advent of a disaster the county committee had the authorizaition to confiscate any and all property, food, water, medicine and fuels in a county. All of this of course in cooperation with the National Guard, the police department and the sheriff’s office and assorted mayors and county commissioners.
But the real authorized power was with the county defense committee.
The handbook contained a section on the housing of people. Separate the sexes. All males 12 and older go with the men. Workers were to receive by formula a substantial larger amount of food than non workers. Yes, I have seen the handbook and for many years participated in quarterly training sessions with it and the other members of the committee. When FEMA was created all the members of the county defense committee were issued a FEMA card. We had these cards about a year. One day I received a telephone call to put the card in an envelope and mail it to my supervisors office. No memos were ever send telling us to do this. In my county office there were no paper trace that the card had ever been issued or existed. Shortly after that the county defense committee was disbanded and its operations and authorizations transferred to FEMA.
Based on my experience does the current FEMA handbook contain a section on the relocation of people. Yes of course.
I too swore the oath to support the constitution. I have put up my uniform but I have never recanted my oath to support the constitution of the Republic of the United States.
I fear there will be blood in the streets.
XXXXXX
August 2nd, 2009 at 4:43 pm
If you believe the military and law enforcement will defend and protect the citizens and the old you had better wake up now.When the time comes for survial and surving who do you think will defend your rights?If you look at all the forgien countrys where the military rules with a dictator like the one we have in the ofice of president of the united states.I do not belive that our protecters will be our savors when food and water become scarce.Whom do you will be in charge?Answer the ones who control military!!
August 3rd, 2009 at 4:11 pm
First of all I wish to make perfectly clear that I am Swedish by birth and not a US Citizen. As such many may feel, partly rightfully so, and in other parts wrongfully so, that I should not speak on this forum or on this topic as a whole.
I beg to agree in the sense that I am not unable, unfortunately, to join your excellent cause, but I beg to differ to such statements as to the simple fact that the Oath Keepers, as an organization, will no matter what happens, need a strong International approval rating to succeed in it’s undertaking to protect the foundation of it’s national interests. First and foremost that of protecting the way of life you all have earned a right to, be it by your own actions or by generations of ancestry achieving these goals for you and your recognition of these ancestors efforts.
I would also like to clarify my standing in this topic as coming from a former military background, and I, as much as many of my friends and colleagues, clearly understand, agree with and appreciate your undertaking under the framework presented in your public appearances as well as here on the Oath Keepers website.
I have followed the recent times media with a sense of frustration and having served under UN flag before the mal-placed mix between NATO and the UN troops lead the whole ideal into a perversion of it’s originally intended function, I feel nothing but contempt for the disgraceful behaviour of many of my following “brother’s in arms” as portrayed for example by Belgian troops in Somalia and many other areas.
Your outlined ten basic orders you will not obey are commendable, and as someone prior to me pointed out, will with time need adjustment, but such adjustment is gradual and comes naturally to any and everyone of you I am sure.
The one thing I wish to point out, with the best of intentions, regardless of the nationality of the person or persons participating, be it natural born citizens, or foreign born citizens whom have taken the oath, as much as the Founding Fathers recognized it, there will come a time when original nationality and other feeble concerns will seem redundant, and for the sake of the preservation of your ideals as well as your national identity, a support from the international community must be established.
I personally have followed your progress via the Internet, including You Tube, and find, not very surprisingly, that given the clearly distinct dedication to preservation of your own territory and ideals, you will and should have a strong following and support also from many non US citizens.
I commend your strong will and good efforts, and I can only hope, as I fear this will not only affect the United States of America, that we manage somehow to build the same attention, and strong focus on the preservation of life, human dignity and human rights also in other parts of the world, when the Aggressors against your way of life initiates the same determined targeting of our lives outside the US as well.
I can see it coming already now, living in the United Kingdom, having even fewer rights than you have now, and also in my own native country of Sweden, seeing how the masses by some form of indoctrination have become to pacifist to even consider the government may be up to no good.
As long as men and women of strong integrity do not fear to do what is just, no matter the size of the obstacle, then humankind as a whole will still have a chance at survival.
As for my own experience from both military as well as civilian actions in the name of security and peace, I will never fail to remember the most rudimentary reason behind any action of any kind; De Oppresso Liber.
August 3rd, 2009 at 5:11 pm
To the Swedish Anonymous:
I think it is fitting you close your post with the motto of the U.S. Army Special Forces. In English, “To Free the Oppressed”. Even three years ago I would have found it odd to be thinking of applying the skills that motto requires within the borders of my own country, but it has come to pass. Being American, in truth, is more a state of mind than a mere accident of birth or result of a legal process. This has been lost on most folk in this country anyway. So if the time comes for struggle here, we will not lose sight of the fact that there are many of you in Europe who are by far more outnumbered than we are here, and as in the past, God willing, the borders will be open for those still wanting freedom and to those who honor the
rights stated in our Constitution and Bill of Rights.
August 3rd, 2009 at 6:42 pm
It is sad that most of those who have taken the oath to support the Constitution have never read the document, and those that have read it did so as children. The Republic is imperiled more by poor civics education than by any other single force. Keep up the good work Oath Keepers!
August 4th, 2009 at 9:25 am
I’m a civilian, and have never served, but I still feel the obligation and duty to serve my country and uphold the Constitution, mainly by informing as many as I can about the agenda of the global elite. Education first is our most powerful tool in combating the tyranny that faces us today. Please realize the government is not our enemy, international bankers and the government officials who belong to the same secret organizations the bankers are in are our enemy, our “shadow government” that is trying to enslave us all. The Bilderburg Group, Trilateral Comission, Bohemian Grove and Council on Foreign Relations are a few of these groups, and all the highest levels of government are occupied by members of these groups. All that aside, I would like to thank all of you for your service, sacrifice and dedication to upholding the true America, and what the founders intended it to be. Believe me if the dark days ever come where we are forced to violence, and civil war is upon us, I will be standing next you as a Brother in Arms defending to the death the very natural rights you have sworn to protect. I would rather die defending these rights for future generations than simply give them away. I would rather educate and peacefully resist than turn to violence, but I will do whatever must be done to protect our rights.