March 10th, 2010

Engagement and education are the keys to winning

ArmyLogo My name is John T. Day.

I am a US Army veteran of 5 years active duty. I fought in Vietnam with the 1st Cavalry Division and spent 4 years NG/Res. Also, I spent more than 30 years as a sworn law enforcement officer at municipal, county, state and federal levels. I first swore my oath in January, 1966 when I entered military service. Since then, I have reaffirmed my oath many times.

My wife, son and daughters have all sworn the same oath to the constitution.

Oath Keepers is a way for all of us to share our experiences, to support each other and to affirm that we take the oaths we swore very, very seriously.

I, for one, will continue to be a positive influence on those who still stand on the front lines of our battle against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

There are those who assert that law enforcement officers should not and cannot be Oath Keepers since they supposedly act as agents of the government that seeks to repress the citizens of our nation. I disagree.

While law enforcement officers are the most visible representatives of government, they have a moral obligation to balance the legitimate powers of government –to protect the peace, to prevent or investigate crime, to enforce the rule of law. But they must also protect the people from the government. They must balance the legitimate authority of government with the rights of the citizens they serve. Law enforcement officers must understand that they are the fulcrum of these sometimes competing interests.

Now, this is fine in theory. But the practice is difficult and fraught with opportunities for failure. Law enforcement officers, of whatever aspect of government, must not take the easy way out by “going along to get along”. They have real issues with which to contend: Law enforcement officers have the same needs, desires and aspirations as the rest of the people. They owe money for their cars, homes and other things. They live mostly from paycheck to pay check. They need their jobs…

Unfortunately, they, on the whole, are not particularly well educated. They’re not smarter than the rest of us. They make mistakes. In some cases they’re hypocritical; doing what they try to prevent others from doing. Some steal, some beat their spouses, some are liars and thieves; in short, they’re human.

So, what we have to do as Oath Keepers is encourage law enforcement officers to recognize that we support them in their efforts to do the right thing and we condemn their actions when they do something that breaks their oath and the trust we, the people place in them.

Engagement and education are the keys to winning over those who lack the understanding of what is at stake; who might turn against the people in the impending crisis.

I will stand with my fellow Oath Keepers for as long as I am able to stand.

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Posted in All, Testimonials | 4 Comments »

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4 Responses to “Engagement and education are the keys to winning”

1
Dave B Says:
March 11th, 2010 at 2:11 am
John: As an active 35 year veteran police officer I thank you for your service and I couldn’t agree more. You have no idea what a relief it is to hear from fellow soldiers and police officers that have the ability to understand and comprehend why we do what we do. Too often we’re tainted by people that don’t understand the concept and use their position to impose their will on others for their own self-gratification or to make up for their own shortcomings. Welcome aboard.
2
Larry McGervey Says:
March 11th, 2010 at 11:06 am
Thank for you service.
I have been a policeman for over 20 years. it is amazing how many cops don’t understand the Constitution. the various police academies do not spend enough time teaching the constitution. the basis for all we do .
3
Gerry Says:
March 11th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
It is a pleasure to have read your very well written and thought out post. I agree with everything you have said. Unfortunately for us the media seldom covers the stories of the good men and women in service.
4
donald rutledge Says:
March 13th, 2010 at 8:42 pm
as a soldier who served many years to this country i stand with those men and women who have taken their oath to the u.s. constitution, and will honor those who will stand tall as i do, and i thank those who served and continue do so, with respect

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"A veteran - whether active duty, retired, national guard, or reserve - is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check made payable to The 'United States of America', for an amount of 'up to and including his life.'" – Author Unknown

If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace. -- Thomas Paine

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Oath of Enlistment

I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

Officers Oath

I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God

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Site Dedication

This site is dedicated to the memory of John William Adams (1925-2006), Marine and Oath Keeper extraordinaire.

John Adams, at the age of 16, lied about his age to join the Marines so he could fight against Imperial Japan in the Pacific. His enlistment date was December 10, 1941, just three days after the attack on Pearl Harbor (see below). As a Marine rifleman, he fought the Japanese from island to island, across the pacific, including at Iwo Jima. We may have good men, but we never had better.

Until his death in 2006, he was a dedicated patriot who still took his oath to defend the Republic deadly serious. May God grant you the courage to do likewise.

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OATH KEEPERS: ORDERS WE WILL NOT OBEY
Click here to read full length version. 1. We will NOT obey orders to disarm the American people. 2. We will NOT obey orders to conduct warrantless searches of the American people 3. We will NOT obey orders to detain American citizens as “unlawful enemy combatants” or to subject them to military tribunal. 4. We will NOT obey orders to impose martial law or a “state of emergency” on a state. 5. We will NOT obey orders to invade and subjugate any state that asserts its sovereignty. 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." 9. We will NOT obey any orders to confiscate the property of the American people, including food and other essential supplies. 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.
Click here to read full length version.

OATH KEEPERS: ORDERS WE WILL NOT OBEY

Click here to read full length version.

1. We will NOT obey orders to disarm the American people.

2. We will NOT obey orders to conduct warrantless searches of the American people

3. We will NOT obey orders to detain American citizens as “unlawful enemy combatants” or to subject them to military tribunal.

4. We will NOT obey orders to impose martial law or a “state of emergency” on a state.

5. We will NOT obey orders to invade and subjugate any state that asserts its sovereignty.

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."

9. We will NOT obey any orders to confiscate the property of the American people, including food and other essential supplies.

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.

Click here to read full length version.

Founder Stewart Rhodes

He is a former firearms instructor and former member of Rep. Ron Paul’s DC staff.

Stewart previously wrote the monthly Enemy at the Gates column for S.W.A.T. Magazine

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.