I remember saying the Pledge of Allegiance as a schoolboy. I didn’t fully understand what some of these concepts referred to: the words “liberty” and “justice”, for example, are very abstract ideas for a small boy. But I had a warm feeling swearing my loyalty to the United States, to God, to liberty and justice.
Now, many years later, I know what liberty and justice are. I have come to see how important -- and rare -- those ideals are.
And I have learned the entire history of the U.S., both good and bad. I have learned of her honorable and selfless actions. I have also learned about her brutally deceitful and murderous actions, including the frequent use by our government of false flag terror.
But even after learning of all of the deceit and murder committed by our government, I still have strong positive feelings for the United States. My forefathers fought and died for liberty. My ancestors struggled to deliver a nation ruled by laws and justice, instead of by the whims of men. My people gave their blood, sweat and tears to throw off the yoke of the British monarchy and to defeat the ambitions of Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito in World War II.
And so – even after the Iraq war, and the destruction of New Orleans, and the spying and torture scandals, and the vote fraud, and 9/11 and all of the other false flag attacks carried out by by the government over the years - I am willing to pledge my allegiance to the United States of America. Because - as sick and twisted and amoral as she may have become in recent years - I still hold out hope that we may again decide to get back to the great work at hand, the “grand experiment” of self-government and democracy.
Better Forms of Government
Why not support some other form of government, you might ask? Well, no matter what “ism” one tries - socialism, communism, etc. - the government will only be as good or as bad as the people that run it, and their adherence to the ideals upon which it is founded. For example, I personally think any Americans still calling themselves communists are ridiculous, because that whole form of government has been tried and it failed miserably: its leaders were corrupt and brutally repressive (Russia's Stalin and the current Chinese leadership, for example, are some of the worst the world has seen).
And the American system is clearly imperfect, even on paper. For example, I believe that European-style proportional representation would be better than the current winner-take-all system, since it allows third parties to have some seats in Congress, and thus breaks the 2-party monopoly we see in the U.S. I also believe that, when the Founding Fathers adopted the idea of separation of powers from the Iroquois constitution, they forgot some of the most important parts. But the Constitutional system we have in America is basically a good system, and – as shown by the recent shenanigans by those currently in the White House and Congress - any system, no matter how good it looks on paper, can be subverted by bad people.
The U.S. system is as good a starting point as any. And - with good leadership - it has at times been a great system. And it could be again.
So I WILL pledge my allegiance to the ideals of the United States of America.
Commander in Chief
But I will not pledge my allegiance to George W. Bush and his band of truly un-American wanna-be fascists. These people want to trash the Constitution which they are sworn to uphold and defend. These people want to defile the graves of the Founding Fathers in order to destroy our democratic republic, and turn America into a tin-pot dictatorship. Leaders are only as good as the faithfulness with which they follow their nation's common ideals. These people do not pledge their allegiance to America, and so I do not pledge my allegiance to them.
I call on all Americans to pledge their allegiance to the Constitution, but not to the usurpers and pretenders who are hell-bent on destroying it.
I also remind the good and honorable people in the military remember -- especially those in leadership positions and also those who come from military families -- that they have sworn an oath to protect and defend the U.S. from all enemies, foreign and domestic. I pray that they remember that they have sworn their allegiance to the ideals of the Constitutional form of government which their ancestors fought so hard - and, in many cases, made the ultimate sacrifice - to defend. If those who never served a day in the military - the people who got us into the messes in Vietnam and Iraq, who have destroyed the reputation of the U.S., and who have created many more terrorists than they have killed - are calling on you to do something which will fundamentally weaken the security of the United States, such as invading a foreign country which has not attacked the U.S. first, or helping to carry out a false flag attack on Americans, then you must decide whether such act is contrary to your solemn oaths. If you decide that it is (and how can you not?), then you must act appropriately.
Similarly, if you are asked to torture an American citizen solely because he or she is criticizing the current administration or its policies or working for liberty and justice, you must ask yourself whether you wish to be a good little soldier "just following orders", like the Nazi police did.
"Any person subject to this chapter who, in breach of an allegiance or duty to the United States, knowingly and intentionally aids an enemy of the United States, or one of the co-belligerents of the enemy, shall be punished as a military commission under this chapter may direct."
According to a Yale law professor, "The [torture] legislation....authorizes the president to seize American citizens as enemy combatants, even if they have never left the United States. And once thrown into military prison, they cannot expect a trial by their peers or any other of the normal protections of the Bill of Rights."
George WashingtonGeorge Washington is a pen name. I am using the pen name, with the approval of the publisher, because I have received death threats due to my 9/11 research and writing. I am using a pen name to protect myself and my family.
"If those who never served a day in the military... are calling on you to do something which will fundamentally weaken the security of the United States, ... then you must decide whether such act is contrary to your solemn oaths. If you decide that it is (and how can you not?), then you must act appropriately."
Mr. Washington, I trust you are aware of the military training with regard to the course of action with respect to an "unlawful or illegal order" - http://www.armystudyguide.com/content/bm~doc/law-of-war.ppt . The soldier must obey all orders given unless it's obviously an unlawful order and those things typically "speak for themselves". If they do not obey an issued order, they are subject to punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Some of this was discussed previously here - http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/diarypage.php?did=4746 .
Without substantiated specifics, the examples you reference within your article (e.g., invading a foreign country which has not attacked the U.S. first or helping to carry out a false flag attack on Americans) do not appear as "obvious" unlawful orders. That's not to say that I don't know which events you're implying; I do. But Operation Iraqi Freedom and the 9/11 Attacks, and the military response to each, do NOT represent unlawful orders.
With regard to your comments on the "newly-passed torture law" or HR 6166, the jurisdiction of this bill as detailed in Section 948d. (a) states, "Jurisdiction- A military commission under this chapter shall have jurisdiction to try any offense made punishable by this chapter or the law of war when committed by an alien unlawful enemy combatant before, on, or after September 11, 2001."
And does the bill define the term "alien"? Yes, it does. In Section 948a. (3) states, "ALIEN- The term 'alien' means a person who is not a citizen of the United States."
Unless your referenced sources obtained their JDs from the Sally Struthers Institute for Higher Learning (which would explain some things), I recommend we not go around scaring Americans into thinking we live in a fascist state under which they can be seized at a moment's notice. Of course, this is just my humble opinion.
The thinking that conspiracy theorists are "homegrown terrorists" is one of their own making. Personally, I think they've twisting the National Strategy to incorporate themselves because it supports the rebellion component of my religion-like theory (well, for 911Truthers anyway). Regardless, the National Strategy discusses terrorism in terms of violence. Unless you admit that - as a conspiracy theorist - you're engaged personally in violent acts against the U.S., you're left out of the strategy's scope.
that his citizenship by birth will protect him, who are we to disillusion him. It was already discussed many times. Thanks, George, I am with you. And about ' scaring Americans', I heard that before. In 1930s many wealthy German Jews complained that 'antifascists scare Germans and other people when they criticise new govt. It is all exaggeration'. Nothing new.
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Mark Sashine (51 articles, 19 quicklinks, 244 diaries, 3465 comments)
on Friday, January 4, 2008 at 3:06:11 PM
You say "Unless you admit that - as a conspiracy theorist - you're engaged personally in violent acts against the U.S., you're left out of the strategy's scope."
No, I am NOT engaged in violent acts against the U.S. I am non-violent.
I sincerely hope your interpretation of the law is right and mine is wrong. However, that's NOT what the constitutional scholars say.
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George Washington (77 articles, 24 quicklinks, 169 diaries, 185 comments)
on Friday, January 4, 2008 at 3:21:12 PM
After reviwing the law, what is YOUR take on it? The Constitutionl scholars (which you seemed to reference their op-ed interpretations and not legal opinions via the links) and their perceptions are all well and fine, but what does it mean to you personally?
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Tom Murphy (3 articles, 4 quicklinks, 10 diaries, 1727 comments)
on Friday, January 4, 2008 at 3:32:21 PM
I don't want to see it imprison or torture innocent people simply because they hold dissenting views.
On a personal level, I love my family and "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". I don't want to have to live in fear that by simply criticizing my government, I will be branded a terrorist.
by
George Washington (77 articles, 24 quicklinks, 169 diaries, 185 comments)
on Friday, January 4, 2008 at 3:47:26 PM
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