Issue 3.17
January 20th is the date that Donald Trump will be sworn in as the new President of the United States. As part of that ceremony, he is required by the US Constitution to repeat and commit to the following oath of office. The congress (House and Senate members were sworn in on January 3rd) repeats the second oath listed.
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Most Presidents have added the words “So help me God.”
“I 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.”
While these are short statements, they are loaded with important concepts, both because of what is included and what is not.
The first thing that stands out for me are the last words, “So help me God.” That these words are included indicates the importance our founders and forefathers placed on involving God in government while, at the same time, resisting any effort to allow any specific religion from having any control over the process. Some representatives have refused to say this final line and have still been allowed to be seated in their office, but it is part of the Congressional oath.
It is also interesting that the one thing that they promise to do in office outside of doing their job with fidelity, is to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” They do not promise to support and defend the President, the party, or even the people. Why do you think it was crafted this way?
In my opinion, it is because we need our representatives to stand for the Principles of Freedom that have made our country great, powerful, successful and moral. If we depart from those ideals we violate the very concepts that our forefathers and mothers have fought for and in many cases, died for. The US Constitution is the very best example of a document and a directive that codifies those principles. When we discard any of those concepts, we as a country become less powerful, less successful, less moral and no longer a great nation.
If we truly followed the Constitution instead of trampling on it as many of our elected representatives do with regularity, we would not be in debt, we would not be involved in most foreign wars, our economy would be vibrant and our people would be more happy, more free, more generous and more moral. The tone is set by the leaders and representatives in government, whether in kingdoms, dictatorships or representative republics. Who we elect and how they act in our stead reflects on us as voters and citizens, but it also affects us because of the choices they make. When leaders make decisions that indicate that life is not valued, the citizens tend to more violence. When they model immoral behavior or defend immoral standards, the people tend to become more immoral in their personal lives. When the government is cruel or careless or in debt, people tend to follow.
I hope every citizen will insist that their representatives honor their oath of office and that we will let those officials know that we will hold them accountable for their stewardship in our behalf. It really is about the Constitution.
Lynn West is a thinker, a teacher and a patriot. You can reach him through email at forgingthefuture2021@gmail.com or through this newspaper. Liberty is a state of being which must be continually created. These articles can help all of us discover the ways we can contribute to that outcome.