Oath Keepers – Know Your Constitution
You Cannot Defend What You Do Not Understand
Oath Keepers spend a great amount of effort working with communities, helping their neighbors and preparing them for all types of emergencies. Most of their recent work has been through their Community Preparedness Teams.
Natural disasters are a big part of their preparedness, as the North Idaho region has been aware in recent weeks, having dealt with multiple power outages due to excessive snow.
However, those are not the only issues that Oath Keepers want you to be aware of, and ready for. They want to know if you are aware of what is happening in your government, from local to national. They are sharing the message to make the government accountable to you, the citizen.
The Inland Northwest chapter recently hosted three speakers in Newport, WA. Rep. Heather Scott (R-Blanchard, ID), Jason Van Tatenhove, National Media Director for Oath Keepers, and Stewart Rhodes, Founder of Oath Keepers.
The ongoing theme included discussing what the Founding Fathers designed when they formed our system of government – a government by the people, designed to be run from the bottom up.
Van Tatenhove emphasized how the mainstream media has twisted the truth to fit their agenda, rather than reporting the facts. Beginning with how the Oath Keeper organization has been portrayed in the media, he told of how the large media outlets try to skew the public’s view of them. They say “we’re white supremacists, we kick puppies, we’re vampires. It’s ludicrous stuff.”
Impressing on the audience as to how important it is to verify the truth of what is being reported, he suggested that everyone use their resources, from cell phone cameras to alternative media, to hold journalists answerable for the truth of what they report.
This theme carried through to the rest of the evening. At all levels, people need to be held accountable for their actions. From the media to the government, no one should be immune to the truth.
Rep. Scott told of several citizens whose actions effected positive change within their communities. She stressed the importance of citizen involvement, and how the government cannot function properly without the people holding them accountable for their actions.
Concerned that government officials are riding the “gravy train” instead of serving the people that elected them, she went on to address the Oath Keepers directly. “For you to be able to [defend the Constitution], you need a body of citizens that actually understands what the Constitution says, and why they want it defended.”
“I urge you to educate the citizens with basic truths on the principles of liberty and freedom that are found in the Constitution,” she continued. “Get involved in some way.”
Rhodes, the keynote speaker, first discussed the misnomer of “Sheepdogs”, or the select few that are charged with protecting others. “This is not a nation of sheep,” he explained, and the founders did not design our country to be so.
As Americans, everyone is charged to protect their communities, he asserted. Educating the crowd, he explained that the Constitution specifically sets out the rules that govern our society.
The militia is the first power, he states, which includes the military and police powers. The second power is the power of judgment, the finding of guilt or innocence. Underscoring the importance of the citizen juries, he charged everyone to not shirk their duty when they receive a jury summons in the mail.
Rhodes went on to talk about the fear that Americans are feeling now, including the fear of terrorism. Suggesting that their fear is being used to remove more of their freedoms. “What you need to do,” Rhodes told the crowd, “… is steer them back towards the Constitution.”
The overall message of the evening was evident. The Constitution is the founding document of our country and our society. It is the basis of our laws. More importantly, it is up to the citizens of this country, every individual, to get involved and ensure that it is enforced.
Read the Constitution. You cannot defend what you do not understand.
