Memorial Day and the Constitution

[richlevy]

This is an answer to Ibram from here. It got a bit off topic so I'm giving it its own thread.

Originally Posted by Ibram

UG likes it?

I'll be sure to steer clear.

Well, UG and I are polar opposites in our politics, but both agree on some fundamentals. The U.S. Constitution is one of the greatest documents in human history. It's existence is the reason we on the Cellar can say anything in a free forum uncensored by our government.

When I was in college, I took an ROTC course. It was in an area I found interesting but nobody offered on the civilian side. As a result, I ended up taking an oath to the Constitution. Which puts me in a minority that includes people who actually served in the military, guys like me who wandered in, naturalized US citizens, and some government officials. US citizens are never required to take an oath to the Constitution.

Now UG may share the opinion of this guy on Fox. I hope not. Personally, I think the guy on Fox is an asshat, but I do agree with him on one (and only one) point. The oath is and always will be to the Constitution. This is a protection from asshats like the articles author, who seems to have entirely missed the point. I remember someone on the Cellar mentioning 'the tragedy of the commons' and then completely twisting around its meaning. This guy is making a similar interpretation. I'd love to get a few drinks in him and see what he really thinks about Truman's order to desegregate the armed forces in 1948.

The point is that UG, I, and this asshat on Fox, can coexist in our society. We can even give these guys guns and trust them, even when they hate the President (Clinton), and even when they think they love the President (GWB as a sort of Ike Turner). Because all of us have our eyes, not on the President and not on the Bible, but on the Constitution.

The one thing that truly annoys me about the Pledge of Allegiance, other than that someone felt that they had to stick 'under G-d' in it to make us look less like the Soviets, is that I think it misses the point. We pledge allegiance 'to the flag'. The only mention of the Constitution is the inference in 'and to the Republic, for which it stands'.

Every single fucking nation on this planet has a flag, some of which are so blood soaked that their mere presence is a cause for emotional pain. Flags can represent honor and glory, or they can be the shit rags of history. Just like everyone has a mother, including serial killers and the dregs of humanity, so every country has a flag.

The flag is the wrapper, the Constitution is the gift. It was written by a bunch of rich, educated, dare I say liberal, elite who seized a colony from one of the most powerful countries in the world. They could have kept it for themselves, but they very carefully and painstakingly put together a document that not only gave power back to the people who actually sacrificed to win it, but set up a balance of power designed to keep that government in check and working towards the general welfare.

In the Constitution, a federalized army is seen as a necessary evil. The true reason for the 2nd amendment isn't to give an excuse for some idiot to own a gun he could never use for hunting unless the deer wore body armor, but to provide a safeguard against a military turned to oppose the people it was sworn to protect. The other safeguard is to have them swear their allegiance, not to the holder of any office, but to the Constitution itself. I don't know if we're now the only ones, but I'm guessing that at the time we had one of the first military forces in history whose allegiance was to an idea.

I respect anyone who served. I certainly respect the sacrifice they and their families made, even those who came back alive and in one piece, because of what they were sworn to protect. And this is why I, UG, and the asshat on Fox can coexist. Because all of us have our eyes on the same prize and are guaranteed its protection.

I borrowed the rifle creed of the US Marines and made a few modifications. I don't know if they will like it, but hey, it's a free country and that's the whole fucking point. Besides, if you're going to steal, then steal from the best.

So I'm offering up a creed that civilians and military can use. Hopefully something a little more substantial than flag magnets and ribbons.

This is my Constitution.
There are many like it, but this one is MINE.
My Constitution is my best friend. It is my life.
I must master it as I must master my life.
My Constitution without me is useless. Without my Constitution, I am useless.
I must exercise my Constitution true.
My Constitution and myself know that what counts is not the power we have,
the noise of our arguments, nor the rancor of our disagreement.
We know it is the freedoms that count. We will be free...
My Constitution is human, even as I, because it is my life.
Thus, I will learn it as a brother.
I will learn its weaknesses, its strengths, its clauses, its amendments,
its paragraphs, and its preamble.
I will ever guard it against the ravages of time and fools.
I will keep my Constitution ready, even as I am ready.
We will become part of each other. We will...
Before God I swear this creed.
My Constitution and myself are the defenders of my country.
We are the masters of our enemies.
We are the saviors of our freedoms.
So be it, until there is no enemy, but PEACE.