Oath Takers

by L. Douglas Hogan

  OF WOLVES & MEN

  “A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.”

  —Edward Abbey

  There’s no easy way to go about explaining the content of this chapter, but it must be noted that it is the sole purpose of this book, and the total context of its contents. If there’s nothing else in this book you will remember, remember the context of this chapter. Not necessarily the contents, but the context.

  Most recently, I was engaged in conversation with several people about the current state of our country. We were talking about “preppers”—prepper shows, EMPs, and such—when my friend and author G. Michael Hopf’s, THE NEW WORLD series came up in conversation. One of my friends spoke up and mentioned that he would be one of the guys plundering to get by. He went on to say that if he knew you, you would be okay, but if he didn’t, not so much. We laughed it off, but as time progressed, my mind continued to wonder on it. In fact, I lost some sleep over the matter. Here was my chain of thoughts: This man is a U.S. veteran, one who has served with distinction and honor. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he was trained by the best in the art of warfare. He is a marksman trained in the use of various sorts of weapons, both knives and guns. He swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. This oath, being similar to that of a marriage vow, is for better or for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; ‘til death do us part. And such was my chain of thoughts. What condition would our nation have to be in for such a person to break an oath to God and country? As I meditated on it, I thought that maybe I had it all wrong. Perhaps the problem wouldn’t be vested in the country at all. Perhaps the problem lies in the oath taker. What if something went wrong in the thought process of the veteran? What if the police officer forgets his/her oath? Where would the nation be if every oath taker forgets to be an oath keeper?

  There is no end to an oath. There is no time anywhere in the process of retirement, end of active service, or resignation that involves the raising of your right hand and unswearing the oath to the Constitution. Here’s the issue: Supposing the probability for an EMP were likely to happen, or if it did, the need for America’s patriots would never be at its highest. With the need for a stabilized and working government absent, in the event of an electromagnetic pulse, the patriot will have to step up in order to fulfill his/her obligation of the oath.

  One function of an armed people is to prevent tyranny. Likewise, one function of government is to prevent anarchy. With government out of the equation, anarchy takes root. Anarchy, being the absence of law, is a tree of death. Its fruits are famine, pestilence, tyranny, general lawlessness, threat of invasion, and ultimately, survival of the fittest. Enter the oath keeper. An organized group of men and women with the knowledge and integrity necessary to maintain law and order in an otherwise chaotic situation. Their job is to promote fair trade, free travel, and liberty, without fear of loss of life or limb. They are the post-apocalyptic police. Nightmares are made of military-trained men of war that are trying to save themselves only. The fight-or-flight syndrome is in full effect in a life-or-death situation. Enter the context of this chapter: OATH TAKERS MUST BE OATH KEEPERS!

  If you are reading this book, it’s likely you picked it up because it caught your eye, being an oath taker. You must prepare yourself for a crisis situation and be prepared for it to happen at any time. The sheep of America are looking for you, the sheepdog, to keep the wolves away! The wolves are out there, and the recent riots in Ferguson, MO, prove that they seek to exploit open windows of opportunity. The wolves are the people of America that seek to take advantage of the weak and unsuspecting citizens of America. Your job, as an oath taker, and hopefully an oath keeper, if I can get you on board, is to be the protector, the guardian at the gate. The watcher who stands guard in the night so the sheep can sleep in peace knowing they are safe. Your job is that of the sheepdog. You have great potential for violence, but your skills have been honed; you have been trained to use them as a force for good. The wolf uses his capacity for violence to commit evil acts against the sheep; but not you. You use your knowledge for good. To maintain a watch, a constant itch that needs to be scratched. It’s an itch that never stops itching; it never goes away. Even if you try to put it in the far recesses of your mind, it finds its way back to the forefront and center mass. You long for action. You long for a time your country needs your services.

  That time may someday come. It may come in the form of a tyrannical leader or it may come through foreign attack. However it comes, be prepared to act on the side of preserving our way of life; not just any way of life, but the way our forefathers designed it to be. Constitutional restoration will most certainly come at the cusp of a major crisis. When that time comes, sustainability will be the only option until a good functional government can be re-established. America must not be allowed to burn or fall to depravity by the works of wolves and the tree of death.

  ORGANIZING

  Every man has limits. He has boundaries and walls in his life that not only work to keep things out, but a wise man sets them to keep him from falling over the edge. When I drove home from California after having served four years in the marines, I made it a point to visit the Grand Canyon. Once there, I noticed the guard rail provided for our safety, designed to keep us from falling over the edge toward certain death. These same safeguards I have put in my life to protect me and my family. I have been a faithful watchman, ever looking for signs of danger and the unseen. So then, in my watchfulness and concern for safety, I have set up certain boundaries and things to watch for in my country, that when those boundaries are crossed, I am to respond. I believe the word is “causality,” the relationship between cause and effect. The way causality works is similar to the analogy of the pendulum in the front of this book. To make it more scientific in explanation, Newton’s Third Law of Motion is when one body exerts a force on a second body, the second body simultaneously exerts a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction on the first body. While Newton’s laws of motion cannot literally be applied to principles and ideologies, it merits an application because, like Newton’s Third Law and the rule of causality, the events and happenings of this world demand an equal regard.

  For me, the boundary was the possibility, and potential presidency, of a relatively unknown senator winning the office of the commander in chief of the armed forces of the U.S. My research showed this senator to have no favorable voting record in regards to the 2nd Amendment. I remember visiting voting record websites and doing my homework. As I returned to those sites in the research of this topic, I was unable to find his records. It was as if they had been removed. My research, in totality, showed a man that favored national legislation that would control guns on the state level. Other issues on gun control dealt with bans on manufacturers and concealed-carry permits. I saw radical views in him by the associations he kept. I know that he associated with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, before he was in public office. I also know that there was a great deal of concern over his citizenship. I came into possession of an early picture of him in Muslim clothing. His pastor was a radical racist and openly preached race hate and politics from the pulpit. All these things and more brought concern to me that our country could vote such a person into the most prestigious position in the free world. Here was a man who did not hold down a single job for more than a couple years, until 1993, when he landed a job at a Chicago law firm, and now he was interested in commanding the armed forces; to me, that was alarming.

  I would later learn that command of military forces was not the agenda. Rather, it was a lack of command, in fact, a purge of military command whose views were not aligned with his own. I’ve seen the list, and it is extensive. I’ve never felt more powerless than the day Barack Hussein Obama was elected President. When I began writing this book, I had already determined not to make this book a political one. As you read, please try to understand that I am writing from
my own perspective, and in doing so, I am laying a groundwork and foundation for this chapter.

  I have already mentioned boundaries and the need to have them. For me, when my spider sense began to tingle, I began researching in depth and continued to be alarmed at how charisma could be so powerful a tool to control an electorate. I wasn’t affected by the charm and smooth speech. Working in a detention center for years, around the mentally ill and sex offenders, taught me how to build safeguards against being psychologically manipulated by smooth characters. I’m able to detach from human emotion that would otherwise say “things are okay” and turn towards the more sophisticated form of human understanding: logic.

  After more than six years, I am all the more convinced that too many Americans have been deceived and convinced of the good fight that Obama presents. For me, the decision to act is based on a series of actions and inactions by this particular administration, whether real or perceived.

  To date, nothing has been done to secure our border and address the crisis and the flood of illegal immigrants streaming through it at an alarming rate, despite the 2006 Secure Fence Act. To date, nothing has been done about the Benghazi attack, and the families of the fallen still have zero answers. To date, nothing has been done to bring home Sergeant Tahmooressi, a U.S. Marine being held in a Mexican prison, despite U.S. Code Title 22, Foreign Relations & Intercourse, Paragraph 1732, which states the U.S. President must act and demand of the foreign government the release of our man. [UPDATE: Sgt Tahmooressi was released October 31 by a Mexican judge—no thanks to our POTUS.] To date, there has been no justice for Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, who fell victim to this administration’s Fast & Furious scandal. To date, nothing has been done to the IRS leadership for the systematic targeting of the Associated Press and conservative groups. The reason why these matters have not been addressed is because the highest law enforcement office in the land is not holding true to the oath of office. Instead of appointing external investigators, the AG instead investigates itself and covers its own tracks. The evidence is not swept under the rug, it is destroyed.

  In the case of the Lois Lerner emails, the hard disk drive was scratched so severely that it couldn’t be read. So, instead of turning the evidence over to a crime lab, the HDD (hard disc drive) was destroyed and recycled so that the evidence would never turn up. So much for the most “transparent administration in history.”

  Obama has assaulted the Second Amendment with unprecedented abuse of executive orders. On multiple occasions, I’ve heard receptionists at the doctor’s office ask patients if they have guns in their homes. That particular questionnaire is built into the unconstitutional Affordable Care Act. I always refuse to answer it. Obama has made “recess” appointments when Congress was not in recess. He also acted militarily in Libya without congressional approval, despite the authority of the War Powers Act. In a 2014 State of the Union address, Obama alluded to gun-control measures “with or without Congress.” How unconstitutional is that?

  There comes a point that when a people can no longer trust their government, certain action must be taken. My safeguard is the organization of militia-type groups. While I wait for more desperate actions, I am preparing, rather than sitting idle, for a crisis. My research began with looking up “how to organize a militia.” I grew tired of hearing about gun control every time a criminal shot somebody. With the nation turning so far to the left, I decided it was time to organize. To my surprise, I didn’t have to start from scratch. I joined up with a large group and eventually took a commission over a large section of Illinois geography.

  Dozens of people, veteran and nonveteran, registered with the same concerns that drove me to this point. I scheduled training days, times, places, etc., but eventually found the paranoia of the populace to be a considerable weight. Many were rightfully concerned that the government was spying on them and that no digital media networking was safe. Meetings began on a regular basis, but I soon discovered most of the members just wouldn’t show up. People were angry but not desperate enough to organize. This was confounding to me, because I understood the desperate situation America was, and is, in, but was unable to relay the urgency of the situation. Many were paranoid of me because I was a cop and they viewed the police as government thugs. In one particular interview with potential members, I learned that my affiliation with the police made them nervous to join. Maybe it was for the best. Because I don’t need members that are worried about the police. That causes me to doubt their legitimacy.

  After several failed organization attempts with use of media, I had a disagreement with the group I was with and broke away. I had several members that wanted to stay under my leadership, and I counted it an honor, but I knew I had quite a bit to deal with and a bunch on my plate. Eventually everything came together and I was able to build a small group without the use of media, but ran into the same issue again. Members were always excited to know what was planned for the next meeting and/or training cycle, but I had the usual handful. Most members just want to be a part of something in case things flush, but don’t much want to deal with the hassles of getting ready for said flush. I’m content having a small group, but there needs to be greater organization on a national level.

  I see many of the same things our forefathers went through in their day. I see perilous times as our country worsens. I see several years of pleading and petitions that go unheard. I see our rights being trampled under the foot of the government, particularly under the foot of the President. I see a need for a group of delegates to organize a means to an end of tyrannical mismanagement and presidential and congressional usurpation. So many similarities exist now as they did then.

  I have taken time out of my schedule to research a greater more organized way to deal with the political corruptions now plaguing our country. I searched around the Internet and stumbled upon U.S. Freedom Army, a group organized by Lewis Shupe, author of the Presidential Diary books, for the purpose of bringing our Constitution back to the people. Several goals are being discussed for the purpose of returning constitutional rights to the people. These goals will be reached in a variety of ways, including marches, petitions, the handing out of flyers, demonstrations, protests, etc. The unconstitutional violations we are currently seeing can be organized under five major areas:

  1. Limited Power: These are more specifically referred to as the enumerated powers listed in Article 1 Section 8 of the United States Constitution and buttressed by Amendment X. The continuous violations of the principle of limited government are the greatest threat to your freedom.

  2. Separation of Powers: All three branches of government are currently in violation of the separation of powers. The Congress should be making law, the Executive should be enforcing the law, and the Judicial should be interpreting the law. We now have the Executive and Judicial making law and the Congress passing laws they are constitutionally forbidden to pass.

  3. Management of the money supply: The United States Constitution requires that all money be backed by some metal such as gold or silver. The abandonment of this standard is a primary reason the debt will ultimately destroy the U.S. economy.

  4. Amendment II: The continuous shenanigans used by various government officials to try to disarm the populace must be halted. This would have a higher place were it not for the efforts of the NRA and other concerned citizens.

  5. Amendment IV: The warrantless intrusions into the private lives of citizens need to be stopped. It is simple—if you wish to collect information from citizens, obtain a warrant.

  The U.S. Freedom Army organization seems to be a pretty well-organized system. It is currently not a militia, but circumstances change. The United States is full of splintered groups of militias, preppers, and such that need a centralized means of communication and structure. I have found this in the U.S. Freedom Army. I recommend oath keepers and militia leaders register at www.USFreedomArmy.com and do your research. If you are a militia leader, you will maintain almost full autonomy.
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br />   I know there are people reading this book that are very nervous about any type of media, for fear of government spying. May I be so bold as to say this country will continue on its present course if you remain in the shadows? We should not be, nay, cannot be afraid of our government! Thomas Jefferson said, “When government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.” Our Constitution was built within certain defaults to protect us from tyranny. Thomas Jefferson made it clear that it is the right of the people to throw off the government when this happens. In 1792, during George Washington’s presidency, Jefferson stated, “Every people may establish what form of government they please, and change it as they please, the will of the nation being the only thing essential.” How will this government problem get resolved if we stay in the shadows? Or if we continue to hide and communicate our concerns in secret? I started out that way then realized I was sick and tired of whispering. I want to be heard. Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” The best predictor for future behavior is our history of past behavior. When we see our government heading backwards to a totalitarian government, then the best action is preparedness so that our men and women can answer the call to defend their liberty.

  RUMORS & PETITIONS

  In some of the research I put into this effort, I discovered several bits of information that I’m glad I fact-checked. I normally catch scuttlebutt on Facebook or Twitter that are just not true. I’ve fallen victim to these tweets and posts myself, and learned the hard way that research is always the optimal answer prior to the spread of information. I remember one of the hot rumors of the Affordable Care Act was that it did not apply to the President or to Congress. How could anybody know? Nancy Pelosi (representative from California) made the famous comment that if you want to know what’s in the bill, you have to pass it first. That’s exactly what happened. The bill was pushed through, sometimes under cover of secret legislative assemblies, at times when they were certain there could be no oppositional filibustering. Tyranny is defined as that which is legal for government but illegal for the citizenry (Thomas Jefferson). I believe it was at the passing of the Affordable Care Act that the people began to cry out for a 28th amendment, citing the following: