“I, (name) 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 faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God”.
Every U. S. military member and every senior government official is required to take an oath of office before assuming their duties. The oath varies slightly among the organizations. A central requirement of all the oaths is to “support and defend the constitution”. Sometimes the oath is administered individually as with the President or en masse as with members of congress. Most importantly, we swear our oath to the Constitution, not any individual or group. After taking the oath, both military and civilian officials are required to carry out their duties in accordance with that oath.
Traditionally, our President is sworn in with his hand on the Bible. Not always and there is no requirement to do so. Thomas Jefferson used no Bible during either of his swearing ceremonies. He was a Deist, not a Christian. Teddy Roosevelt used no Bible for his swearing in 1901. Lyndon Johnson used a Catholic Prayer Book, though he was not a Catholic. John Quincy Adams used a law book. Franklin Pierce “affirmed” rather than swore and used a law book. Barack Obama used the authentic Lincoln Bible borrowed from the Library of Congress for both his ceremonies. Donald Trump did not place his hand on a Bible in January, 2025 though there were two Bibles present held by Melania Trump.
A lawful order must meet five criteria – all five, not just one. A lawful order must be; issued by competent authority, received, understood, relate to legitimate duty and must not violate any law. The Nazis found out about “unlawful orders” at Nuremberg after WWII. The fact that they were ordered by higher authority to carry out murder or abuse did not relieve them of personal guilt. On 16 October, 1946 the U.S. Army hanged 10 Nazi officials in the gymnasium of Nuremberg Prison. Others received long prison sentences. Dozens of war crime trials were conducted by the U.S. and Allies in the Pacific. At the conclusion of those trials, it is estimated that more than 900 Japanese had been executed.
Our government is currently carrying out a number of extra-judicial killings in the waters offshore of Venezuela and Columbia. The legality of those killings is being hotly debated. When war is declared the issue is clear. The enemy becomes fair game and our military takes charge. Without a declaration of war, crime remains a law enforcement responsibility. In the past, we have used our Coast Guard, which has the arrest and law enforcement authority our military does not have, to interdict suspected drug boats taking into custody those aboard and their cargo. Our Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security, not the military. It derives its authority from Title 14 of the U.S. Code, section 522. The Coast Guard is explicitly exempted from the Posse Comitatus Act which prohibits our military from law enforcement. The distance from Venezuelan waters to the U.S. is over 1000 miles. Far beyond the range of those small boats we have exploded. Why not continue our previous policy rather than ordering our military to kill “suspects”? Thus far we have killed more than 80 people. Our President and Secretary of Defense have placed our military officers in an unacceptable situation. If they question the orders they are receiving, they risk their careers. If they simply comply with those orders and kill the suspects, they must hope there will never be another Nuremberg. It is a clear choice, though a difficult choice. The 4-star Admiral in charge of our U.S. Southern Command has made his choice. He resigned and retired rather than comply with what he deemed illegal orders.
“Rudeness is a weak man’s imitation of strength”. Eric Hoffer, 1902-1983
By Paul Warrick: November 29, 2025 – Great Falls, Mt
Opinion / political pieces are printed verbatim, in their entirety, and are not fact-checked. We reserve the right to not run an opinion or political piece that we find objectionable. If you have an opinion or political piece you would like to share, please contact The Great Falls Gazette at info@gfgazette.com or call (406) 604-8929.
Author: Staff
Our Staff account is used to publish submitted content. If you have content that was published under this account, and wish to have your name as author, please contact us at (406) 952-3021
