Violated Oaths And Trampled Rights And Bodies By The Way Oh My!

I am today, and I have always been, nothing more than a simple soldier.  I served as a soldier in the United States Army for nearly three decades because I believe in the Constitution of the United States of America.   I took an oath the day I entered the army on February the 5th 1968, and I lived the oath every day I served and I repeated and reaffirmed that oath before an officer every three years up until my retirement in 1996.
 
Here is the text of the oath taken not only by me but every other soldier, sailor, and airman who ever served and is currently serving in our armed forces:   "I, (state your 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; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."
 
Now here is the text of the oath taken by George W. Bush upon entering the Texas Air National Guard:  I, {insert name here}, 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.
 
And, here is the text of the oath taken by George W. Bush upon entering the Office of the President of the United States:  "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."
 
Please note that each of these oaths contains the following text:  " defend the Constitution of the United States".
 
Amendment IV to the Constitution of the United States which I and every other soldier, sailor, airman, marine and George W. Bush swore to defend reads as follows:   "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
 
The Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq reads as follows:  "Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq"
 
"(2) acting pursuant to this resolution is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations or persons who planned, authorized, committed or aided the terrorists attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001."
 
As Vice President Al Gore pointed out on Monday in a speech to the Media Conference President Bush has violated the law.   At least two of those violations are violations of the constitution that he swore to defend.  In addition to purposely directing the National Security Agency to conduct wiretaps of American citizens in direct violation of article IV of the constitution and in violation of the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) he has also directed the indefinite detention of American citizens, currently years in duration, denying them the right to due process and a speedy trial and he has allowed the torture of prisoners in violation of the Geneva Convention.
 
I have provided two small examples in the form of extracts from the constitution and the Joint Resolution so that you may see for yourself that both the constitution and the Joint Resolution are quite clear and there is no room for misinterpretation.   Amendment IV to the constitution guarantees a citizens right to privacy and no where in the Joint Resolution does Congress come close to changing that.   Because of that alone it is clear to me that the President is a liar and has violated the laws of this nation.
 
I find George W. Bush's acts to be particularly vile because by virtue of his position as president he is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States and he has taken two separate oaths, on at least three occasions, and sworn that he would "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic;" and that he would "bear true faith and allegiance to the same" and he has purposely and knowingly violated those oaths.   I believe that what makes his violations of the law even more horrendous is that as a result of his acts thousands of lives have been lost and thousands of soldiers and civilian men, women, and children have been killed, wounded, and maimed and an innumerable number of American citizen's have had their constitutional rights violated.
 
Every day American soldiers all over the world take the same oath as President Bush and I did.   Some "solemnly swear" and others "affirm" but each and every one takes that oath and then willingly walks into harms way to uphold it.  Each one is willing to sacrifice their lives and limbs to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.   Each one loving their nation so much that they are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.  As of today 2,221 soldiers have made that ultimate sacrifice in Iraq and have given their lives upholding their oaths and another 16,420 have spilled blood and left pieces of their bodies in the desert of Iraq upholding their oaths.
 
Unfortunately and apparently the President of the United States does not share those same values as our soldiers do.   Apparently George W. Bush either does not possess the moral fortitude and courage to live up to his sworn oath as do these brave men and women or he is a despicable, vile individual who would, without remorse, commit crimes against his countries constitution.   One can only come to one of those two conclusions based simply on the facts as they are publicly known.
 
I for one support Vice President Gores call for a special prosecutor and have already written to my Congressman and Senators urging that they either sponsor and or support such a measure.   I believe it is time for America to stand up and be counted.  We can no longer sit passively by as the Bush administration and neocon leaders of the House and Senate trample our constitution and our individual rights under that constitution.   We can no longer sit passively by as our brave men and women go into combat in a misguided military adventure perpetrated by a dispassionate and morally bankrupt administration.  
PS:  I think he has oath issues.

Those Are The Sergeant Majors Thoughts On That.