I love this list of oaths we (collectively) take as part of taking office… However, what I think is missing is that we have no oath-breaker laws – to my knowledge – that punish people for breaking their oaths. The military might be an exception, as there seems to be a penalty for ‘false-swearing,’ but I don’t know how that’s enforced and how objective it is.
Theoretically, oath-breaking is a social issue, and so we’re back on the issue where there are tons of guidelines that imply that we should all behave, and we make people “swear” that they will behave certain ways, with the assumption that if they break those oaths, they will be punished socially – by being primaried if elected, voted out, “sanctioned”, or similar – but these punishments require the society to determine the oath was broken. When that contract is broken and there are enough people who agree that ignoring the oath is acceptable, those oath-breakers have no punishment.
Presidents ignoring the constitution, service-members following orders that are unconstitutional, judges failing to be impartial, etc. The solution is supposed to be ostracism, impeachment… social. But when the social penalties are outweighed by the potential gains, then an oath is just empty words to someone with no morals.
The party of law and order, of family values, of tradition and respect certainly appears to have turned a blind eye to anyone disregarding oaths or promises that they find inconvenient.They preach mightily about how to be good, but are seldom good when they think no one is looking.
I find it funny how most of these oaths end with ‘so help me god.’ Maybe at one time, the rich and powerful feared god’s wrath. They certainly don’t now. As an atheist, I don’t fear it either, but that doesn’t stop me from being kind to others and striving to make the world a better place.
I love this list of oaths we (collectively) take as part of taking office… However, what I think is missing is that we have no oath-breaker laws – to my knowledge – that punish people for breaking their oaths. The military might be an exception, as there seems to be a penalty for ‘false-swearing,’ but I don’t know how that’s enforced and how objective it is.
Theoretically, oath-breaking is a social issue, and so we’re back on the issue where there are tons of guidelines that imply that we should all behave, and we make people “swear” that they will behave certain ways, with the assumption that if they break those oaths, they will be punished socially – by being primaried if elected, voted out, “sanctioned”, or similar – but these punishments require the society to determine the oath was broken. When that contract is broken and there are enough people who agree that ignoring the oath is acceptable, those oath-breakers have no punishment.
Presidents ignoring the constitution, service-members following orders that are unconstitutional, judges failing to be impartial, etc. The solution is supposed to be ostracism, impeachment… social. But when the social penalties are outweighed by the potential gains, then an oath is just empty words to someone with no morals.
The party of law and order, of family values, of tradition and respect certainly appears to have turned a blind eye to anyone disregarding oaths or promises that they find inconvenient.They preach mightily about how to be good, but are seldom good when they think no one is looking.
I find it funny how most of these oaths end with ‘so help me god.’ Maybe at one time, the rich and powerful feared god’s wrath. They certainly don’t now. As an atheist, I don’t fear it either, but that doesn’t stop me from being kind to others and striving to make the world a better place.