What could possibly go wrong with this?
A new Tea Party group, Armed Forces Tea Party Patriots, has grown quickly since being launched last month by an active duty Marine Corps sergeant. The group, which vows to “stand up on the very soil we defended to preserve common sense conservatism and defend our Constitution that is threatened by a tyrannical government,” currently has over 400 members, who have signed up through its Facebook page, though many are not active duty military. And it has close ties to the broader Tea Party movement.
One of the things I’ve always admired about the Military was their ability to serve in a generally un-partisan fashion. I’ve known liberal and conservative Military men and women, and when it came to politics duty always came first. Pretty impressive. Until now…
My oath was to the Constitution, not to the politicians, and that oath will be kept. I wont’ “Just follow” orders. There is at this time a debate within the ranks of the military regarding their oath. Some mistakenly believe they must follow any order the President issues. But many others do understand that their loyalty is to the Constitution and to the people…
Scary stuff. Not because I completely disagree with the statement, but because this Military Tea Party is using these words politically. This group isn’t concerned about the Constitution – or else they would have come into being during the Bush Administration. This group is just more Republicans having a temper tantrum over losing an election.
To me, another impressive trait among soldiers is their unity. They stick together, which is vital in combat. So how does this Military Tea Party add to the camaraderie? In my opinion, it doesn’t. It takes a fundamentally cohesive group and divides it. And I have to wonder how much an Obama-voting soldier can count on a Tea Party soldier in a foxhole?