Just who are the Oath Keepers? Their motto is “Not on our Watch!” and they vow to defend liberty, stopping a dictatorship from ever coming to the United States. That sounds quite noble. Or does it? You decide. Read more below and watch a video.




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Formed just this past March by Stewart Rhodes – a Yale Law School grad, former US Army paratrooper, and former staffer for Rep. Ron Paul – Oath Keepers says it is a nonpartisan group of current and retired law enforcement and military personnel who vow to fulfill their oaths to the Constitution. Further, on their website, they describe themselves as “an association of Military, Veterans, and peace officers who will honor their oaths to defend the Constitution, will NOT just follow orders, will stand for liberty, and will save the Republic, so help us God.” Okay. Let’s just say it. We’ve had militia men around forever; some incredibly dangerous. What makes Oath Keepers any different and why did they feel they needed to organize now?


Many here might remember the birth of the Patriot movement and how it really got traction in the ’90’s. Members of that movement believed the federal government had trampled repeatedly on the constitutional rights of Americans. Some of these groups were linked by the FBI and independent watcher groups to anti-government militia and white supremacist movements. In fact the Patriot movement itself was blamed for spawning Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, who bombed a federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995, killing 168 people.

Should the Oath Keepers be classified as an offshoot group – part of the Patriot moverment of the 90’s? I don’t know, but here is some facts about their operation: their membership numbers are now in the thousands, and they pledge to disobey orders they believe unlawful, including directives to disarm the American people and to blockade American cities. The goal of this action the Oath Keepers say, is to prevent cities from becoming “giant concentration camps.”

I know. You’re thinking “Red Dawn.” Me too. Wolverine!

However, the directives mentioned above kick in when occupying forces are not Russian but rather American! This from the founder himself:

“The whole point of Oath Keepers is to stop a dictatorship from ever happening here. My focus is on the guys with the guns, because they can’t do it without them. We say if the American people decide it’s time for a revolution, we’ll fight with you.”

The Oath Keepers have a prepared list on their website of certain orders that, if given by a superior, they will not obey:

SUMMARY LIST OF ORDERS WE WILL NOT OBEY:

1. We will NOT obey orders to disarm the American people.

2. We will NOT obey orders to conduct warrantless searches of the American people

3. We will NOT obey orders to detain American citizens as unlawful enemy combatants or to subject them to military tribunal.

4. We will NOT obey orders to impose martial law or a state of emergency on a state.

5. We will NOT obey orders to invade and subjugate any state that asserts its sovereignty.

6. We will NOT obey any order to blockade American cities, thus turning them into giant concentration camps.

7. We will NOT obey any order to force American citizens into any form of detention camps under any pretext.

8. We will NOT obey orders to assist or support the use of any foreign troops on U.S. soil against the American people to keep the peace or to maintain control.

9. We will NOT obey any orders to confiscate the property of the American people, including food and other essential supplies.

10.We will NOT obey any orders which infringe on the right of the people to free speech, to peaceably assemble, and to petition their government for a redress of grievances.

Well, this all sounds pretty fantastical if not a lot of crazy. But for the record, Oath Keepers clearly states no violence or government overthrow, rather they are asking police and the military to lay down their arms in response to unlawful orders. They do not offer paramilitary training, have no training camps, or have a military command structure. It instead has board members. In fact, they just had their first national conference – in Vegas. Seriously.

But, in this age of Obama when all who speak out against The One are raaaacists, our futures and that of our children and grandchildren are held hostage by feckless government spending, our military are called ‘disgruntled veterans,’ and retaliation is the norm, is it any wonder that this level of paranoia kicks in? As to the real intent of Oath Keepers and whether they truly are Guardians of the Republic or Right-Wing Extremists, only time will tell. You can watch an interesting video below from Oath Keepers.