A Citizens Oath

“I Barack Hussein Obama do solemnly swear 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. So help me God.”

From President Obama’s inaugural address:

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains.  They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.  We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.  And yet, at this moment – a moment that will define a generation – it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

  For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.  It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours.  It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

  Our challenges may be new.  The instruments with which we meet them may be new.  But those values upon which our success depends – hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism – these things are old.  These things are true.  They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths.  What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility – a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

  This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

The Citizens Oath:

“I (insert screen and real name here!) do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of Citizen of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

I promise to find and support candidates that represent me and my ideals, to support them as they run for election …and to vote.

I promise to then do my best to hold them to their ideals and promises, to hold them accountable to their oaths, and to the Constitution, and to the Rule of Law. I promise to raise my voice in praise…and in criticism.

I promise to educate myself on the complex and critical issues that face us, so that I may be part of an informed and educated electorate, as our Founding Fathers demanded we be. I promise to make my voice heard, and to help my fellow citizens make their voices heard. Heard by the President, my Senators, and my Representative in the House. I promise also to challenge the Fourth Estate, the media, when they are not doing their jobs to fully inform us, the Citizens of the United States.

I acknowledge that in a representative democracy that I am responsible for the government we have, and that my actions and participation, along with those of my fellow Citizens, determine the government that we deserve.

I promise, as a Citizen of the United States, to participate in my government to the best of my ability, in the sure and proven knowledge that if I do not directly make this my government, that other, more nefarious interests, will make it theirs.

Shorter Citizens Oath: I WILL Yell Louder!

And finally….yeah, I KNOW! You guys are freakin free rebels and you ain’t takin no steenkin oath, dammit! I am a fascist for even suggesting it!

Bush is gone. Change is here,

Let the party begin!