{"id":135635,"date":"2017-12-13T07:15:09","date_gmt":"2017-12-13T14:15:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/?p=135635"},"modified":"2017-12-13T12:50:24","modified_gmt":"2017-12-13T19:50:24","slug":"guess-theocrat-easier-dont-understand-constitution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2017\/12\/13\/guess-theocrat-easier-dont-understand-constitution.html","title":{"rendered":"I guess being a theocrat is easier when you don’t understand the Constitution"},"content":{"rendered":"

The video here from an interview with Roy Moore spokesperson Ted Crockett is … both hysterical and deeply depressing. When asked why a Muslim shouldn’t be allowed to serve in Congress (as Moore has argued), Crockett notes that a good Muslim could not swear on the Bible, as someone is required to do to get into office.<\/p>\n

And when Jake Tapper notes that, no, the Constitution does not<\/i> require swearing in on a Bible, just taking an oath or affirmation<\/i> however one can solemnly do so, Crockett sits there for several seconds, silent, until he argues that both he (as a previous elected official) and Donald Trump swore on a Bible, so clearly that’s the requirement.<\/p>\n

It’s funny, but it’s also illustrative. It’s ignorance in action. It’s “well, everyone I know is that way, so that’s not only the normal way, it’s the only<\/i> way.” It’s the sort of thing I would expect from a Moore supporter … and, sadly, too many other people.<\/p>\n

For the record, here is the oath of office for the US Senate<\/a>:<\/p>\n

I 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.<\/i> [1]<\/p>\n

While the US Constitution gives the text for the President’s oath<\/a>, it only says that other federal officials “shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation to support this constitution<\/a>.”\u00a0 The original US Congress set as the oath “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United States,” but in the Civil War era the rules were changed to expand the oath text to weed out Southern sympathizers. The current wording is defined in the US legal code<\/a>.<\/p>\n

None of this says anything about the Christian Bible, or being a Christian, or anything about the belief system of the person so swearing. Indeed, no holy book is required, as an office holder may simply “affirm” their vow (some Christians, for example, believe that swearing an oath is actually<\/a> sinful<\/a>). And it’s worth noting that Theodore Roosevelt did not use a Bible in 1901 when taking the oath, and both John Quincy Adams and Franklin Pierce swore on a book of law (as they were swearing on the Constitution).[23]<\/p>\n

But apparently some people who seem to fetishize the US Constitution to use as a tool against others have no idea what it actually says.<\/p>\n

\n

[1] When given as an affirmation, rather than an oath, the phrase “so help me God” can be omitted, e.g., court officials<\/a>.<\/p>\n


\n
\n<\/a>
\nMoore Spox Falls Silent When Told Bible Isn’t Required For Oaths Of Office<\/a><\/span>
\nA spokesman for Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore\u2019s campaign on Tuesday appeared dumbfounded when asked whether he knew that…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

View on Google+<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The video here from an interview with Roy Moore spokesperson Ted Crockett is … both hysterical and deeply depressing. When asked why a Muslim shouldn’t be allowed to serve in Congress (as Moore has argued), Crockett notes that a good Muslim could not swear on the Bible, as someone is required to do to get … Continue reading “I guess being a theocrat is easier when you don’t understand the Constitution”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":135644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[106,109,358,378,110],"tags":[1228,1364,1363,1365],"class_list":["post-135635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-plusposts","category-church-state","category-poor-citizenship","category-intolerance-persecution","category-religious-zanies","tag-constitution","tag-oath","tag-section1","tag-theocracy"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/unnamed-4.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10553,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2006\/12\/23\/but_some_constitutional_p.html","url_meta":{"origin":135635,"position":0},"title":"But some Constitutional provisions are more equal than others","author":"***Dave","date":"Sat 23-Dec-06 12:34am","format":false,"excerpt":"The Constitution indicates that there should be no religious test for holding of government office. Huzzah. But that simple requirement (designed to prohibit oppression of minority religious views) seems far...","rel":"","context":"In "ZT & PC"","block_context":{"text":"ZT & PC","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/zt-pc"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":32785,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2013\/03\/12\/people-sure-find-zany-stuff-to-get-all-a-lather-about.html","url_meta":{"origin":135635,"position":1},"title":"People sure find zany stuff to get all a-lather about","author":"***Dave","date":"Tue 12-Mar-13 3:11pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Eek! The guy in charge of our International Spy Network ONLY chose to swear his oath on the Constitution, and not on THE ONE, TRUE, HOLY BIBLE! \u00a0Clearly the socialist terrorist Kenyan atheist Marxist internationalists have won! \u00a0I mean, isn't that just the sort of socialist terrorist Kenyan atheist Marxist\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41878,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/04\/30\/ah-the-golden-age-of-nuclear-artillery.html","url_meta":{"origin":135635,"position":2},"title":"Ah, the Golden Age of Nuclear Artillery","author":"***Dave","date":"Wed 30-Apr-14 3:19pm","format":false,"excerpt":"There's something vaguely surreal about the video in this article, detailing a demo of the Davy Crockett\u00a0as part of an every-day troop maneuver. All it was missing was Tony Stark making a big, wide-armed speech.\ufeff The Davy Crockett Tac-Nuke: King of the Wild Cold War Frontier There was a time\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":31866,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/12\/19\/condolences-to-the-few-sane-folk-in-alabama.html","url_meta":{"origin":135635,"position":3},"title":"Condolences to the few sane folk in Alabama","author":"***Dave","date":"Wed 19-Dec-12 8:53pm","format":false,"excerpt":"That the majority chose this previously-disgraced yahoo as your State Supreme Court Chief Justice is ... so sad. Embedded Link Roy Moore: Evolution and Gay Marriage Incompatible with the Constitution Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice-elect Roy Moore appeared on City On A Hill Radio to lash out at marriage equality\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45084,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/09\/10\/bryan-fischer-is-a-dolt-no-atheists-allowed-in-my-foxholes-edition.html","url_meta":{"origin":135635,"position":4},"title":"Bryan Fischer is a Dolt (No Atheists Allowed in My Foxholes Edition)","author":"***Dave","date":"Wed 10-Sep-14 6:45pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Brian, you old reprobate, what are you up to these days? Ah, of course, asserting your claim that \"No atheist should be permitted to serve in the U.S. military.\" What fun. The United States Air Force has refused to allow a sergeant to re-enlist because he will not say \"so\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Church & State"","block_context":{"text":"Church & State","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/politics-law\/church-state"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Patrick-Tillman.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":129068,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2015\/12\/05\/rip-robert-loggia.html","url_meta":{"origin":135635,"position":5},"title":"RIP, Robert Loggia","author":"***Dave","date":"Sat 5-Dec-15 12:26am","format":false,"excerpt":"While there were some prominent high points in his career, a look in IMDb at Robert Loggia's career is extraordinary: dude starts in 1951 and is basically pulling down roles every year through the present ... he has three things in post-production right now.http:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/pop-culture\/celebrity\/robert-loggia-oscar-nominated-actor-known-scarface-big-dies-85-n474736http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0005162\/?ref_=nv_sr_1Bravo, sir. Thank you for all the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135635"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":135645,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135635\/revisions\/135645"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}