Hey y’all, it’s Nick, and I’m Sick of this Shit. Today’s shit (and a heap from earlier this week) has been some of the worst yet. We’ve gone from bad to worse in a matter of days—as someone else said, “it’s a speed run into the Nuremberg Trials”, and no truer words have been uttered. Even since beginning to write this post, things have crossed another threshold which should never have been crossed—Marines arrested a US citizen without a Presidential invocation of a Rebellion or use of the Insurrection Act. And well, it’s flatly illegal.
I posted a video on it earlier, cause I’m fucking mad.
As should everyone else in this great Nation.
Oath of Enlistment
When I was 23, I found myself doing something I never thought I’d end up doing, in fact I told myself I wouldn’t enlist. Not because I objected, or because I disliked the Military. My family has a rich history in the military, one I’m very proud of, but I always wanted to go a different route. Instead, I wound up at my nearest recruiters office, enlisted, and found myself at MEPS in Albany, NY. I had my dad, a retired Colonel, there to bear witness and give me courage as I took these steps into my first career—I swore the Oath of Enlistment
I do solemnly swear 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; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
I became a Soldier in the Army in 2013, deployed to Afghanistan in support of OEF in 2014, and was medically discharged in 2017. My time in the Army was short, but incredibly meaningful. In so many ways, it has changed my life—for better or worse.
Importance of the Oath
Of all the things I have taken away from my time in the Army, one of the most important lessons is that of the importance of this Oath.
This Oath is what sets us apart for everyone else in the world. It’s what makes us unique—it’s distinctly American—and it is the foundation upon which we guarantee our freedoms. To me, it is what makes America Great, without the Republican lies and propaganda. Why? Because it is simple, it defines our role, and it puts our most fundamental duty above all else—“support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic”.
This statement comes before all else for a reason. It’s because we do not swear allegiance to a President, we swear it to the Constitution. We swear to “bear true faith and allegiance to the same” because we don’t blindly obey orders. We stand up for what is right and have the freedom to say “no” when it’s fucking needed. That is what separates us from all others. That is why we have been the most chaotic, yet competent fighting force in history.
We’re not living up to it
Right now, many of our elected public servants have not only failed to live up to their Oaths, they have recklessly abandoned them in a blind grab at authoritarian power.
Fuck them.
Today, 6/13, we saw the next major leap towards something we should all want to avoid. Today we saw Marines arrest a US Citizen, in Los Angeles. Yeah…on our own fucking soil.
The Marines.
Our troops who are always the first in and last out. Some of our finest and bravest. Some of the best and most caring people I’ve met.
Now they are turned against our own. In our streets. Instead of defending the Constitution, they trample on our First Amendment rights. Instead of being the vanguard for freedom, they are the harbingers of fascism.
It must end. There must be courage in the face of this threat. There must be strength, solidarity, unity, purpose, and joy in the face of this darkness. There must be one voice, screaming so loudly we cannot be ignored. There must be pride and patriotism, displayed so boldly we will echo through generations.
I’m Nick, I’m Sick of this Shit, and I’m standing up for those I love and those I’ve never met. I’m standing up because it’s now or never. Join me!