I Pledge

I don’t know if you’ve seen all the hype about “pledging” support for the new president. I’ve seen the online stories about various celebrities pledging their support to President Obama, and now there is a commercial on USA network with various people, mostly minorities, pledging to basically “get along.”

W-W-What??? Does this sound absurd to anyone else?

So you are saying, “Now that we have a president who I agree with, I’ll pledge my support to ‘our president,’ and anyone who does not pledge their support is just so obviously bigoted and un-American.”

I pledged my support to the Constitution when I enlisted in the military. Along with that pledge came a promise to support the president. That meant whomever the president happened to be. Not just who I happened to agree with.

Where was all this support eight years ago? Oh yeah, a Republican took office eight years ago. What these lemmings are really saying is that “we will support the Democrats, no matter what happens.” Really. That is what they are saying. Think about that. Barack Obama took office just a few days ago. He’s done absolutely nothing to prove that he deserves (or does not deserve) your support or criticism. Pledging to support him no matter what tells us that even if he goes back on his word, you will support that. Even if he pushes executive orders against your specific group, you will support that. Even if he directly impacts your wallet in a negative way, you will support that.

If you are not a government employee, do not pledge support to a person who holds an elected office. Please. As an American, I believe that you should pledge support to the Constitution and any actions to support it. People will let you down. The Constitution will not, as long as you choose leaders who believe in its power. Pledging support to a person will just make you feel like a hypocrite when that person goes back on their word and changes their mind.

Support policies, laws, and ideas. Do not pledge support to a person. You will be disappointed every time.