Elmer Stewart Rhodes is a Yale Law School graduate, a former U.S. Army paratrooper, and a former staffer of Republican Congressman Ron Paul. Rhodes also believes that Hitler could have been stopped if German soldiers and police had refused to follow orders. This idea of dissociation from the mainstream government views was the catalyst Rhodes needed to create the Oath Keepers. The Oath Keepers is a radical anti-government organization -made up of current and former U.S. military and law enforcement officers- that encourages members not to obey laws that violate the United States Constitution. ”The Anti-Defamation League describes the group as "heavily armed extremists with a anti-government mindset looking for potential showdowns with the government". This is plausible due to the several Oath Keepers’ heavily armed protests to “defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” in the last several years. While this form of protest is truly spine-chilling, it’s an excellent form of unconventional political participation. So by …show more content…
While one may believe this just means voting, political participation includes actions like speaking out on social media and protests. Unconventional participation is defined as a behavior that challenges or defies government channels or the dominant culture. One more recent recent example of this is the Dakota access pipeline. In contrast to conventional participation which uses the channels of representative government, opposers to the pipeline begin protest and this soon led to a standoff between protesters and the Morton County Sheriff Department. Though this form of political participation is much more controversial it does has success in the past (i.e civil rights movement, the Vietnam War). Now let's look at how the Oath Keepers used this political participation in recent domestic
Various people are devoted to numerous pursuits in their lives. A man in particular known as Thomas Jefferson was devoted to religion. Sworn on the Altar of God is a biography written by Edwin S. Gaustad that goes in depth about Jefferson’s unwavering religious beliefs throughout his life. The book exemplifies how Thomas Jefferson interacts with religious, political, and personal issues. The book follows a timeline from when he was first born into an Anglican family to when he broadened his horizons as a young adult to the impacts he made before, during, and after his Presidency to the aftermath of his death. Edwin S. Gaustad effectively argues that Thomas Jefferson used his religious beliefs to have a positive impact on the world around him.
Second Amendment sisters Inc., also known as SAS, is a women’s advocacy group dedicated to preserving the basic human right of self-defense as recognized by the Second Amendment. They believe in personal responsibility, education, and enforcement of laws against violent criminals. SAS was founded in 1999 by five women who got together on the internet in response to The Million Mom March, a rally on Mother’s day, may 14th 2000 designed to keep guns out of the hands of children and criminals through promotions of tighter restrictions. A counter rally by the pro-gun SAS was held the same day. The five ladies discovered they had something in common: they didn’t want the anti-gun rights Million Mom March to speak for them. For five months, along with but small dedicated groups of volunteers, using one of today’s most influential pieces of technology the internet.
The Knightly Code of Loyalty is reflected in the modern book Breaking Dawn and the modern movie A Bug's Life. In Breaking Dawn, loyalty is reflected through Jacob Black who remains loyal to his wolf pack, the Cullens, Bella, and his true love, Renesmee. Loyalty is the feeling of devotion one holds for ones country, creed, family, and friends(dictionary.com). It is remaining faithful to what you believe in. In King Arthurs time, the knights followed strict rules of chivalry, honor, bravery, and loyalty.
The Castle Doctrine is a law that gives citizens the right to protect their homes and other property by any means necessary---often resulting in the use of deadly force. The Castle Doctrine is different in all the states and is not federally mandated, which is one of the biggest issues with the law. Governor of Ohio:
Andrew Calabrese, Virtual non-violence? Civil disobedience and political violence in the information age (2004) 6 Emerald Info 326 available at http://spot.colorado.edu/~calabres/Calabrese%20(civl%20dis).pdf
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” So many people say this pledge in honor of our country everyday. It is being said in classrooms throughout the United States at this very moment. Yet why is it that people find the pledge objectionable, even arguing that it is unconstitutional, due to one phrase, “under God?” Perhaps these people have a valid point. In our modern world of political-correctness and the separation of church and state, is it possible that religion and mentioning God doesn’t have any place in our society? Qualified people, ministers and those experienced in politics, have debated this issue for many years, especially within the last fifty years. People continue to fight in the name of the constitution believing it to be a living document, and as it was intended by the founders. Despite people’s objections, The Pledge of Allegiance has a place in our society because it reflects the fundamental principles of our government, as well as revealing that politics has its roots in religion.
There are times throughout the history of the United States when its citizens have felt the need to revolt against the government. There were such cases during the time of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Henry David Thoreau, when there was unfair discrimination against the Afro-American community and Americans refusing to pay poll taxes to support the Mexican War. They used civil disobedience to eventually get legislation to stop the injustice brought against them and their nation. Civil disobedience is defined as refusal to obey civil laws or decrees, which usually takes the form of passive resistance. People practicing civil disobedience break a law because they consider the law unjust, and want to call attention to its injustice, hoping to bring about its withdrawal.
I do not stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. This is a right, shown by the West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette decision that students have the right to refuse to stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance ("West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette"). This 1943 case remains relevant to students today, who do not stand for one reason: they will not pledge themselves to a flag and a country that claims liberty and justice for all but fails to come through. It is clear that America has not achieved and does not achieve its promises of freedom for all, as demonstrated by numerous historical continuities.
As time goes by there are many things that happen in society that cause a rebel against rulings of the government. Civil disobedience is the refusal to obey laws as a way of forcing the government to do or change something (Merriam-Webster) . Thoreau begins his essay by arguing that the government is rarely ever useful and that it derives its power from the majority of people because they are more powerful, not because they hold the most legitimate viewpoint. He says the citizens’ first obligation is to go with what they believe is right and to not follow the law dictated by the majority. When a government is unjust, I feel that people should refuse to go with the law and stay away from the government for their well-being. This may include not being a member of the government all together. Thoreau talks about how the United States meets the guidelines for an unconstitutional government He supports himself with the history of slavery and war (SparkNotes).
Officially, a militia is part of the organized armed forces of a country that is called upon only in an emergency. There have been paramilitary groups with revolutionary ideas throughout America’s history, but today’s militia movement is a new more organized and violent presence (Meyers). Today the militia are unofficial citizens’ armies organized by private individuals, usually with antigovernment, far right agendas. They rationalize that the American people need armed force to help defend themselves against an increasingly oppressive government that is becoming part of a global conspiracy called the “New World Order” (Sonder, 2000). These armed groups call themselves militias; to both imply the image of the Minuteman of the Revolution and to try to claim legitimacy by asserting that these paramilitary groups were the “unorganized militia” of federal and state law. The causes for the militia movement are many, but most center around a fear of gun confiscation and the role such confiscation would play in their various one-world conspiracy theories.
How does learning about government and America help us become future guardians of the liberties? It teaches us to be involved. Being involved doesn't mean just being involved in the latest politics gossip at school or work . Being involved has a whole different meaning. Being involved means actually understanding what is going on and stating your opinions on our government and what is going on in America. In order to be involved you have to watch the news or get online and read or read a newspaper for once. You can't be a guardian of our liberties if you are just trusting what everyone is saying about our government. Everyone has different opinions. One person might think that the government is perfect for our country while other may think
The Role of Civil Disobedience in Democracy. " Civil Liberties Monitoring Project. American Civil Liberties Monitoring Project, Summer 1998. Web. The Web.
Political efficacy refers to the degree in which an individual believes he or she has an ability to influence the government (Chan 2014). The decision to engage with politics is usually a result of one’s attitudes towards participation, in the sense that there cannot be a political action without some prior thought about a political issue. One of the common attitudes related to political participation is political efficacy (Caprara et al., 2009). Political efficacy is individual's faith and trust in government and their belief that they can understand and influence political affairs. it is commonly measured by surveys and is used as an indicator for the broader health of civil society. When an individual has low efficacy, he does not have faith in his
Eyewitness testimony has long been prized as the highest form of evidence in a courtroom, placing enormous value on the memory of a witness. After all, if someone has observed a crime, the details must be engrained in their memory, right? Well, not exactly. Unlike a fixed and pristine record of time, memory is a complex cognitive process which is not only determined by variables surrounding the actual event, but is also heavily influenced by the perceptions, interpretations, and emotions of the individual (Zaragoza & Mitchell, 1996). In fact, evidence suggests that the simple act of retelling a story alters the original memory, and that the power of suggestion can lead people to not only change the details of an incident, but in many cases,
“If a body of enemy troops is repulsed, give to the wounded the same care as you would give your own men; treat them all the forbearance due to the one who is stricken…After the battle, restrain the fury of your troops; spare the vanquished…People should say of you: they fought courageously when they had to, but remained generous and humane throughout.” –General Guillaume Henri Dufour (Moorehead, 1998)