Oath of Office:


According to the on-line encyclopedia 
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_of_office) 
“Oaths of office are usually a statement of loyalty 
to a constitution or other legal text, 
as well as an oath to the state or religion 
the office holder will be serving. 
It is often considered treason or a 
high crime to betray a sworn oath of office.”

I’m in complete agreement with this definition,
especially the part about it being 
“considered treason or a high crime
to betray a sworn oath of office”.  
While, I’m sure, there are lawyers
and pundits out there who would argue that 
“treason” or “a high crime” are something 
else and that these terms shouldn’t be applied to
our government officials if/when they break 
their oath of office - their solemn promise to us 
who intrust them with vast (but limited) power to do our 
will while in our employ, but being a simple Irish
lad I have no problem with calling betrayal of our trust, 
in the political context, treason or a crime.

In New Hampshire our employees must swear an oath
according to Title VI, Chapter 92 of our RSAs.  
The law reads: 
“No person chosen or appointed to any public office
or to any positionwhere an oath is required, 
under any law, shall exercise such office 
or position or perform any act therein until he
shall make and subscribe the
	oath or declaration as prescribed by part 2,
article 84 of the constitution of New Hampshire, 
and any such person who violates said oath after taking
	the same shall be forthwith dismissed from the
office or position involved.”

(I don’t know about you but I especially like the
part that calls for “any such person who violates 
said oath after taking the same shall be 
forthwith dismissed from the office or position
involved” because, for a simple Irish lad like myself, 
having little use for lawyers twisting 
the meaning of things, there are no ‘nuances’
needing to be interpreted for me by my betters 
in the legal profession.)  So, what do they swear 
to do? There are three options in our State’s
Constitution under Article 84 at
http://www.state.nh.us/constitution/oaths.html 
which vary a bit.  The individual working for us must 
swear to carry out his/her duties 
while bearing true faith and allegiance to
the United States, to the State of New Hampshire 
and to support the Constitution and laws thereof.  
Those we send to Washington swear an Oath
a bit different; it’s located at: 
http://www.couplescompany.com/FEATURES/Politics/2004/SenateOath.htm

	“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.” 

The common thread in the State and Federal Oaths of Office 
(for us simple folk) is that these people - our employees -
swear to uphold the Constitution - the highest law of the land.

So, what might constitute a breach or betrayal of
our employee’s Oath of Office?  For simple folks 
(those of us who aren’t lawyers or political apologists 
for the folks we send to represent our interests 
but who do anything their lobbyist friends ask them
to do rather than represent us) 
the most obvious and blatant example of a violation, 
breach or betrayal of their Oath would be that they
initiate laws or vote for laws which violate our State 
or Federal Constitutions.  
If they vote for laws which remove, regulate, limit or
tax a Right protected by our Constitution then clearly 
(to us simple folks) they have not “support(ed)” or “defend(ed)” 
or bore “true faith” to their responsibility 
to our Constitution thus, they are in
breach of their Oath and Title VI, Chapter 92 
of our State’s RSAs requires they 
“shall be forthwith dismissed 
from the office or position involved.”

We’ll get into the ‘laws’ they pass and whether their laws are really 
laws or whether they pose no burden to us simple folks later.  
Stay tuned if you care enough or go back to sleep now
like the good sheep they want you to be.