The Forgotten Oaths: Serving the World, Neglecting the Nation

Flopping Aces ^ | 04-24-24 | Scott Malensek

[Starman417]

I just got done reading former CIA Director Mike Morell’s book, The Great War of Our Time: The CIA's Fight Against Terrorism--From al Qa'ida to ISIS .   (it was good-5 stars)   Now I’m reading Gen. Hayden’s book, The Assault on Intelligence: American National Security in an Age of Lies (5-star for accuracy, 1 star for most childish TDS whining ever).   Both books talk about how often the US govt chooses to do things that give us bonus benefits by working with the rest of the world; globalism; “National sacrifices for global benefits.”  They contrast that with the need and desire for a more nation focus.

It seems like it was just a few years ago, but it was probably a lot longer than that.  One of my wife’s college roommates came to visit us.  She’s always been a hyper political person (not my wife, but rather her friend), and we’d had some strong “discussions” in the past.  I promised to be good, and I was, and we wound up having a relatively interesting and nice night.

Now, this friend of my wife’s came all the way in from D.C. where she worked with some activist group or lobbyist whatever.  The point is her job depended on the Federal government.  She showed up in a nice car, expensive clothes, and was clearly making money in the nation’s capital.  At the time my wife and I were enjoying the fruits of the Obama economy post-housing crisis, in small town America.  We were quite the contrast.  Her friend even remarked that it had been so long since she left D.C. that she’d forgotten what was happening outside the beltway.

Disclaimer: This lady and I have always disagreed on politics, and she’s certifiably batshit crazy imo, but she also volunteered and spent years in Iraq as an interpreter.  To that end, and for other personal trials she’s survived I will never stop pointing out that she’s one of the bravest people I’ve ever met-batshit crazy politically, but honest to her bones, and Special Forces level brave.  In fact, I’m deliberately not using her name because of her security clearance level.

[Morning coffee foul: I drifted]

The point I was trying to illustrate is that for centuries people have gone off to their state capital or to Washington D.C., and they’ve tried to make a difference.  Please take note: this is completely true for people of both parties, anywhere on the political spectrum.  Most of the time they want to do some sort of good but get stuck working for more power while convincing themselves that doing so is necessary “to do some good.”  They can be a President or a Congresscritter or just another cog in the D.C. machine like my wife’s friend.

Before George Washington was President, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson and lots of others went overseas to seek out allies and foreign power that could help in the revolution.  Both men fell in love with France, and vice versa.  However, their first loves were Pennsylvania and Virginia respectively.  There was no United States, no “country” to call home.  This lack of the abstract “country” meant that while they were away-be it in Congress or overseas, they remembered that they were wherever, doing whatever, for their neighbors.

Bit by bit, the world grew, and our country grew, and the balance of objective switched.  Trying “to do some good” for our neighbors became “protecting and preserving our country.”   There were some growth spurts when “The Country” grew fast and strong, but it wasn’t until the Fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War that America’s leaders in business and politics started fully embracing the globalist view instead of remembering what the states they represented needed.

The time has come to re-assess; or to remember.  

535 Members of Congress and someone in the White House who tells Biden what to do, everyone at that State Department, Defense Department, the Intelligence Community, and all the agencies and departments under their umbrella…it seems they’ve all forgotten.  They’ve forgotten that they went to D.C., and they volunteered to go all over the globe “to do some good” for their “Country.”  But when they first dreamed of doing so, did they kick off their careers for the benefit of K Street, and 4-6 major electoral states?  Or did they start their journeys start when they heard Mom and Dad crying about money, mortgages, healthcare, or jobs, at the dinner table, after they were supposed to be asleep?  Did 535 people say, ‘I’m gonna run for office, so I can sit on the Armed Services Committee and push to make all our soldiers, sailors, and Marines rations, plant-based?'  Did someone become a diplomat or a general and live overseas for most of their lives because they wanted to ensure free and fair elections in Bulgaria?

For millions of Americans, “The Country” has become Washington D.C. and the surrounding 11 counties (11 of the wealthiest counties in the entire United States).  Too many DC residents and neighbors, too many politicians, bureaucrats, people who serve overseas have all forgotten what their calling was, their original mission, to serve the country; to protect and enrich the people between Miami, San Diego, Seattle, and Bangor.  Not to help themselves or their friends and co-workers in DC.

So here it is, NEWSFLASH:

Your “COUNTRY” is not Bulgaria!  It’s not Tanzania, or Estonia, or Russia, or Britain, or France, Israel, or Ukraine!

If you have a job-particularly an entire career-working overseas, it’s time to remember that you do not get paid to go to multi-million dollar parties at the Belgian embassy in Paris for fucking fun!

[dfwgator]

The Cobbler’s Children have no shoes.

[stanne]

They didn’t forget their oaths. They simply have no allegiance to the country. They need to be reciting the allegiance every day
They need to know what is in the constitution

But they are not serving “the world”. They are serving particular dictators

[PGalt]

GREAT article. Thanks for posting.

[Jan_Sobieski]

Globalism is diametrically opposed to what God did at the Tower of Babel. Global is therefore Satanic

[hinckley buzzard]

Reagan was showing a visiting dignitary around the State Department. He came up to a young fellow at his desk and asked him, “What country are you working for?” The idiot brightly said “China.” Reagan said “No, you’re working for the United States.”

[jagusafr]

“If you have a job-particularly an entire career-working overseas”

One of my pet peeves growing up as a third-way kid (military brat who lived overseas for a number of years) extended into my military career: the American government employees, military and civilian, who started to believe the “last bastion” argument that nobody in the US really understood the “important” things (like they, the intelligentsia, did). I developed the firm position that nobody in government service should be permitted to have more than two consecutive overseas postings without coming back for a full tour in the CONUS. Not a popular opinion.

Colonel, USAF JAGC (Ret)