Now is the time for all good men to come
to the aid of their country.
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From: "super sco"
Sent: Friday, January 28, 2005 3:22 PM
To: soldiers@michaelmoore.com
Subject: To inform our citizens
To whom it may concern,
I am a Senior Airman in the United States Air Force. I wish to share a little bit about myself so that you
may better understand my concerns over America's current precarious place in history. I enlisted in the
Air Force for many reasons. Among them was education benefits, pay, travel opportunities, but most
importantly, I simply wanted to wear the uniform. I viewed enlistment as an important act that young men
had been undertaking for over two hundred years to protect our people. Imagine my surprise when,
upon reaching Lackland AFB, TX for Basic Military Training, I looked at my fellow "trainees" and found
nothing but children. I saw not a group of patriotic Americans, but a political rally of apathetic shock
troops with no notions of what the Constitution stands for or the oath we took.
I have echoed the words of that oath as a warning to fellow members of my squadron every single time I
have heard an undemocratic syllable from their mouths. I quote, "I solemnly swear to defend the
Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic." The last two
words are key: and domestic. To all who read this, I urge this warning: the single greatest danger to
America and our way of life is ourselves. No foreign power can dictate your oppression. No foreign army
can impose martial law upon us. No foreign dictator can remove the precious right that I am exercising
at this moment. Militaries do not keep people free! Militaries keep us safe, but it is we citizens who
ensure freedom! Every time we voice our opinion we are promoting freedom. Stationing our armies,
navies, and air forces in distant lands and toppling weak regimes does not keep us free. It is through
political action and dissent over injustice that we remain free! I say this now to inform concerned
Americans of what I have witnessed firsthand as citizen soldier in the U.S. Air Force: your soldiers,
sailors, airmen, and marines need instruction on what government by consent means; they need a
refresher course in Constitutional government; they need to be reminded that their loyalties lie not to
the person in office but to the ideals of the Constitution.
Consider this personal example. In the recent presidential election, I made my opinion very clear and I
will make it now. I did not support George W. Bush because his speech on March 17, 2003 mislead our
country to war. In hindsight, no weapons of mass destruction have been found. The intelligence
community has publicly admitted to making a mistake in their reports. I personally feel we have been
lied to, and when I expressed this opinion I received the greatest injury of all. I was told I was not to
share my opinions in the workplace, which is an Air Force installation. I was told to give up our most
precious freedom, the freedom from which all others stem: the freedom of speech. It was on that day
that my tolerance for the injustices I sustain in the Air Force withered. The attitude of others in my
squadron was that I was being disloyal. If I had a nickel for every time they said to me, "What's wrong
with you? Are you anti-military? Are you a pacifist? You don't like your president?" I would never have to
work again. The greatest threat to our freedom is the prevailing attitude in the military. The view that we
should be personally loyal to the president, not to the Constitution; the idea that the president should
not be accountable to public opinion polls.
Your soldiers have forgotten the oath they swore. The Constitution established a separation of powers,
and placed a civilian at the top of the military for a reason. Throughout history, no lesson can be more
apparent than the old adage, "Power corrupts." How many kings, tyrants, and dictators used their
militaries to usurp power from the people? How many used the military to force citizens to consent to
authoritarian rule? The number is astronomical. Our Founding Fathers listened to the voice of history,
and knew this lesson well. We must teach it to our children, your future soldiers, again. Never blindly
trust authority! This is the heart of the ideals behind the Constitution. Government, if left unchecked,
will work to further its own agendas. We must keep government in check to ensure they follow our
agenda. And that is the heart of the ideals behind the oath we soldiers take. This is what our soldiers
have forgotten. I caution all Americans to keep a watchful eye upon your soldiers. Their hearts and
minds are being won over by politicians. They are barely loyal to the Constitution, or the ideals of
freedom. Many would rather sacrifice a few of your personal liberties that are "taken for granted" for
their personal security. They have forgotten that security stems from personal freedom: the security
against oppression lies in the powers that freedom grants. The power I speak of is the power to say
"No" and not to comply. I fear dark days for our country and our people. Listen to history, go back and
read and reflect upon the atrocities that tyrants and the militaries under their control have inflicted.
Then perhaps my warning will have personal significance for all of you.
Christopher R. Atkins
Senior Airmen
United States Air Force
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"I solemnly swear to defend the
Constitution of the United States of America
against all enemies, foreign and domestic."
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