Episode 12: Defending the Constitution: Unlawful Orders

Do soldiers and law enforcement understand the Constitution well enough to know when their pledge to defend it is required? When is allegiance to people and our Constitution enough to betray an institution you belong to, and a brotherhood you love? Should our military and police officers refuse to follow orders that are unconstitutional or unlawful and risk losing their job or worse? Would you?

Memorial Day is a day to honor and remember those that died while in service. I have been reflecting on the Constitution and what it’s declarations means to me. I decided to do a show dedicated to those who sacrifice to defend the Constitution, and sometimes pay the price…many times the ultimate price.

I talk about Edward Snowden’s revelation to the world, and the NSA’s unconstitutional collection of private data. Was Snowden’s collecting of top secret NSA data a crime, even though it was used to expose a crime against the constitutional rights of the people they are sworn to protect? Is that not the same case they make for justifying data collection on us?

Join me as I discuss some personal thoughts about law enforcement using traffic violations to increase revenue, and the officers that refuse to follow the rules they know are wrong. Can citations be another form of taxation? How would your local police officers feel about citation quotas. I talk about an officer and Air Force Veteran who was fired for speaking out publicly after making a formal internal complaint.

Maybe we all need to let those sworn to protect and serve know just how much their oath to the constitution and sacrifice to defend her at all cost means to us. I discuss the benefit of carrying a U.S. Constitution pocket reference guide as well as an idea I am considering that could let the average Joe make a difference.