The Oath keeper who thought he stood alone by Ken LaRive

The Oath keeper who thought he stood alone

Back in the year 1959, three nine-year-old boys walked together laughing all the way to the Pitt Theater, three blocks from home. Back then young kids could do that with relative safety in New Orleans. Today it is rare to find a sidewalk to walk on, but back then they were installed with the safety of children in mind. It was a place where kids could ride their bicycles, both day and night... where women pushed strollers, and waved to their neighbors sitting on their porch stoops. Children would say, "Hey, mom, I'm going to ride around the block..." And a loving mother said yes. 

Today, that Old Gentilly neighborhood is a war zone, with overgrown lots that fall over the sidewalks like an encroaching jungle. It is indeed a jungle, and no exaggeration to say that a child is in as much danger as a Vietnam War zone. New Orleans is neck and neck with Chicago as the murder capital of the entire United States, and there seems nothing will be done about it. President Trump said he would push back, but we still wait, and die in a sanctuary city. 

In retrospect, there seems to be many ways to destroy a community, and indeed, New Orleans was finished culturally decades before Katrina.  Was Katrina responsible for the death of both my parents? Was it their lack of judgment to ignore the warnings? Or was it an inept an unprepared administration, who balanced party politics with the lives of people... and as they, our elected officials, cried as victims, unidentified bodies rotted without refrigeration for six weeks... yes, we had a closed casket, and I will remember the smell of my father's wallet... it smelled of Progressive-ism.   

  

Not being able to rebuild after a natural disaster shows a fatal flaw in that cultural mindset at face value. White flight came from the ever-increasing violence, stimulated by lazy, low self-esteem,  government instilled racism, to a socialistic tax burden designed to support it. And now, even traveling in your car at high noon, one can see the handiwork of what can only be described as the disintegration of the Progressive breeding program. 

High Noon

With about a dollar in our collective pockets, we would share a large box of popcorn, still able to buy a fountain coke each with what was left. We thought about the newly air-conditioned theater and its darkened recesses that lit up our world with adventure, and that day on the marquee it read in bold letters, "High Noon."

Looking back, it seems a complicated script for a nine year old to grasp, but we understood it well enough. An old sheriff was about to get married to a beautiful girl, and in the process retire from law enforcement. Unfortunately, on the very same day, an ex-con, put away by the sheriff years ago, was returning on the noon train to meet up with his former gang to exact revenge. What incredibly bad luck! But the amazing part was that every person in town, including his wife to be, even his deputy, wanted him to leave on the morning stage. During that movie, our young minds grappled with the reasons why he could not. It was sometime near the very end where it finally made sense. Sheriff Will Kane, played by Gary Cooper, was an Oath Keeper.

Years before, he had taken an Oath, and his decision had nothing to do with retirement. It had nothing to do with the dollar a day he was paid, or the fear that gripped his very soul as he realized that he alone was to face this evil man and his gang who wanted him dead. In the mix of this twisted plot he painfully understood that the people he had risked his life for, all of those many years, would not be coming to his aid. But still, his oath was stronger, a standard bigger then himself. 

And so it seems, just a few of my generation are asking themselves, what would an honorable man do in our world today? What should an oath keeper do in a world of power hungry men without principle, and what of the seemingly mindless and lazy cowards who would sell their own children into the bondage and servitude of debt while watching a Saints game with a six-pack? How can you remain an oath keeper when you look around and find yourself alone?

The truth I can hardly admit...

I knew little to nothing about politics, the workings of my government, the dealings of international bankers and institutions, the shadows of the Federal Reserve, our Constitution and Bill of Rights, and my selective ignorance had no base, no roots to build an honorable man. I considered myself, in my own mind, a political writer for fifteen years, but I see now I was living a lie.

Every day I walked about polishing my self-made collar, and looked about me with arrogance and disgust for those who were not as enlightened, those not quite so savvy, and I could argue like a devil's advocate for hours. I was under the umbrella of my teachers, and then my editors...One would think I would be ashamed of that fact, but amazingly I am not, and just the contrary. You see, I was a product of my environment. I argued about foolish things to mostly foolish people, and that is the rub. Truth had nothing to do with what motivated me or most anyone I knew, nor does it to most writers of these times... I adhered to the illusions of self importance, with a talent to proclaim a view with selfishly motivated volition. It was my ego that motivated me... and I wanted to be considered enlightened, to get respect and praise for my endeavors.

Looking back, there were some who seemed to realize America's plight, but for personal reasons they remained silent. I think it was because they knew they would have to stand alone, and that takes an amazing amount of courage to do. Their primary responsibility was to keep their job, for the sake of family. How terrible that must be for a person of honor, where truth is sacrificed for a life style, for a safe existence. It is a mislaid responsibility, and I know that very well.

But then, something profound happened around midnight almost ten years ago. While surfing a YouTube historical speech, I saw a man talking about the future, my future... a man who had consistently warned us all for three decades, and what he said was now reality. I saw in his words a profound truth, a truth so weighty and insightful, that it struck me to the very core of who I was. For the first time I saw that I could be as a responsible man, and realized the virtual enslavement of the Country I so loved. I saw... I came to realize, that we have all been betrayed. This deliverance did not come from a pounding fist, screams into a microphone, or flaying gestures... It came from the mind and heart of a humble man, with the soft spoken and measured words that comes from the knowing, a brave and profound perception honed into consciousness by truth. His name was Ron Paul.

He is a man of honor and of genuineness, an oath keeper, and I watched him slandered and betrayed, just like myself, and every American. His words, however, did not influence me to believe I was a victim, and just the contrary. I was enriched with the knowledge that I was responsible too, and that galvanized me to press forward, even if I was alone. . .

FEAR

Mark Twain said: "Truth is mighty and will prevail. There is nothing the matter with this, except that it ain't so." There is also the old adage that "History is written by the victors." attributed to Winston Churchill, but of unknown origin. And so, in this profundity of American folklore twit, where does an honorable man fit in? Where does a seeker of truth go, when a so-called truth-seeker is reviled and scorned by the very controllers of media?

How can our children learn the meaning and gravity of an Oath in a world where it is ridiculed? Who but a choice few would seek death before dishonor as a standard, when the newest generation is weaned on Ninja Turtles and Peewee Herman? Can something be salvaged in a feel-good world where anything goes? Yes, it most definitely can, and is. I have seen it firsthand. Ever wonder why the followers of Dr. Paul cannot be swayed? It isn't brainwashing, but the effort of learning, and once understood can never be denied. Truth is like that.

It is said that a new generation is emerging, from the gobbledygook of conditioned minds to an intellectual revolution in thought. It is called the Liberty movement.

Since that election in 2008, I have tried to fathom just what is facing America, and few will disagree that finding truth is extremely daunting. Though I don't know exactly how it will turn out, it will be a monumental challenge for those who hold that higher standard. As a Libertarian, I find myself mostly betrayed by the Tea Party movement and of course the Republican Party, as I originally thought I would have given my life to defend them both. And today, both the Liberty movement and what I had studied of a Libertarian mindset, has been usurped by those who want to promote their own agenda, be it open borders, gay marriage, abortion, or the overt destruction of our Constitution. I saw that the original premise the Tea Party had was sound, and I reveled as we started our meetings with the Pledge of Allegiance and a solemn prayer. 

Both parties have lost their standard long ago, possibly with the incarnation of the Federal Reserve, or even further back with Lincoln's destruction of State's Rights during The Civil War, or America becoming a corporation in 1871.

Perhaps we were not fools, just played by a stacked hand, as the original thoughts that galvanized us as patriots disintegrated under our trusting eyes. Teocon infiltration from the so called ultra right on the cusp of this Wilson Progressive mindset, is instilled by a secular media, and a government-run educational system from kindergarten to University insures our collective and trusting servitude. This shadow government has the ability to print money, to increase the national debt from six trillion to twenty trillion in just nine years, and it seems few care. What in the world can we do? They have stopped us from even looking at our gold in Fort Knox for over fifty years, and the Federal Government is controlled by an international corporation called The Federal Reserve, while an International Monetary Fund, operated by the Rothschild bankers, orchestrate both war and peace. 

The Oath Keeper still lives...

Even in cold duplicity, the Liberty movement is alive, in spite of the fact it is continually strangled and hidden from view by every form of media, and Beltway lobbyists who control our Congress. But an Oath Keeper knows the honor of upholding an oath, from the Boy Scouts, the Military, to our local police force, who will uphold our constitution with their lives. They do not cower under the pressure of power, no matter how encompassing, no matter what the consequences... and that will save us. I believe this with every fiber of my being, and it fills me with hope.

I'm still that young boy who realized that "Have Gun Will Travel and the Knights of the Round Table" meant MIGHT FOR RIGHT, and not MIGHT IS RIGHT, and even as a Boy Scout at thirteen, my oath was: "On my honor I will do my best, to do my duty to God and my Country..." And I see now, as a man of 68, that an oath is a man's sacred word, and his truest and righteous measure. I learned this ideal from other men, other oath keepers, even from an actor on the silver screen, so long ago. Yes, I saw it, and I incorporated it into the mindset of the man I wanted so hard to become.... I took the oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies both domestic and foreign when I joined the Navy, and I feel compelled beyond measure to do just that, right now. I want my liberty back, my civil liberty restored, as my Liberty is not granted by any man or institution, but given to me as a gift from God Almighty, my creator. 

Yes, I remember the fear in Cooper's eyes, and I have that too. I'm sure our enemies see it, and bet we will not back off. But there is something stronger than my fear, more valuable than even my own life, something far greater than myself. Give me Liberty, or give me death. You see, I am now convinced that if you cannot find something to die for, you have very little to live for... We have borrowed this life, and our country, from our children, and responsible for it. That sir, is all the volition I need. Do NOT tread on me. 

Let me reiterate on one most important point: Voluntary Servitude...

So finally, just a singular thought to the man who is fighting within himself, weighing both option and redress for the decision to be an Oath Keeper. Violence is indeed the last option, but know well that never in the history of the world has a power relinquished control without bloodshed. Never. Perhaps, if we push to adhere to the Constitution, this will not be necessary. And remember, our founders gave us the second amendment, and it wasn't for the hunter. It was to have the ability to push back from Tyranny. Slavery can only occur when the oppressed resigns himself. The day you visualize and believe will be the day you take control of your own life. And just at the last moment, like when Cooper looked around for enemies and saw that indeed his friends came through for him... It is found to be human nature to resist the yoke of dominion, and there are people of like mind who will stand with you at high noon. 

Those who oppress us hide behind mountains of paperwork and red tape, but when sought will withdraw like a roach caught in a flashlight. They are circus clowns and illusionists, and most are nothing more than paid actors, even the violent activist are compensated, and their primary study is deceit... Look at the media, and you will see it. 

All wars are Banker wars, and has been throughout human history, and it has worked extremely well for them to the point where they are poised to control the entire world with their central banking cartel. How very nice for them, but in my mind they do not own me, and that will be their undoing. You see, servitude is voluntary, and I do not want to play, and I'm tired to the very bone of living a lie...  

I am an American, and I love my God.  Men like me will die, but the oath will continue. There will be another Patriot who will pick up that gauntlet, and stand alone in a world designed to crush him. 

Always Faithful,

Ken LaRive