There is much to mock in the news-to-the-rest-of-us news that 3% of the US population will descend on Washington DC today to oust the leaders of the executive and legislative branches from power (why the Supremes were exempted is unclear).
Pluto and commenters have already got the mocking well in hand, so I'll keep my tongue clear of my cheek here.
Rather, I want to examine a few statements by the organizers of this purported event for factual accuracy. (Whether or not this proves to be an actual event is as yet unclear; check the DC local sites come evening time).
I'm citing a single source here, but I have confidence it is accurate and representative, as it is a lengthy piece on Raw Story featuring the comments of Alex Coffey, the marketing director of the event. Following are a few quotes Coffey offered as reasons for the group's actions:
As personal justification for his participation in an action to remove the president, vice-president and majority leaders of Congress from office, Coffey, a military veteran, said,
“I look at my oath of enlistment – there’s no expiration date on that,” said Coffey, a 15-year military veteran who now works as an information technology contractor for the Department of Defense.
Every person enlisting in the armed forces is required to make the following oath:
"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; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."
In (wisely, imo) advising event participants not to bring arms to their rally, Coffey says,
“The Communist forces that control Washington DC do not recognize the 2nd Amendment and have banned all weapons and ammunition from the district,”
Mr. Coffey is apparently unaware of the Supreme Court's 2008 decision in
District of Columbia v. Heller, in which the Court specifically reaffirmed an individual's right to possess firearms in the nation's capital, a decision which brought delight to the NRA and dismay to many who sought explanations as to why the Framers insisted on including the concept of a "well-regulated militia" in their guarantee of gun ownership.
Highlighting the group's (single) religious motivations, Coffey said,
“It pierced my heart, broke my heart when Obama said we’re no longer a Christian nation,”
Rather than point out for the umpteen thousandth time that the current president's statement on American religious plurality
contained a modifier always omitted by outraged Christians, I will direct Mr. Coffey's attention to the treasonous
words signed (though not penned) by another president, who obviously understood nothing of our pious Founders' intent:
... the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion
Shame it's too late to drive that "occupant" from the White House, though, by the time he left, he would have thanked you for the lift.
While we have a good chuckle at spelling errors on the signs that will be brandished by our "patriotic" friends in Washington today (should any show up), what are less amusing are the glaring gaps in their understanding and knowledge of American law, history and constitutional principles.
And yet is precisely those principles upon which they claim to act, on which they base their demands. And they expect to be taken seriously.
If I were to expound on the compositional principles of Ludwig van Beethoven, and claim that he worked at the Courtyard in Vienna, Virginia, would you take me seriously?
Of course not. And it is the same historical illiteracy on the part of these Springtimers that invites our hearty mockery, an invitation which we happily accept.