The United States Constitution Article IV reads in part,

"The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution..."

The United States Constitution is the supreme Law of the Land. It is the document that protects us, as citizens, from a government that might seek to deny our rights and become oppressive. The Constitution details the activities our government may legally engage in.

To protect and defend the Constitution is the single most important duty and responsibility of a United States Senator. The oath of office taken by all Senators is the promise they give the citizens of the United States -- that they will perform this duty faithfully.

The oath of office was originally quite simple, a single sentence,

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United States."

In the 1860s, during the Civil War, legislators were trying to root out traitors. They wanted a more explicit oath. They had the oath of office rewritten. Here is the oath of office taken by every U.S. Senator since that time.

"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; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."

Many of our current representatives break this oath of office every day. Our Senators pass unconstitutional laws on a continual basis. They vote away our rights. How can we stop this?

As citizens, and employers of these officials, we have a duty and responsibility to make sure our representatives honor their oath. We must make sure they take their pledge seriously. To assure this we must find out what their feelings are about the Constitution itself.

Rick has some very strong feelings about the Constitution. He believes it means exactly what it says. He also believes our elected officials are straying far outside the boundaries it sets. Rick will obey his oath of office while in the Senate. He understands the importance of this promise to the people of America.

To learn more about how Rick feels
about the Constitution and the law -- click here

More information about Oaths of Office

Brief on U.S. Senators' Oath of Office
From the United States Senate web site.
http://www.senate.gov/learning/brief_12.html

Quote about Oath of Office

" It is the duty of a citizen not only to observe the law but to let it be known that he is opposed to its violation. "

- Calvin Coolidge