Heil Bush
Loyalty oaths in action
One Nation Under Bush
At a campaign rally, Republicans recite the "Bush Pledge."
By Chris Suellentrop
Updated Thursday, Oct. 28, 2004, at 10:44 PM PT
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.—"I want you to stand, raise your right hands," and recite "the Bush Pledge," said Florida state Sen. Ken Pruitt. The assembled mass of about 2,000 in this Treasure Coast town about an hour north of West Palm Beach dutifully rose, arms aloft, and repeated after Pruitt: "I care about freedom and liberty. I care about my family. I care about my country. Because I care, I promise to work hard to re-elect, re-elect George W. Bush as president of the United States."
I know the Bush-Cheney campaign occasionally requires the people who attend its events to sign loyalty oaths, but this was the first time I have ever seen an audience actually stand and utter one. Maybe they've replaced the written oath with a verbal one.
This may be the first and only time the "Bush Pledge" has been taken at an event I've attended (or any event for that matter), but I'm not the best witness. One of the unfortunate drawbacks of traveling with a presidential candidate is that you arrive at a political rally when he does, which means you arrive right before he speaks.
Chris Suellentrop is Slate's deputy Washington bureau chief. You can e-mail him at suellentrop@slate.com.
Did they break into this afterwards:
Horst Wessel 1927 (1907-1930)
fairly literal tr. Frank 1997
Raise high the flag,
The ranks are closed and tight,
Storm Troopers march,
With firm and steady step.
|: Souls of the comrades
Shot by Reds and Countermight
Are in our ranks
And march along in step. :|
Open the road
Just for the brown battalion.
Let's clear the way
For the storm trooperman.
|: In hope, to the swastika
Raised are eyes of millions,
Dawn breaks for freedom
And bread for all man. :|
This is the final
Bugle call to arms.
Already we are set
Prepared to fight.
|: Soon Hitler's flags will wave
O'er every single street.
Enslavement ends
When soon we set things right. :|
Oaths to Bush. What the fuck? When do we round up the Muslims?
We live in a goddamn democracy. We don't say pledges to men.
posted by Steve @ 1:44:00 AM
