Ray Buursma: Oath and honor: A book report

After waiting for the library’s queue to reach me, I finally checked out and read Oath and Honor.  Here is my book report.

Title: "Oath And Honor"

Author: Liz Cheney, former Congresswoman from Wyoming

Publisher: Little, Brown and Co.; 2023

Summary: As a Congresswoman and first-hand participant, Cheney details the events of the presidential election in Nov 2020, the attempted insurrection in January, and the aftermath thereof.

She details her attempts, mostly futile, to derail unethical and illegal actions taken by Trump and many of her Republican colleagues. Her recollections include her disbelief, dread, and disgust, not only for the actions she observed, but also for the agents of those actions.

Description: After Trump lost his reelection bid, he refused to concede. Cheney describes his unconstitutional maneuvers to maintain office. Court cases bolstered by lies and unproven claims failed. Slates of fake electors and phony results therefrom failed. Pressure applied to VP Pence to declare insufficient voting results failed.  Storming the Capitol to prevent Pence’s ministerial announcement failed.

Cheney recounts the details of these and other events. She lists the unConstitutional and illegal actions taken by Trump, describes the illegality and unConstitutionality thereof, identifies the leaders who assisted him, relates her steps to combat the political malbehavior, and credits those who assisted her.

Analysis: This well-written and sequentially organized book clearly relates the events occurring from November’s election to January’s insurrection attempt and into Trump’s impeachment.

Cheney never presents herself as a hero but merely as a Constitution-loving American. Yet the reader recognizes her as remarkable. She places the Constitution above her party, her standing, her position, her future, her income, and herself. She never equivocates between right and wrong, between the Constitution and party politics, or between democracy and autocracy. Her priorities are clear.

Points to ponder: Cheney leaves the reader with much to contemplate.

1. People believe claims without evidence or data. “The election was stolen”; “There were ballot dumps”; “We won by a landslide”; etc.  Such claims were repeatedly made but never with reliable evidence. As Cheney indicates repeatedly, Trump lost 60 of his 61 election court cases. Even today, however, tens of millions believe his fake claims.

2. People believe what they want to believe, even when incredulous claims are advanced. Several of Cheney’s supporters contacted her upon hearing a report that Chief Justice Roberts operated a sex trafficking ring from his basement. Some Trump supporters believe votes were altered by space lasers and satellites.

3. Demagogues’ use of memes, false claims and slogans can influence tens of millions of people. Demagogues garner support simply by wrapping themselves in a flag, hoisting a Bible in the air (even though they don’t own or read one), and issuing vague, scary warnings such as “If you don’t fight like Hell, you won’t have a country anymore.” Cheney observes and references these and similar tactics.

4. Trump and allies employ tribalism to meet their ends. They call opponents communists, socialists, leftist thugs, vermin, enemy of the people, enemies of the state, etc. Choosing the Constitution over Trump makes one a “disloyal traitor.”

5. Many officials are more committed to keeping their positions than to upholding the Constitution. Time and again Cheney saw GOP officials waffle before, during, and after the insurrection. They abandoned principles and conscience when they thought Trump’s retribution could hurt them. This should worry any lover of America’s Constitution.

6. There is a price to pay for defending the Constitution against domestic enemies. Cheney and others paid that price when their re-election attempts failed. Other Americans lost jobs, promotions, friends, family connections, status, influence, etc., for criticizing the ex-president and his supporters.

7.  Tens of millions of Americans lack critical thinking skills. Every school day, American children pledge loyalty to the flag representing our Constitutional republic. Parents approve but seldom, if ever, consider our Constitution defines our republic. The two are one and the same.

To require one’s child to pledge loyalty to America’s republic yet support a man who sought to overthrow that republic is bewildering and mind-boggling. Americans’ inability to recognize this inconsistency is tragic.

Cheney’s most salient point: The success or failure of America’s republic hinges on the values and resulting actions of its citizens. Americans’ chief priority must be respecting and protecting the Constitution, for the Constitution defines the republic. Without adherence to the Constitution, the republic will implode.

America is at a crossroads. If Americans condone and support a politician who usurps the Constitution, America will devolve into an autocracy with a puppet congress and puppet courts. It nearly did so.

Edmund Burke warned us, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Cheney did all she could. Will you?

Recommendation: Every American adult should read this book.

— Community Columnist Ray Buursma is a resident of Holland. Contact him at writetoraybuursma@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Ray Buursma: Oath and honor: A book report