All Elected Officials & Houston Police Officers Swear Oath To Constitution-Hold Them To It

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​A bottom line focus of the Houston Democracy Project is that local elected Democrats at every level of government have an obligation to protect and defend the Constitution. 

(Above--Picture taken last year of original Constitution and Declaration of Independence at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. People were very eager to see them both.)

Every so often I'll get some pushback that this is not part of the responsibilities of these officials. But it is! Protecting and defending the Constitution is part of the oath all elected officials take. 

Here is who must take an oath an office in Texas from the Texas Municipal League and then the oath itself. 

The Texas Constitution requires that all appointed and elected officers in the state must take an oath of office. TEX. CONST. Art. XVI, §1. This includes elected officials, such as city councilmembers and mayors, as well as other municipal offices. An “office” is defined generally as a position that “exercises a sovereign function of government largely independent of the control of others.”

The oath--

“I, _______________________, do solemnly swear (or affirm), that I will faithfully execute the duties of the office of ___________________ of the State of Texas, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this State, so help me God."

​It is not just elected officials who swear to uphold the Constitution. Here is the oath of office taken by Houston police officers as posted by the City of Houston:

I, (Name), do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the duties of police officer of the city of Houston, Texas, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this state and city, so help me God. 

So with every threat to ignore the courts, disappear people to the torture prison in El Salvador or bypass Congress, recall that what is taking place is matter for every elected official & that police have an obligation to not obey un-Constitutional orders.

The Houston Police Officers Union has so far been silent on threats to suspend habeas corpus. 

They all took the oath. It is up to us to hold them to it.  

​Here is the Houston Democracy Project list of things each of us can do to fight Trump/Musk. Here is a fundraising pitch for the Houston Democracy Project. I'm doing the work and showing up in many different ways.  Please help the effort. ​​

I'm on the Egberto Willies Politics Done Right Show every Thursday from 6 AM to 7 AM for the Houston Democracy Project segment. You can hear the show on the radio, stream it on KPFT or watch later Egberto's YouTube channel.

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