Not asking about the oath of enlistment. Asking about what happens after the oath has been taken.
Love to see newspeople interview elected officials and let us know how sending US Troops to Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, etc., is somehow defending the constitution.
“Today, however, the Congress has relinquished its delegated powers, giving the President license to do whatever he and his office determine that they can get away with. Consequentially, the presidential and legislative oaths to the Constitution have just turned into a great photo op on inauguration day.”
“It is a sad and hard realization for a grunt who loves the Marine Corps to admit that the organization is not used in the preservation of liberty, and has not been used toward that end for a very long time.”
“…as of January 1, 2026, the annual pass will cost non-US residents $250 to obtain, more than triple the standard $80 which US residents will continue to pay.”
“Foreign tourists who don’t purchase the pass will pay a $100-per-person fee, in addition to the standard entrance fee, to enter 11 of the most visited national parks…”
“This announced price hike comes amid a decline in international tourism to the US, fueled by changes to tariff policies and crackdowns on immigration.”
The Interior Department’s statement also highlighted “resident-only patriotic fee-free days” for next year which includes Memorial Day, Fourth of July Independence Day weekend and June 14, “Flag Day/President Trump’s birthday.”
“resident-only patriotic fee-free days”
Good news folks-
We are rationing out free access to federal lands you paid for the same as the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan.
People who visit from distant lands probably don’t want or need the annual pass. Ditto for some who live here too. The day pass will be good enough.
The article fails to mention that people who want the day pass will now be required to show papers to establish citizenship?
Some of us may want to travel about inside the USA as anonymous persons.
The Oak Bay Starfish Take
American popular & political culture insists on dividing people up into groups- then assigning a separate value to different groups.
Step over here and show us your papers before entering the park.
How many passengers are in the vehicle? All US citizens? Please pull over into the inspection lane for a brief interview and REAL ID check.
Trade, Travel and Friendship
Some might say trade, travel and friendship (as much as possible) are good for the economy. This approach may help to avoid misunderstandings and wars.
Welcoming Visitors – USA Style – 2026
Friends and family or an exchange student visiting from Canada, Japan or Europe?
You’d like to have a good visit when you travel to see them. Plan to roll out the welcome mat when they visit here next summer.
A trip to a national park might be a chance to leave the pressures of the world behind for a few hours. Now, it will be a stop and ID event? Sort of like trying to enter a military facility?
A giant flag ritual at the next ball game will make it all good.
The USA has a big 250 year birthday coming up in 2026.
I remember being in school for the bicentennial in 1976.
It will be strange to watch the celebrations next year because we are experiencing an ongoing breakdown of society that has been going on for years now, no matter what political party or personality is in office. Today, both major parties serve up a version of politics that is more extreme than what we saw in 1976.
I would expect a modern society to gently improve over time. This is not the case here.
A 20 year old today has a much steeper hill to climb than I did when I was 20 in 1980.
Leaving a better world to the next two generations would have been my choice.
US Semiquincentennial – Expect More Lies About Freedom
Several news sources published this quote. View them here.
The idea that sending hometown troops to Africa would be linked in any way with keeping the people of Salisbury Maryland safe and free calls for more discussion.
Mayor Day,
While the troops were deployed, federal law was signed prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to adults age 18-20.
Can you help us to understand the militarized version of freedom here?
Both major parties have taken turns in power over the past 40 years or so. For sure, there is a chunk of public policy that has become worse, not better.
Drill Instructors and Marines with November Company, 4th Recruit Training Battalion march towards the Peatross Parade Deck before their graduation ceremony Nov. 16, 2018 at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C. (Official U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Yamil Casarreal)
Somebody in Washington D.C. decided that boot camp for male Marines should no longer be separate from Marine boot camp for female Marines. Marine Corps leadership followed along and did as they were told.
“Today, however, the Congress has relinquished its delegated powers, giving the President license to do whatever he and his office determine that they can get away with. Consequentially, the presidential and legislative oaths to the Constitution have just turned into a great photo op on inauguration day.”
“It is a sad and hard realization for a grunt who loves the Marine Corps to admit that the organization is not used in the preservation of liberty, and has not been used toward that end for a very long time.”
The guilt doesn’t seem to work towards staying out of undeclared/unwon wars, maintaining the barracks or managing federal contracts related to TRICARE.
A giant flag ritual at the next ball game will make it all good.
Above: Damon Point
