I Just Don't Know

Would you sign a loyalty oath if your job would fire you if you didn't? And no, not some kind of oath to your job, an oath to the country and state. The other day when posting articles for the News From The Real World site I came across this article:

THEATER CHAT: Loyalty oath dispute ends director's teaching job at CCSN

I guess this is some sort of post 9/11 solidarity display. The Community College of Southern Nevada now requires all faculty to pledge a loyalty oath. The article lists this text:

"I do solemnly swear that I will protect and defend the Constitution and Government of the United States, and the Constitution and Government of the State of Nevada."

I really don't know how I feel about this. First off, I mean I think I have a problem with a compulsory oath of any kind. Second, it isn't like this is some kind of military or police service. I guess it is possible that this is a government job, and somewhere someone passed a law requiring an "oath of office" from all government employees. But really, from the drama teacher at the community college? I think if this is where our homeland security breaches are coming from then one of two things must be true:

1. We're WAY to worried about homeland security.

or

2. We're totally not looking where we ought to be for the bad guys.

Also, isn't there something fundamentally unamerican about the blind pledge to defend anything? I thought we were supposed to question our government. I think a pledge to protect the people is one thing, a pledge to protect the nation or protect the constitution maybe, perhaps an oath to insure the integrity of the governing process I can see, but a blind pledge to defend the government? Sometimes the government is the problem, yes?

I just don't know about this one.