Columbia University Prof. Says Pledge Not to Raise Taxes 'Seditious' and 'Treasonous' in Bizarre YouTube Vid

(Photo: YouTube)

Columbia University professor Dr. Robert Thurman posted a video on YouTube recently in which he accuses Republicans who oppose tax increases of violating their oath of office.

"I am making this short video because I want to start a meme about those people in our government who refuse to cooperate with the president, and with the more practical and pragmatic senators and congresspersons," he explains in the Nov. 20 video, which only recently was discovered by national media.

Of those elected to serve in the nation's highest positions, Thurman continues, "there are some who are not fulfilling their vow of office, their oath of office."

The crux of his argument appears to be that, in signing a pledge circulated by Grover Norquist not to vote for tax increases, they are violating their pledge to be loyal to the United States Constitution.

The professor, who specializes in Indo-Tibetan studies according to the Daily Caller, takes his time explaining the argument:

“...95% of the congressmen and Republican senators have sworn a written oath to someone called Grover Norquist and an organization called American For Tax Reform that they will under no circumstances, and for no reason, raise taxes of any kind on anyone. And therefore, they have taken an oath to an outside organization which was not supported by the U.S. Constitution – which gives Congress the right to levy taxes, to do the work of the people through the government-- but this is a non-governmental organization.  It is not elected by anybody; it is supported by big money people who are making money by not having to pay taxes.

"And these people have signed a sworn oath that contradicts their oath of office. And therefore, in fact, they do have mental reservations, and they do have purpose of evasion and they are not sincerely taking their oath of office. And if they persist in that, and if they are held to that by this outside person who is not a member of the government, then they are, in fact, breaking their oath of office and they are not serving what they swore to serve, the American people.

[...]

So I want the seriousness of this blackmailing of the government that they are doing to be out there in people's minds, that's the meme I want to start...Everybody wants to be polite, you and know I'm a liberal, I want to be polite, and I'm trying to be polite, but this is a really serious thing that is going on, which is paralyzing our government and causing tremendous loss to us...  [Emphasis added]

Thurman continues to speak with horror about Norquist's goals of reducing the size of government, saying it's a kind of "anarchist proposition."

"Therefore, it is actually a kind of seditious oath, [a] treasonous oath," he asserts. "People who take that oath cannot actually serve in the government with good conscience, because their real role is to act as a mole, and to destroy the government..."

Dr. Thurman could not immediately be reached for comment, but you can watch the entire video-- in which he proceeds to explain how low taxes appeal to "religious" people who take the book of Revelations seriously-- below:

​This post will be updated.

(H/T: WeaselZippers)