If you were sworn into Congress, what book would you like to place your hand on?

[Quixote1818]

I was thinking something like 'Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot' or maybe 'The Bible According to Mark Twain'. Also 'The Jefferson Bible' might be a thought provoking angle to take.

How about you?

[Wounded Bear]

1. The Constitution...

that is what I'd be swearing to protect and defend after all. Of course, I've already taken that oath before.

[Quixote1818]

4. I thought that too. It would have to be a copy, but I am sure that would be fine. nt

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

44. When I took the oath as an Air Force officer, I didn't put my hand on anything.

My sense of obligation to protect the Constitution and the principles which serve as its foundation was no less than it would have been had I placed my hand on any book or document -- or another man's testicles, as stated in the Bible.

[Wounded Bear]

54. Neither did I...

But if I were to use any document to "swear on or by" it wouldn't be a religious text.

Frankly, that oath I took in 1970 still rings pretty true to me, and I feel like we are in 'revolutionary' times right now, as RW authoritarian forces are attempting a coup of sorts. I consider it my job to resist them.

[Gothmog]

90. Agreed

[klook]

2. A Confederacy of Dunces

... kidding. I agree with using the Constitution.

[emulatorloo]

30. Ha ha you beat me to it

And my serious choice is also the constitution.

[TygrBright]

3. The Constitution of the United States of America. n/t

[50 Shades Of Blue]

5. My 8th grade civics textbook

[Quixote1818]

7. As long as it wasn't printed in the Bible belt. :) nt

[50 Shades Of Blue]

22. Maybe worse... It's a Catholic school book, lol. The Christian Citizen, and

I'm no longer the former, but I did learn something from it, and I am sentimental!

[marybourg]

6. I don't recall placing my hand on any book

when I took the oath; just raised my right hand.

[k8conant]

8. And that's the truth!

The books are for show (and photos) after the fact.

[David__77]

9. A copy of the oath being taken.

...

[krispos42]

10. The latest report from the Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change

Just to watch their heads explode!

[RandySF]

11. My mother's Bible

Other than that, I don't give shit what book Kyrsten Sinema brought, and the press should stop wasting our time.

[FakeNoose]

59. I agree that this shouldn't even be an issue

Many of us are fine with a bible, even though we aren't bible thumpers, because of the historic and cultural significance of that book. For those who prefer a different book, OK fine. There's no reason to point a finger at anyone. I would have preferred that Congresswoman Sinema had not mentioned her choice and kept it to herself. But that's just me.

[RandySF]

68. The press always want to know

For example, McSally let it be known she borrowed a dead sailor’s Bible from the USS Arizona.

[Grown2Hate]

12. Either The Selfish Gene or the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. NT

[JonAndKatePlusABird]

36. 42

"Hitchhikers Guide" is what immediately came to mind when I read the thread title

[True Dough]

13. This one

And I'd vow to do all in my power to help take him down.

[Stinky The Clown]

14. I'm kinda traditional and old fashioned.

I'd use whatever bible they had on hand.

I do NOT object to any other book anyone else might choose to use.

[hunter]

15. No book. Rather a replicant android head of Philip K. Dick.

https://slate.com/culture/2012/06/philip-k-dick-robot-an-android-head-of-the-science-fiction-author-is-lost-forever.html

Although it seems unlikely I'll ever be sworn into Congress.

[RockRaven]

16. Newton's Principia, The Epic of Gilgamesh, Hesiod's Theogony, Aesop's Fables, the Code of Hammurabi

Just about anything, honestly, just to make the point. Heck, a dime store novel would be better than a Bible.

[bottomofthehill]

17. Two books

Jeffersons Manual, Which sets the rules of the House and Senate and the US Constitution.

[violetpastille]

18. I like your books

I would swear the oath on the Constitution but I would bring this book along:

“Knowing that you love the earth changes you, activates you to defend and protect and celebrate. But when you feel that the earth loves you in return, that feeling transforms the relationship from a one-way street into a sacred bond.”

[Sucha NastyWoman]

19. The Poisonwood Bible

[Iggo]

20. A cook book.

[emulatorloo]

31. "To Serve Man"

[Iggo]

58. LOL, exactly.

[hardluck]

21. On the Origin of Species

[LiberalFighter]

23. I would ask why is a book or anything needed?

[moondust]

24. Dante's "Inferno"

[dalton99a]

25. Try these

[47of74]

29. I like option number two

If for no other reason than to watch Mike Pence’s reaction.

[bobbieinok]

26. It seems like everyone should swear on the Constitution

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

27. A checkbook....

[Basic LA]

28. Walden

[Anon-C]

32. Amazing Fantasy #15, last panel.

[First Speaker]

67. You win the thread!

...quoting Stan Lee, in and of itself, would make anyone my favorite pol. Using the "responsibility" line just makes it perfect. Who needs the Bible or the Constitution, when you have The Man himself?

[Jake Stern]

33. None.

What difference does a book make? If I am willing to lie or be corrupt in the absence of an oath or pledge then what makes someone think that I'm all of a sudden going to be righteous because I put my hand on a book and uttered some words?

This is why I don't find it especially impressive or moving when someone does their oath reenactment with some special book - Jefferson's Quran, Washington's Bible, etc.

[smirkymonkey]

45. This!

If someone is a pathological liar, like Trump, swearing upon a bible - or any book - isn't going to suddenly make a truthful person out of them. They will still lie, as we have seen very clearly.

[Takket]

34. My wife's first novel.

[musicblind]

35. For me it would be a Bible.

The one I would most like to use began falling apart at the spine years ago, so I'm not sure which one.

[area51]

37. Dune by Frank Herbert. j/k, n/t

[TlalocW]

38. Bloom County: Penguin Dreams and Stranger Things

By Berke Breathed.

I like to stick with the classics.

TlalocW

[Maru Kitteh]

39. My parent's wedding album

They were my creators. They are where my values came from. It is their memory I strive to live up to.

[lilactime]

83. I love that idea.

[pecosbob]

40. Howard Zinn's 'A People's History of the United States'

One of my heroes...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Zinn

[RockCreek]

61. Ditto

Perhaps with a picture of my high school history teacher who used parts of it as a text. And the xeroxed copies of the constitution and other original documents he taught from.

[akraven]

41. Spider Robinson's "Callahans Cross-Time Saloon"...... nt

[JackInGreen]

85. To Mike and Sally

Damn right

[canetoad]

42. None

Because I'm a big fat iconoclast.

[Solly Mack]

43. Oh, the Places You'll Go - Dr. Seuss

[Moostache]

46. Farenheit 451 or The Handmaid's Tale

[Vinca]

47. George Carlin's "Brain Droppings."

I sure wish George was with us to comment on the current nightmare.

[The Truth Is Here]

48. Userfriendly

Its like the tech bible.

[GusBob]

49. The Jefferson Bible

Aka “ Jesus without the Miracles”

[obamanut2012]

50. Pride & Prejudice

Actually, a bound copy of the Constitution, but I would want it to be P & P!

[DFW]

51. Bartholomew and the Oobleck

A great reminder to all that power without responsibility leads to disaster, and put in terms that even Republicans can understand.

[HopeAgain]

52. No book...

Picture of my grandchildren. To stay focused on the goal.

Or maybe Where's Waldo?

[TrishaJ]

57. Yes, no book.

Perhaps hand over the heart?

[Butterflylady]

53. Harry Potter

[Quixote1818]

66. I was thinking 'The Fellowship of the Ring' might be fun because it was about

destroying evil forces that cause one to be mesmerized by power and material things. Of course it was also religious based but still kind of a nice fun message.

[Sugar Smack]

55. My Webster's Dictionary from 1971.

For me, it's the container of the English/American language as I understand and use it today.

[MineralMan]

56. No book at all is required, so no book at all.

Also, I would affirm, not swear, just as I did when enlisting in the Air Force.

[romana]

60. Darwin's Origin of the Species /nt

[maveric]

62. Catch 22

Catcher in the Rye

[sarisataka]

63. No question at all-

It would be One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

[Quixote1818]

69. I kind of think 'Oh the places you go' is a stronger work

You know, but the One Fish Two Fish book has some good points.

[Blue_true]

64. The Constitution.

Not a perfect document, but it is far more perfect than any other alternative that comes to mind. Another choice for me would be Steinbeck' "The Pearl", reading that book and thinking about it'd message shaped my life, I learned that some things that seem valuable truly are not, while other things that we often take for granted truly are valuable.

[jmowreader]

65. Trump's choice of book proves there's no god

Trump put his hand on a Bible on 1-20-17. If there was a god, he would have had third-degree burns on his left hand.

[The Truth Is Here]

70. Transmetropolitan

Look it up.

[Spider Jerusalem]

80. Trump is the mutant offspring of the Beast and the Smiler (n/t)

[JackInGreen]

86. And needs something worse than

"Prolapse" on the dial...

[Efilroft Sul]

71. "A People's History of the United States," by Howard Zinn.

Can't answer this question or explain my politics any better.

[NurseJackie]

72. "Jaws" by Peter Benchley

[SKKY]

74. As a Christain, it would be the Bible...

...but I have zero issues with someone swearing on the Book of Mormon, The Quran, or whichever text is pertinent to their faith. If someone is an atheist, then I think the constitution is an excellent replacement.

[KentuckyWoman]

91. In actuality Jesus specifically states not to make an oath in the name of God.

“I say to you, ‘Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King’” (vv. 34–35).

- Matthew 5:33–37

[violetpastille]

92. Congresspeople are sworn in on the Constitution. But afterward for the photo op

(the part the public gets to see) you can swear on book.

Krysten Sinema picked out a law book for instance.

[Ghost of Tom Joad]

75. The Hero With a Thousand Faces

or The Power of Myth both by Joseph Campbell.

[Buckeyeblue]

76. Nothing!

[TheBlackAdder]

77. Uncle John's Bathroom Reader - What better when your pinching loaves.

[Jarqui]

78. Profiles in Courage or Audacity of Hope

[Spider Jerusalem]

79. Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" (n/t)

[obnoxiousdrunk]

81. Das Kapital.

[vlyons]

82. a book by the Dalai Lama

Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Wholw World

[AlexSFCA]

84. Constitution of course

surprised some are allowed to swear on anything less than.

[gibraltar72]

87. Rod & Custom.

[PoliticAverse]

88. The Principia Discordia.

Hail Eris!

[jpak]

89. Silas Marner

No

Just kidding...

[lame54]

93. If Pence was swearing me in it would be...

A Hustler stacked on top of a Penthouse

[Raine]

94. A bible

I'm not especially religious but it's a book with lots of wisdom in it..

[Recursion]

95. The Voynich Manuscript

Just to give the tinfoil hat brigade something to talk about

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

96. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

And the Oath of Office should be read as Vogon Poetry.

Whatever the size of the inaugural crowd, by the time the oath is read, there will be maybe three people still standing. The rest will have fallen asleep or wandered off in search of pancakes.