Every member of the military, every person holding a top secret clearance pledges to uphold their oaths to the United States. The oaths may be different in verbiage but they all come down to one simple premise: the person taking them pledges to act in a certain way. In Winner’s case, she pledged not to violate the trust placed in her by her employer and by the United States not to reveal top secret information without prior authorization. If the media reports are accurate, she not only violated those oaths but she did so willingly and knowingly and has admitted to doing so.I have taken, let's see, the Boy Scouts of America oath, that of the DeMolay organization, the Department of Defense's [the same taken by Winner], the diaconal and priestly ordination vows of the Episcopal Church, and those of the marriage sacrament. Not to sound like a...well, Boy Scout.., but each has meant something deep and important to me and I have violated none of them. I wouldn't even think of it. I certainly wouldn't take an oath if I intended on using it as subterfuge so that I may purposefully violate the oath at a later time.
Winner should take comfort that I'm not in charge of her eventual punishment.
This seems to indicate something that is increasingly common in our nihilistic age. Oaths, vows, promises, devotion, and the like are things to be ruefully regarded, if not ridiculed, and serve as the object of ironic commentary. As this tendency continues, it will make for an ugly world, far beyond even the common ugliness of today's society.
If you wish to see a blueprint for this, consult the history of the fall of Rome.