Is Treason Now Just a Punch Line?

National Betrayal Can Be a Joke at the Oscars or the Plot of a Bestseller, But That’s Because We’re Living in a Golden Age of American Loyalty

When I was hired last year by Arizona State University, I faced the customary blizzard of new employee paperwork. You know the drill—those forms that ask you to select your health insurance plan, seek the details on where to deposit your paycheck, and invite you to “solemnly” swear to support the Constitution of the United States and of the state, bear them “true faith and allegiance” and defend them against enemies, foreign and domestic.

OK, so the loyalty oath was a new one for me.

I signed it with gusto, even though—just …