Free Republic

OBAMA WATCH CENTRAL House adopts plan for 'volunteer' corps Also requires new evaluation of 'mandatory' service for all -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: March 19, 2009 4:58 pm Eastern By Bob Unruh © 2009 WorldNetDaily The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a plan to set up a new "volunteer corps" and consider whether "a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people" should be developed.

Contained in the Bill: Title VI - Sec. 1604. Duties. (5) The effect on the Nation, on those who serve, and on the families of those who serve, if all individuals in the United States were expected to perform national service or were required to perform a certain amount of national service. (6) Whether a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people could be developed, and how such a requirement could be implemented in a manner that would strengthen the social fabric of the Nation and overcome civic challenges by bringing together people from diverse...

WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives passed a measure Wednesday that supporters are calling the most sweeping reform of nationally-backed volunteer programs since AmeriCorps. But some opponents are strongly criticizing the legislation, calling it expensive indoctrination and forced advocacy. The Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act, known as the GIVE Act -- sponsored by Reps. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y, and George Miller, D-Calif. -- was approved by a 321-105 vote and now goes to the Senate.

“H.R. 1388 would amend and reauthorize programs established under the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (NCSA) and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (DVSA). Assuming appropriation of the estimated amounts, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $481 million in 2010 and about $6 billion over the 2010-2014 period.Enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or receipts. H.R. 1388 contains no intergovernmental mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.H.R. 1388 contains no private-sector mandates as defined in UMRA. ESTIMATED COST TO...

Tonight, Republican Minority Whip Eric Cantor announced an update to the House Schedule for this week. H.R. 1388, The Give Act, is scheduled for Wednesday. Note: The title is “Anticipated Floor Schedule.” The Whipping Post states, “On Wednesday, the House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for legislative business. H.R. 1388 - Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. McCarthy (NY) / Education and Labor Committee)

The Barackistan credo is to seize upon every opportunity to exploit it — and find yet another way to redistribute the wealth (taxpayer wealth, that is). Next up on the agenda this week is the GIVE Act, short for the “Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act”. The ABC News headline ‘GIVE’ Act Would Give Back. Volunteer Programs Would Provide Jobs to Unemployed, Assist Those in Need says it all. In his address to Congress last month, President Barack Obama called on lawmakers to expand federally funded national service opportunities. “To encourage a renewed spirit of national service for this and...

HR 1388, will hit the House floor on Tuesday.It is called the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act (The Give Act.) The House is scheduled to Rule this week. Sponsored by Democrat Representative Carolyn McCarthy (NY), Education and Labor Committee. The objective is to reauthorize and reform the national service laws. Democrat Rep. McCarthy is sponsoring the bill with 25 co-sponsors, ALL Democrats, including Charlie Rangel. Need I say more.

Veterans Groups Protest Proposed Change In Coverage For Injuries, Conditions Related To Military ServiceArticle Date: 11 Mar 2009 - 5:00 PDT Several veterans groups "are lashing out" at the Obama administration over a policy proposal they say would "dramatically alter" how the Department of Veterans Affairs handles health insurance claims for veterans, The Hill reports. Under the policy, which is included in President Obama's fiscal year 2010 budget proposal, VA would bill health insurers for treatment of injuries and conditions sustained as a result of veterans' military service. Currently, VA covers those costs and bills health insurers only for treatment...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq, Feb. 13, 2009 – How soon after a traumatic accident would you put yourself back in the same circumstances that nearly ended your life? Army Staff Sgt. Ronald L. Cox, a California National Guardsman with the 425th Civil Affairs Battalion, returned from a 20-year retirement to join the California National Guard in 2004. He serves with a provincial reconstruction team in Iraq’s Salahuddin province. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. For one fearless jumpmaster now closing in on his fourth consecutive year serving in Iraq, the answer is “right away.” Then-Army Sgt....

Celebs letting Obama know he is not alone in his fight for what's right. The video appears on the left margin on the MSN.com web page.

Federal prosecutors last summer rejected claims that ISNA was unfairly named an unindicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land Foundation Hamas terror funding case. ISNA has admitted ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas. The Muslim Brotherhood is waging, in its own words, "a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and ‘sabotaging’ its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and Allah’s religion is made victorious over all other religions.” And the head of ISNA is going to offer a

Jeffrey Imm writes in with an AP report about the January 21 Inaugural prayer service to take place at the National Cathedral in Washington. Among those officiating will be Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). This is an outrage and should be stopped. What's ISNA? As I have written (here, for instance), the US government has identified ISNA as a Muslim Brotherhood front organization. Actually, the Muslim Brotherhood itself has identified ISNA as a Muslim Brotherhood front organization. And the Muslim Brotherhood is all about extending Islamic law globally--even in America. According to its 1991...

One week from today, on January 19th, Barack and I will join thousands of people all across the country for an extraordinary day of service. I recorded a short video to tell you more about this important effort. Please take a minute to watch it and sign up to host or attend a service event near you. Host or attend a service event Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds are committing to renew America together, one community at a time. Whatever service activity you organize or take part in -- cleaning up a park, giving blood, volunteering at a homeless...

Yesterday the American Patrol Report focused on Barack Obama's links to the Service Employee International Union (SEIU). Within hours we learned that the SEIU was intimately involved in the Gov. Blagojevich's selling of Obama's Senate seat. "Among the revelations contained in the complaint brought against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich yesterday was the description of an official with the Service Employees International Union acting as an apparent intermediary between the governor and Barack Obama's camp in discussions over Obama's http://www.americanpatrol.com/

I'm posting an email I received from a friend. I know vanities are discouraged, but I wanted to take this opportunity to join in the spirit of this email & honor those of you who have given so much to this country & to all of us...You have our unending gratitude & respect. Here is the email( I have x'd out personal info): Kate, I thought you might enjoy this corp email: From:XXX, Interim Facility Manager Sent: Monday, December 01, 2008 3:27 PM To: Everyone List - Corp Wide Subject: Flag Retirement and Armed Forces Recognition Ceremony Hello All, Tomorrow...

This Christian Home Schooling Family Says “NO!” to Obama’s Plans We have home schooled our children from the very start, now almost twenty-seven years of home school education experience are behind us. We have seven children. Four are grown, graduated, and away. Two are married and have their own children. Three remain in our house and continue to be home schooled. Our youngest is seven years old. We home school with a foundation of firm Christian and traditional family convictions and objectives. We intend for our children to mature and turn out in a certain way. We do not want...

The B-Cast: Examination of Obama’s Selective Service Registration Raises Questions 11-14-2008 11:42 pm   -  Breitbart.tv/Hot Metal Media

  No Curiosity Excited in the Mainstream Media About Obama’s Selective Service Registration Learning a Lesson from the 1990s Clintons Say what you will, Debbie Schlussel is interesting.Last week, the motor behind debbieschlussel.com posted an interesting article about the Selective Service registration of Barack Obama. Multiple screenshots–complete with letters A-H highlighting areas that raised questions–make the provocative post must-reading for anyone who has wondered about the squeaky-clean, scrubbed Obama narrative.In our opinion, Schlussel gets some things right, while other items are a bit less clear. One claim Schlussel makes that falls into the “dubious” category: Obama signed his name with...

Consider some remarkable statements from the news media and what they reveal. Washington Post's ombudsman, Deborah Howell, examined that paper's coverage and found that it tilted in Barack Obama's favor in every measurable way. At least ABC's correspondent, Linda Douglass, had the integrity to leave her day job and actually work for the Obama campaign. More revealing post-election quotes: MSNBC's pseudo-reporter/analyst Chris Matthews (removed from anchoring convention coverage due to bias), let us know recently that he considers it his "job" to help President-elect Obama "make this thing work." That drew a credulous Joe Scarborough to question if that was...

STARBUCKS promotes GOOD National Service. Step into any Starbucks this week and pick up the Free Starbucks GOOD newsletter No 010 November 13-19, 2008. GOOD NATIONAL SERVICE....What can you do for your country? Quote" As always, AMERICA, Love it or FIX IT. (I guess that little old constitution is obsolete) I asked my Barista if he knew about the compulsory civic service. I asked my Barista if he knew about service for tuition I asked my Barista if he knew about public allies at www.publicallies.org Poor guy fixed himself with a treble shot full milk late with caramel and honey...

Did President-elect Barack Hussein Obama commit a federal crime in September of this year? Or did he never actually register and, instead, did friends of his in the Chicago federal records center, which maintains the official copy of his alleged Selective Service registration commit the crime for him? ... As the retired federal agent notes: Having worked for the Federal Government for several decades, I know that the standardization of DLNs have the first two digits of the DLN representing the year of issue. That would mean that this DLN was issued in 2008. The DLN on the computer screen...

I reckon this is safe to print. It was on the internet. I would have gone with Remus for Obama. It seems like a natural fit. Remus was a black man who was always spinning the obvious. The Secret Service code names for the First Family-elect are another odd assortment of seemingly random words, all starting with the letter R. John McCain may have been a self styled Maverick, but Barack Obama's Secret Service code name is Renegade. Michelle Obama, a woman of wide interests, is Renaissance (which sounds like the beginning of a perfume campaign). Malia Obama did not...

Washington - The American public's increased uncertainty about military service, as casualties mounted from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, has for the first time in several years begun to abate. It's not exactly clear what is causing the new trend. But military experts and defense officials speculate that the decline in casualties in Iraq and an economic downturn at home mean more Americans see themselves joining the military or supporting someone who does. The changing perceptions could be crucial for the next presidency, as the nation considers expanding the military even more to meet demands around the world. President-elect...

There is a raging storm brewing over the ever changing content of the America Serves section Obama’s president elect website http://change.gov/. The short version of the story is that at the first whiff of outrage to Obama’s required service programs web pages have been changed quicker than the sheets at the Emperors Club. The programs have been described from being called a draft to slavery.

America Serves "When you choose to serve -- whether it's your nation, your community or simply your neighborhood -- you are connected to that fundamental American ideal that we want life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness not just for ourselves, but for all Americans. That's why it's called the American dream." The Obama Administration will call on Americans to serve in order to meet the nation’s challenges. President-Elect Obama will expand national service programs like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps and will create a new Classroom Corps to help teachers in underserved schools, as well as a new Health Corps,...

For president of the United States, The Dispatch endorses Republican Sen. John McCain, whose experience, service and sacrifice for his country make him more qualified to lead the nation. McCain's Democratic opponent, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, is a rousing motivational speaker, but his experience and achievements -- eight years in the Illinois Legislature and less than four in the U.S. Senate -- do not stand comparison with McCain's. A resume containing so little evidence of leadership and accomplishment leaves in question Obama's ability to handle the most responsible and difficult job in the world, especially at a time when the...

Waiters have allegedly beaten an Australian tourist to death for being "arrogant" while ordering a beer in an Indian restaurant. The Times of India and local reports said Mr Kelly's beating followed an altercation in which he displayed an "arrogant attitude". Some reports said security staff at the bar joined in the bashing.

Everything that you are about to read might be wrong. Roll Call’s annual attempt to rank the riches of Members of Congress is hampered by one fundamental flaw: It is based on the lawmakers’ financial disclosure forms, which are extraordinarily unreliable sources of information. The disclosure rules allow Members to report assets in broad categories, so there is no way to tell the difference between a $20 million investment and a $5 million investment. The top category on the Members’ forms is “over $50 million,” so it is impossible to accurately account for anything worth more than that — like...

These are serious times," said Barack Obama recently. "And they call for a serious debate about where we need to take the nation.”[5] That's true! So where does he want "to take our nation?" How does his version of "service" fit his vision of CHANGE? And what will it cost in terms of freedom, privacy, taxes, and government control? There's nothing wrong with the old voluntary, personal service to the poor and needy. For centuries, Christian missionaries have given their lives and comforts to serve God among the sick, hungry and dying people in distant parts of the world. Others...

Hackers broke into the Yahoo! e-mail account that Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin used for official business as Alaska's governor, revealing as evidence a few inconsequential personal messages she has received since John McCain selected her as his running mate. "This is a shocking invasion of the governor's privacy and a violation of law. The matter has been turned over to the appropriate authorities and we hope that anyone in possession of these e-mails will destroy them," the McCain campaign said in a statement. The Secret Service contacted The Associated Press on Wednesday and asked for copies of the...

KIRKUK, Iraq, Sept. 17, 2008 – Former members of “Sons of Iraq” citizen security groups in Iraq’s Kirkuk province took the next step in improving their communities this week as they became apprentices in the Civil Service Corps. On Sept. 14, Hawijah celebrated the start of a new CSC and the next day, two started in Dibis. "The CSCs are intended to provide the necessary training, education and skill that will allow the graduates to seek and attain good-paying jobs and to begin the hard task of rebuilding Iraq village by village, city by city," said Army Lt. Col. Kevin...

Here is the complete video of Sen. John McCain and Barack Obama answering questions about Public Service at a special Presidential Forum held last night, September 11, 2008, at Columbia University in New York City. McCain went first, followed by Obama. . . . . (see videos at link)

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq, Sept. 8, 2008 – “Well boys, should we fix the table or make skis out of it?” the father asked, glancing from the broken wooden table to his two young sons. Army Maj. Lance Hamilton, deputy staff judge advocate for the 4th Infantry Division and Multinational Division Baghdad, credits his father with the direction of service his life has taken. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jody Metzger, Multinational Division Baghdad  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. He had chosen to teach a lesson to his children instead of reprimanding them for breaking the table. Army Maj....

Why So Depressed?BY CHRIS PUPLAVAPhil Gramm, economic advisor to Presidential candidate John McCain, said last month that the U.S. consumer was in a mental recession and that the economy’s fundamentals didn’t warrant the low consumer confidence numbers. Mr. Gramm made the following comments in a Washington Times interview: McCain adviser talks of ‘mental recession’ (07/09/2008)We have sort of become a nation of whiners.You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline.We've never been more dominant; we've never had more natural advantages than we have today. We have benefited greatly (from the globalization of the...

...Obama says that as president he will “set a goal for all American middle and high school students to perform 50 hours of service a year, and for all college students to perform 100 hours of service a year.” What he doesn’t say is that he’ll make such voluntarism compulsory by attaching strings to federal education dollars. The schools will make the kids volunteer. It’s called plausible deniability. In a commencement speech at Wesleyan University, Obama advised graduates not to pursue the American dream of success, but to serve others. “You can take your diploma, walk off this stage and...

On July 20th, Julianna's (delayed) Delta flight landed in Atlanta at 7:30pm, with a connecting flight scheduled for 8:05pm. Julianna, who has muscular dystrophy, missed the connecting flight because nobody came with a wheelchair until 8:05—the same time the connecting flight took off. To make matters worse, the plane crew told Julianna she might make the flight anyway if she stopped waiting for help and got off the plane right now, so she crawled down the stairs on her own. When the wheelchair came she was "wheeled into a back room and advised" that her plane had taken off. But...

WASHINGTON, July 29, 2008 – Order 9981 on July 26, 1948, he set the end to segregation and the integration of the armed forces into motion. For the Brunson family of Fayetteville, N.C., Truman’s order paved the way for Army service to become a family tradition. Six members of the Brunson family -- retired Sgt. Maj. Albert Brunson; his sons, Lt. Col. Xavier Brunson, and Majs. LaHavie Brunson and Tavi Brunson; and his daughters-in law, Lt. Col. Kirsten Brunson and Capt. Miryam Brunson -- have made a career of Army service. Five members of the family came together last week...

Local scouts donate to Little Sioux camp The Boy Scouts of Troop 66 on Fort Leavenworth were recognized Wednesday for donating $1,074 to help rebuild the Little Sioux Scout Ranch near Little Sioux, Iowa. The ranch was nearly destroyed when a tornado touched down in the camp on June 11, leaving at least four people dead and more than 40 injured. Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, commanding general of Fort Leavenworth, congratulated the scouts on a job well done. Lt. Col. Chip Bircher said his son, Brion Bircher, wanted to help the scouts affected by the tragedy after seeing...

...The professor, Howard Gardner, hopes the seminars will encourage more students to consider public service and other careers beyond the consulting and financial jobs that he says are almost the automatic next step for so many graduates of top colleges. “Is this what a Harvard education is for?” asked Professor Gardner, who is teaching the seminars at Harvard, Amherst and Colby with colleagues. “Are Ivy League schools simply becoming selecting mechanisms for Wall Street?”

The gethuman Great Customer Service Club consists of enterprises that have been selected as having superior customer service. This week we've added the airlines that have been selected for membership in the gethuman Great Customer Service Club. Visit our blog and Share your call center stories; Share your opinions on controversial call center topics; Request New gethuman numbers; Report gethumans that no longer work; and read what other have to say..

Obama Effectively F-Bombed His Own Church with Improper Campaign Speech The Internal Revenue Service has cleared the United Church of Christ of accusations that it violated its tax exempt status by hosting Barack Obama’s “A Politics of Conscience.” The IRS’s letter to the United Church of Christ cites the same points that we did: even though Barack Obama’s “A Politics of Conscience” contained campaign-related content, the UCC did everything possible to prevent the Obama campaign from misusing its resources for electioneering. It would therefore be hardly fair to hold the United Church of Christ accountable for Barack Obama’s decision to...

[Placed in the public domain, copying and widespread circulation are encouraged] Obama’s Sword of Damocles: October Surprise Won’t Surprise UsLooming Scandal Will “Toricelli” Barack Obama After Democratic National ConventionThe Democratic Party’s superdelegates, even those who have endorsed Barack Obama, need to do some serious reconsideration between now and the convention. Should Obama become the nominee, the Democrats are likely to find themselves in the same situation as they did with Robert Toricelli (D-NJ) in 2002. As described by Wikipedia (more information at the Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A20602-2001May12), In the middle of an increasingly competitive race against Republican Doug Forrester, Torricelli decided...

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2008 – A 13-year-old patriot from New Jersey received the Defense Department’s top award for public service at a Pentagon ceremony today. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Robert T. Hastings, left, presents the certificate for the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service to Joey Rizzolo, a seventh grader from Paramus, N.J., at the Pentagon, May 6, 2008. Rizzolo was awarded the medal for his support of Americas's servicemembers and his ASY Freedom Walk contributions. Defense Department photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Molly A. Burgess  (Click...

Recent high profile bankruptcies of mainstay American retailers, such as The Sharper Image and Linens ‘n Things, as well as the proposed mergers between Blockbuster/Circuit City and Delta/Northwest, and the admissions from the nation’s leading student lenders that their business models are no longer viable, mark the beginning of a long overdue overhaul of the American economy. In short, the economy will be getting smaller and more expensive. The success of all of these seemingly disparate sectors depends, to a large extent, on the ability of Americans to continue to borrow cheaply and easily. Now that home equity extractions and...

WASHINGTON, April 17, 2008 – Since April 23, 1908, the men and women of the U.S. Army Reserve have answered the nation's call to service at home and around the globe. Next week, the reserve will mark its 100th birthday with ceremonies in and around the nation’s capital. The U.S. Army Reserve will celebrate a century of service on April 23, 2008. The reserve will mark the historic 100-year anniversary with a mass re-enlistment and rememrance ceremonies in and around Washington, DC.  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. To celebrate a century of service, the Army Reserve will hold...

4/10/2008 - HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFPN) -- MH-53 Pave Low helicopter tail number 68-10357 flew its final mission and last flight supporting special operations forces March 28 in Iraq after 38 years of service. The helicopter was the lead command and control helicopter for a mission to rescue approximately 50 American prisoners of war from the Son Tay prison camp in North Vietnam in 1970, which became a significant event for Air Force special operations. From Iraq, the MH-53 known as 357 will be transported to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, where it will...

Dear Senator Obama: Our common denomination, the United Church of Christ, has a suddenly serious legal and financial problem with the Internal Revenue Service. You, personally, are the cause of this problem. Candidly? I think you owe it to those of us who are your fellow congregants to help repair the damage that you have done. ...UNSURPRISINGLY, ALL OF THIS resulted in a complaint being filed with the IRS following your presentation. In addition to your speech and the stories featured by the UCC's own website, the complaint cites numerous media accounts describing your appearance as a campaign event. This...

In addition to widening revelations about racist and/or anti-Semitic hate speech not only from his pastor, his associates like Al Sharpton, and even bloggers at his official campaign Web site, there are very credible allegations that he misused the tax exempt resources of the United Church of Christ to promote his candidacy: a malicious and self-serving action that may put his own church’s tax-exempt status in jeopardy. The story centers on "Obama’s General Synod speech prompts IRS to investigate UCC’s tax-exempt status," which is posted at the UCC’s own Web site. [http://www.ucc.org/news/obama-speech-in-2007-prompts-1.html] The Internal Revenue Service has notified the United...

Hey, remember four years ago how we needed a vet at the top of the ticket since only people who’d seen the horrors of war could appreciate the human cost of sending men into battle? Late-breaking caveat: Having seen the horrors of war isn’t quite as valuable experience-wise as picking out White House china patterns. Would a man who endorsed Waffles in 2004 explicitly on the basis of his military service really dare try this double standard vis-a-vis, of all people, John McCain? Believe it: In the national security business, the question is, do you have — when you have...

Britain can no longer depend on being cool By Wolfgang Münchau Published: February 24 2008 19:12 | Last updated: February 24 2008 19:12 Axel Leijonhufvud, the Swedish-born economist, once made an insightful observation about inflation targeting. It worked better in practice than it did in theory, he said. I feel the same about the UK economy. Given what we have long known – about the country’s relatively low productivity growth rate and the erosion of its scientific and engineering excellence – the British economy should clearly not have performed quite as well as it did for the past 15 years....