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USSR, 1959: I am a "young pioneer" in school. History classes remind us that there is a higher authority than their parents and teachers: the leaders of the Communist Party. The story of young pioneer Pavlik Morozov is required reading. Pavlik reported his father to the secret police for disobeying government regulations. His life exemplified the duty of all good Soviet citizens to serve their government. From the first year in school, all of us are made aware of our ethnicity (ethnic Russian, Jewish, Asian, etc.) and class (proletariat, intelligentsia), around which society is structured. This inherent divisiveness makes it...

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USSR, 1959: I am a "young pioneer" in school. History classes remind us that there is a higher authority than their parents and teachers: the leaders of the Communist Party. The story of young pioneer Pavlik Morozov is required reading. Pavlik reported his father to the secret police for disobeying government regulations. His life exemplified the duty of all good Soviet citizens to serve their government. From the first year in school, all of us are made aware of our ethnicity (ethnic Russian, Jewish, Asian, etc.) and class (proletariat, intelligentsia), around which society is structured. This inherent divisiveness makes it...

Former Secret Service agent opens window into private lives of presidents October 14th, 2009 Jamie Weinstein In his In the President’s Secret Service: Behind the Scenes with Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents they Protect, journalist Ronald Kessler gives us a peek inside the intimate lives of our presidents. Through interviews with over 100 secret service agents from the past and present—dating all the way back to John F. Kennedy—Kessler paints a picture of what our presidents are like when no one is looking. They're always watching. We learn from the agents Kessler interviews that John F....

“From Selfish Ambition to Humble Service” (Mark 9:30-37; James 3:13 – 4:10)In this long green season of the church year, the so-called non-festival half of the year, the Epistle reading is not chosen to fit the theme of the Holy Gospel, as it is in the festival half of the year. Instead, it’s just a straight reading-through of a particular epistle, and any correlation between the Epistle and Gospel is merely a coincidence. Well, we have such a coincidence today. The Epistle reading from James and the Gospel reading from Mark do have a common theme. It’s the theme of...

"Now the college utilizes resources from the Bonner Center for Civic and Community Engagement to make the effort as efficient as possible. The Bonner Center student scholars are charged with organizing the 1,000-plus freshmen into service areas, and then coordinating yearlong activities from which students can meet their requirements."

While the Obama administration and its Democratic allies in Congress press to allow private-sector workers to unionize by signing authorization cards instead of voting by secret ballot, the government's legal-aid program for the poor has declared the so-called "card check" strategy "unreliable" and rejected an effort by some of its own workers to organize that way. The Legal Services Corp., a congressionally chartered, taxpayer-funded entity, even hired a law firm to rebuff the efforts of workers in its oversight offices to gain union representation by the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), forcing the workers to conduct a...

I’ve been reading about the planned Sept. 11 National Day of Service. I certainly do not have an issue with service, but if my memory serves right – and it does today – we already have a national day of service… Martin Luther King Day. There has been a bit of a kerfuffle about Democrats selecting Sept. 11 as a national day of service. The event – with more at Serve.gov – been discussed over at Hot Air, Atlas Shrugs and Gateway Pundit, but I’m wondering what this development means for the Martin Luther King national day of volunteer service?

CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti, July 28, 2009 – Richard Nixon became the 37th president of the United States, gas cost 35 cents per gallon, the New York Mets won the World Series in five games over the Baltimore Orioles, and Catharine Zeta-Jones, Brett Favre, Renee Zellweger and Jennifer Aniston were born. The year was 1969. Army Brig. Gen. Chris Leins, Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa deputy commander, presents Army Sgt. Maj. Samuel Stoner with the Legion of Merit Medal for exceptionally meritorious service during his 40-year career of service, July 21, 2009. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd...

We’ve all seen it. In our schools, our children’s schools, public meetings, television shows, leadership seminars, political speeches, and even in legislation supported by the President, the message is clear: we should all be doing community service. The fact is that the call to service is greater now than at any time in our country’s past, and the pressure to provide it even greater. The pressure to conform to the growing demand to volunteer your self, in body and bankbook, can be daunting. When confronted with a group of peers, all telling you how much you are needed, it can...

( cue eerie music)I live about a mile from our former President George Bush. Ever since he moved into the "neighborhood" car alarm remotes in my complex and around the area randomly stop working. Luckily I don't have an alarm that cuts the engine. I have to drive with the alarm blaring another mile just to use the remote to kill the alarm. At 6 in the morning it's not uncommon now to hear car alarms go off all over the place as people try to start their cars. My roommate started to have the same problem also. I've seen...

I'm tired of seeing this damn commercial, and it's on all the time. Obama's face and voice are everywhere, and why would anyone "volunteer" through the federal government anyway?

President Obama is distancing himself from the National Day of Prayer by nixing a formal early morning service and not attending a large Catholic prayer breakfast the following morning.

By ANN SANNER, Associated Press Writer Ann Sanner, Associated Press Writer – 6 mins ago WASHINGTON – Calling on Americans to volunteer, President Barack Obama signed a $5.7 billion national service bill Tuesday that triples the size of the AmeriCorps service program over the next eight years and expands ways for students to earn money for college. "What this legislation does, then, is to help harness this patriotism and connect deeds to needs," said Obama, a former community organizer in Chicago. "It creates opportunities to serve for students, seniors and everyone in between," he said. "And it is just the...

Several ways to get involved in national service:

Stay on top of breaking news! Sign up for ABC 13 e-mail alerts. Your Email: Bedford, VA - The last remaining member of the World War Two "Bedford Boys" has died. The group was part of the D-Day invasion. Ray Nance passed away yesterday, at 94-years-old. He was one of 34 servicemen from the Bedford area who landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6th. Nance was second-in-command of the A-company and was also the only officer in the company who made it home. While he was alive, the veteran visited the D-Day Memorial in Bedford once a week.

Just walked up to the Tea Party in Lafayette Park, and was surprised to see that police tape was up, the park was cleared, and police were patrolling the borders.

The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill Tuesday to strengthen national service by increasing funding for thousands of volunteers. The House approved 275-149 the Senate-passed Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature. "Just one month ago, in his address to Congress, President Obama called upon Congress to pass legislation 'to encourage a renewed spirit of national service for this and future generations,'" House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. "Today, the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act is on its way to his desk to become law." Obama...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Tens of thousands of Americans, from teenagers to baby boomers, soon will get a fresh chance to lend a helping hand in a time of need after Congress voted Tuesday to expand ways for people to serve the country and each other. The House voted 275-149 for a $5.7 billion bill that takes ambitious steps on public service, including tripling the number of positions in the Clinton-era AmeriCorps program, its largest expansion since the agency's creation in 1993, and establishing a fund to help nonprofit organizations recruit and manage more volunteers. Congress was sending the bill to...

I came across a video that left me shaking with fear and outrage: If this footage doesn't disturb you to your very core, I don't even know what to say. We have here a militarized group of young men being steeped in not only political ideology, but in literal cult worship of Barack Obama. This was going on before the election. I still remember the video featuring a glassy-eyed girl singing, “We’re gonna spread happiness! We’re gonna spread freeeeedom! Obama’s gonna change it, Obama’s gonna lead ‘em…” The cult mindset continued into his inauguration, with a creepy "Kids' Inaugural." That...

The language about mandatory volunteerism that was "missing" from the HR1388 bill voted on yesterday in the Senate, is now showing up on this bill HR1444 http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-1444

Senators have tabled, or killed, an amendment offered by Senator David Vitter (R-LA) to the Serve America Act (S. 277 / H.R. 1388) by a vote of 53 to 43.The amendment would state that no funds within the underlying bill for various service-related programs can go to “ACORN or any of its affiliate organizations in any way.”ACORN stands for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. It’s a community organizing group for “low- and moderate-income people” according to its website.The group’s political committees generally support Democrats. You’ll recall that it came under fire in the media for alleged voter...

Interestingly enough an important amendment brought to the floor today was not in the H.R. 1388 when it passed the Senate today. The first presented by Sen Vitter (LA) wanted to insure that no money be made available to ACORN and its affiliates, on the grounds that it is a organization with possibly suspect behaviour and that including it in the bill would not be able to politicize charitable giving and activities. Saying that the bill doesn’t allow politicized does not necessarily protect the country from ACORN’s “so-called” charitable activities. ACORN has already received considerable funding from the government, for...

It is another sound good piece of legislation. H.R. 1388 has a creative title; The Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act. 321 representatives of the people voted approval for this legislation which, among many other things, strikes a blow to the rights of people to mount any protests against legislation. Listen closely, it outlaws the right to mount protests against proposed legislation.

With all the focus and attention on the TARP, the so-called “stimulus” bill, the nationalization of huge chunks of our economy and the various issues economic – lost in the weeds have been a host of destructive “programs” being developed and passed by the Obama-Democrat machine. Right now on the floor of the United States Senate is one of the most disturbing pieces of legislation I have seen in a long time. HR 1388, the “Serve America Act” is cloaked in feel-good rhetoric and supposedly noble goals, but it is nothing more than another Washington power-grab – this time targeted...

My parents taught me to read every word of any contract I signed. Obviously Congress doesn't follow that rule. Already we have Congress' frantic backlash from the AIG bonuses, which were in fact authorized by specific language buried deep in the stimulus bill that gave AIG its handout. Now we have more dynamite buried in the GIVE Act (H.R. 1388), already passed in a whirlwind by the House and being fast-tracked in the Senate. The GIVE Act reauthorizes the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973, and also includes many more new...

The Senate Finance Committee’s top two members — Democrat Max Baucus and Republican Charles E. Grassley — teamed up today to introduce legislation that would provide money to help small and medium-sized charities get training and management assistance. The legislation, introduced as an amendment to a national-service bill now being debated by the Senate, would provide $25-million over five years to a “Nonprofit Capacity Building Program” within the Corporation for National and Community Service. The amendment would “strengthen small charities around our country, especially where resources are scarce,” Senator Baucus of Montana, who chairs the finance committee, told his colleagues...

<p>House Passes Mandatory National Service Bill http://www.infowars.com/house-passes-mandatory-national-service-bill/ The House passed a bill yesterday which includes disturbing language indicating young people will be forced to undertake mandatory national service programs as fears about President Barack Obama’s promised “civilian national security force” intensify.</p>

Maybe it's just me, but I find federal legislation titled "The GIVE Act" and "The SERVE Act" downright creepy. Even more troubling: the $6 billion price tag on these bipartisan bills to expand government-funded national service efforts. Volunteerism is a wonderful thing, which is why millions of Americans do it every day without a cent of taxpayer money. But the volunteerism packages on the Hill are less about promoting effective charity than about creating make-work, permanent bureaucracies and left-wing slush funds. The House passed the "Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act" -- or the GIVE Act -- last week. The...

<p>Obama promised during the campaign to create a Socialist National Civilian Security Force similar to what they have in other Marxist regimes. Yesterday, the US House took the first step in organizing Dear Leader's dream youth service corp.</p> <p>German youth praising Hitler.</p>

Following overwhelming House passage last week, the Senate tonight voted 74 to 14 on a procedural move that essentially guarantees a major expansion of a national service corps, a cornerstone of volunteerism that dates back to the era of President Kennedy. It’s akin to a call to arms by President Obama, who has harkened back to those early days to demand giving back by those who voted for him. In fact, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the senior Democrat from Massachusetts whose battle with brain cancer has oft kept him absent from the Senate these days, appeared on the floor to...

HOT off the press! The Congressional Budget Office just released the cost estimates for S. 277 Serve America Act.(Senate’s version of HR 1388, Give Act) CBO estimates S 277 would cost over $6.1 billion dollars over the 2010-2014 period. Programs funded under National Community Service Act of 1990 (NCSA) and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (DVSA) received appropriations of $1.1 billion for fiscal year 2009, including $200 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009...otherwise known as the PORKULUS/SPENDULUS Bill that passed that NO ONE in Congress read. Just lovely. Taxpayers would fund international...

"We're looking for supporters," said DeHaven of Hoover, one of the event's organizers. "We're not looking for a fight. That will come later, when we have an army."

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, Clean...

..(snip)…Does this not raise suspicion? While we hear of the “outrage” of the people who brought us the bonus scandal, the same people are rushing to pass the GIVE Act (you give, they take): national service. Senator Reid asked that the Senate proceed to act on this bill and then immediately asked for a cloture motion. Cloture The cloture rule–Rule 22–is the only formal procedure that Senate rules provide for breaking a filibuster. A filibuster is an attempt to block or delay Senate action on a bill or other matter. Under cloture, the Senate may limit consideration of a pending...

I read a disturbing story that showed advancement of the "well funded" civilian security force that candidate Barak Obama promised, and President Obama appears to deliver. The bill is passing under the guise of "volunteer" work, but would be mandatory. The bill stipulates that middle-school children would be required 50 hours per year, high schoolers 100 hours per year, and so on through college. The program included uniforms that the children will wear. I ask, why not ad a spiffy arm band with, perhaps the Obama emblem for good measure. This program will also enlist adults on up to seniors....

WHILE YOU WERE BEING DISTRACTED BY THE AIG SHAM OUTRAGE AND YOUR OWN CLASS ENVY…. the Obamessiah administration continues on with its plans behind the scenes. As we mentioned earlier in the week, The Obamessiah is pushing to community organize all of us into his own league of Socialist Brownshirts. The House passed the “Give Act” on Wednesday. How many GOP members caved and stabbed us in the back this time, you must be asking? 70. Full list of turncoats below the fold. Only one Democrat voted against it - Robert Berry of Arkansas. Kudos to him. The rest of...

Remember this? (see video at link) Obama's vision of a domestic security force "just as strong, just as well funded as our military" ( and presumbly loyal to him personally) just got a lot closer. The House of representatives has just passed HR 1388 otherwise known as the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act. This reauthorizes through 2014 the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973, acts that originally, among other programs, funded the AmeriCorps and the National Senior Service Corps. However, it not only reauthorizes the programs, but also includes...

"The U.S. Public Service Academy will be an undergraduate institution devoted to developing civilian leaders for the public sector. Modeled on the military academies, the Academy will offer four years of tuition-free education in exchange for five years of civilian service following graduation. Its mission will be to educate, develop, and inspire civilian leaders who have the character, intellect, and experience necessary to serve the nation honorably and effectively, and who are committed to devoting their lives to public service. The initiative to build the Academy was launched by two Teach For America alumni in the wake of Hurricane Katrina,...

FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 140(Democrats in roman; Republicans in italic; Independents underlined)       H R 1388      YEA-AND-NAY      18-Mar-2009      4:39 PM      QUESTION:  On Passage      BILL TITLE: Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act Yeas Nays PRES NV Democratic 251 1   2 Republican 70 104   4 Independent         TOTALS 321 105   6 ---- YEAS    321 --- AbercrombieAckermanAdler (NJ)AltmireAndrewsArcuriAustriaBacaBachusBairdBaldwinBarrowBeanBecerraBerkleyBermanBiggertBilbrayBilirakisBishop (GA)Bishop (NY)BlumenauerBoccieriBono MackBorenBoswellBoucherBoydBrady (PA)Braley (IA)BrightBrown, CorrineBrown-Waite, GinnyBuchananButterfieldCalvertCampCaoCapitoCappsCapuanoCardozaCarnahanCarneyCarson (IN)CassidyCastleCastor (FL)ChandlerChildersClarkeClayCleaverClyburnCohenColeConnolly (VA)ConyersCooperCostaCostelloCourtneyCrenshawCrowleyCuellarCummingsDahlkemperDavis (AL)Davis (CA)Davis (IL)Davis (TN)DeFazioDeGetteDelahuntDeLauroDentDiaz-Balart, L.Diaz-Balart, M.DicksDingellDoggettDonnelly (IN)DoyleDriehausEdwards (MD)Edwards (TX)EhlersEllisonEllsworthEmersonEngelEshooEtheridgeFarrFattahFilnerFortenberryFosterFrank (MA)FrelinghuysenFudgeGalleglyGerlachGiffordsGonzalezGordon (TN)Grayson Green, AlGreen, GeneGriffithGrijalvaGuthrieGutierrezHall (NY)HalvorsonHareHarmanHastings (FL)HeinrichHellerHerseth SandlinHigginsHillHimesHinojosaHironoHodesHoldenHoltHondaHoyerInsleeIsraelJackson (IL)Jackson-Lee (TX)Johnson (GA)Johnson (IL)Johnson, E. B.KagenKanjorskiKapturKennedyKildeeKilpatrick (MI)KilroyKindKing (NY)KirkKirkpatrick (AZ)KissellKlein (FL)KosmasKratovilKucinichLanceLangevinLarsen (WA)Larson (CT)LathamLaTouretteLee (CA)Lee (NY)LevinLewis (CA)Lewis (GA)LipinskiLoBiondoLoebsackLofgren, ZoeLoweyLucasLujánLynchMaffeiMaloneyMarkey (CO)Markey...

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2009. Anticipated Floor Schedule On Wednesday, the House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for legislative business. Last votes expected: Afternoon..(snip) H.R. 1388 - GIVE, (Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act (Structured Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. McCarthy (NY) / Education and Labor Committee) The rule provides for ONE HOUR of general debate and makes in order the following amendments:

what is this????????????? passed as an admenment on HR 1388 .

FULL TITLE OF THREAD H.Amdt 49 to H.R. 1388 Prohibits Organizations From Influencing... Legislation, Protesting or Petitioning. SEC. 1304. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES AND INELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS. Section 125 (42 U.S.C. 12575) is amended to read as follows: `SEC. 125. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES AND INELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS. `(a) Prohibited Activities- A participant in an approved national service position under this subtitle may not engage in the following activities: `(1) Attempting to influence legislation. `(2) Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes. `(3) Assisting, promoting, or deterring union organizing. `(4) Impairing existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements. `(5) Engaging in partisan political...

They have taken a pledge of loyalty to Obama, and they say they are coming your way tomorrow for yours. Organizing for America, the Obama-for-President campaign morphed into Obama-for-Maximum-Leader army, will hit the streets for their "Pledge Project Canvass," knocking on doors and accosting folks in parking lots and sidewalks to ask them to sign a pledge to support Obama's policies for health care, energy and education reform. Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee, is variously described in the media as [President Obama's] "own version of a lobbying firm", "a parallel organization to the Democratic National Committee" and...

As HR1388,GIVE Act is on its way to the Senate as many of you know. It will be called S.277, the Kennedy/Hatch Serve America Act. It is on its way to the Senate. Tonight Obama did a TELEVISION commercial about “STEPPING UP” to serve. It sounded like HE WAS RECITING A 30-SECOND POEM and at the end of the commercial he advertised this website. Check it out. I was at my computer listening to Greta on FoxNews in the background as I worked on my computer so I didn’t see it but I heard it. Did anyone see it?...

A day ago, at the dedication ceremony of the National Defense University's Abraham Lincoln Hall, President Obama expressed a renewed need for a civilian national security force (MP3, 74:00 mark; DOD press release, transcript): America must balance and integrate all elements of our national power. We can not continue to push the burden onto our military alone, or leave dormant any aspect of the arsenal of American capability. That's why my administration is committed to renewing diplomacy as a tool of American power and developing our civilian national security capabilities."Our civilian national security capabilities?"

Summary,3.18.09 HR1388, H. RES. 250, VETERANS AMENDMENTS, Hunter, Hill, and Teague 1:52 P.M. - DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 250, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with ten minutes of debate on the Hunter of California amendment. Amendment offered by Mr. Hunter. Amendment numbered 3 printed in House Report 110-39 to remove veteran's educational benefits from being taken into account when calculating the maximum award an individual could receive for participating in one of the national service programs. On agreeing to the Hill amendment Agreed to by voice vote. Who were the 39 people who voted against...

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. The legislation also refers to "uniforms" that would be worn by the "volunteers" and the "need" for a "public service academy, a 4-year institution" to "focus on training" future "public sector leaders." The training, apparently, would occur at "campuses."

There is no higher religion than human service. To work for the common good is the greatest creed. – Woodrow Wilson (and his worship of the STATE) Way back when, during the campaign, Obama made the declaration that America needs a national civilian security force, that is “just as strong and just as well funded as the military.“ Well, folks, here it comes. 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.

A bill tripling the size of the AmeriCorps program that is scheduled for a House vote Wednesday would also create fellowships for people 55 and older and a separate Summer of Service program for middle and high school student volunteers.... Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., have introduced a similar measure that also adds 175,000 positions to AmeriCorps. A Senate committee is scheduled to vote on its legislation on Wednesday and it could come before the full Senate for a vote as early as next week.