Obama's remarks were in a speech, the subject of which was service and volunteerism...here's the part where he discusses his "civilian national security force" in context with the preceding and subsequent paragraphs:
"Today, AmeriCorps, our nation's network of local, state and national service programs, has 75,000 slots. Now, I know firsthand the quality of these programs. My wife, Michelle, once left her job at a law firm and at city hall to be a founding director of an AmeriCorps program in Chicago that trains young people for careers in public service.
And these programs invest Americans in their communities and their country. They tap America's greatest resource, our citizens. And that's why as president I will expand AmeriCorps to 250,000 slots... and make that increased service a vehicle to meet national goals, like providing health care and education, saving our planet and restoring our standing in the world, so that citizens see their effort connected to a common purpose.
People of all ages, stations and skills will be asked to serve. Because when it comes to the challenges we face, the American people are not the problem -- they are the answer.
So we are going to send more college graduates to teach and mentor our young people. We'll call on Americans to join an energy corps, to conduct renewable energy and environmental clean-up projects in their neighborhoods all across the country.
We will enlist our veterans to find jobs and support for other vets, and to be there for our military families.
And we're going to grow our Foreign Service, open consulates that have been shuttered and double the size of the Peace Corps by 2011 to renew our diplomacy. We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.
We need to use technology to connect people to service. We'll expand USA Freedom Corps to create online networks where American can browse opportunities to volunteer. You'll be able to search by category, time commitment and skill sets. You'll be able to rate service opportunities, build service networks, and create your own service pages to track your hours and activities.
This will empower more Americans to craft their own service agenda and make their own change from the bottom up."
As with all Obama proposals it's typically vague and ambiguous, so the true composition, organization and mission of this *force* is anybody's guess as of now. To be honest, in the context of the speech, my first impression was something along the lines of the Civilian Defense Corps in WWII and the Cold War, or something along the lines of what Wilson did with the American Legion in WWI...used them as an auxiliary police force, "strike busters," and political enforcement apparatus. It may very well end up being what you describe; I just didn't see it that way in the context of the whole speech.
“we’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded as the military.”
that seems to go beyond any idea of volunteerism. it seems to suggest an organization that’s well organized and not just some loose conglomeration of patriotic, community-minded individuals who want to help their fellow citizens.
“...like providing health care and education, saving our planet, and restoring our standing in the world, so that citizens see their efforts connected to a common purpose...”
nebulous nonsense. has all the earmarks of indoctrination and coerced effort.
the game is afoot watson.
IMHO