The video of his statements is posted here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt2yGzHfy7s&feature=player_embedded
The new bill specifically references the possibilities “if all individuals in the United States were expected to perform national service or were required to perform a certain amount of national service.”
Such new requirements perhaps, the legislation notes, “would strengthen the social fabric of the Nation and overcome civic challenges by bringing together people from diverse economic, ethnic, and educational backgrounds.”
No one, apparently with the exception of infants, would be excluded:
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“The means to develop awareness of national service and volunteer opportunities at a young age by creating, expanding, and promoting service options for elementary and secondary school students, through service learning or other means, and by raising awareness of existing incentives.”
According to a report by Canada Free Press, “’volunteerism’ that kept America running since the days of its founding” would be “wiped out with the stroke of a pen.”
“It becomes forced labor and like the practice of another era, presses American citizens of all ages and creeds, unknowingly into military service,” the commentary said.
“On paper, H.R. 1388 is the ‘Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act’; the more innocuous sounding ‘The Give Act,’ for short.
“The Give Act puts the finishing touches to Public Allies New Leadership for New Times, modeled after Saul Alinsky’s ‘Peoples Organizations’ and operating under Michelle Obama,” the commentary said.
“Michelle was also a pioneer in the social entrepreneur movement – leaders who create new approaches and organize to provide new solutions to social problems. Like most things Saul Alinsky, H.R. 1388 sounds noble in stating why wide-sweeping change is necessary,” the commentary said.
“H.R. 1388 goes straight to the heart of volunteerism in America, impacting everything from the lemonade stands of neighborhood children, to the residents of senior citizens homes. … The Give Act puts tow-headed school children and silver-haired seniors in the official uniform of the new State, and encompasses every walk of life in main-street America,” the commentary said. “Whether you are young or old, or firmly believe that volunteering means you are offering your time to the good of community work, you will be pressed into Obama’s National Civilian Community Corps.”
Groups of such “volunteers,” would, under the legislation, be “grouped together as appropriate in campuses for operational, support, and boarding purposes. The Corps campus for a unit shall be in a facility or central location established as the operational headquarters and boarding place for the unit. … There shall be a superintendent for each camp.”
The plan generated this concern from Resistnet.com: “This is the equivalent of brown shirts.”
Another portion of the bill talks about a “service learning” plan that will be “a mandatory part of the curriculum in all of the secondary schools served by the local educational agency.”
A forum participant noted, “I wonder what’s going to happen to those who refused to ‘volunteer.’ Maybe they will be put into a different ‘campus.’ I guess we will soon find out.”
Formal announcements about the plan suggested something far different, picking a provision far down in the 200 pages of legislation to highlight.
According to a Business Wire statement released by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the bill “would formally authorize federal support for establishing the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on America as a National Day of Service and Remembrance.”
That provision is tucked into the far reaches of the legislation, but Schumer discussed it as if it were the primary point.
“I could not be more proud to work to pass this important provision,” said Schumer. “September 11 should not only be a day for mourning – it should be a day to think about our neighbors, our community, and our country. We can take a tragic day in our nation’s history and turn it into a force for good.”
On the Albany Insanity blog, this concern was raised: “What gives the government the right to require individuals to give three years service under the guise of ‘volunteer’ service? It is not explicit exactly who is required but I think they get the bill passed and then iron out the details. It talks about uniforms and ‘camps.’ They revise the word ‘camps’ and call it ‘campus.’ There is language about Seniors and Community organizations.”
The blog noted, such work forces would be used for “pressing national and local challenges” that apparently could range from weather disasters to economic uncertainty.
At a Republican website, officials noted it authorizes funding for an Education Corps, Healthy Futures Corps, Clean Energy Corps, Veterans’ Corps and Opportunity Corps.
The bill was sponsored by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, a Democrat from New York. It was approved in the House 321-105, with mostly GOP opposition. It now goes to the Senate.
WND reported earlier on Obama’s Colorado Springs campaign speech when he sought a civilian security force as big and well-funded as the military – with a budget of hundreds of billions of dollars.
WND later reported when the official website for Obama, Change.gov, announced he would “require” all middle school through college students to participate in community service programs.
However, after a flurry of blogs protested children being drafted into Obama’s proposed youth corps, officials softened the website’s wording.
Originally, under the tab “America Serves,” Change.gov read, “President-Elect Obama will expand national service programs like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps and will create a new Classroom Corps to help teachers in under served schools, as well as a new Health Corps, Clean Energy Corps, and Veterans Corps.
“Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by developing a plan to require 50 hours of community service in middle school and high school and 100 hours of community service in college every year,” the site announced.
WND previously reported on a video of a marching squad of Obama youth.
Joseph Farah, founder and editor of WND, used his daily column first to raise the issue and then to elevate it with a call to all reporters to start asking questions.
“If we’re going to create some kind of national police force as big, powerful and well-funded as our combined U.S. military forces, isn’t this rather a big deal?” Farah wrote. “I thought Democrats generally believed the U.S. spent too much on the military. How is it possible their candidate is seeking to create some kind of massive but secret national police force that will be even bigger than the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force put together?
“Is Obama serious about creating some kind of domestic security force bigger and more expensive than that? If not, why did he say it? What did he mean?” Farah wrote.
All those college kids that voted for the “cool guy” may now be experiencing extreme buyers remorse.
And there will of course be a resistance which will be underground?
This bill certainly provides the framework for Obama to build a brown shirt force.
They can KISS MY ^&s!
This cockamamie plan sounds like a terrific way for the Democrats to lose the youth vote. Keep an eye on facebook to see how the kids react to putting careers on hold for three years so they can run around urban neighborhoods in uniforms to terrorize Republican voters.
I suggest we start with all registered sex offenders. The uniform will be horizontally-striped alternating black and white. For their protection I suggest high concrete walls surrounding the campuses, topped with razor wire, and defended from outside with guards with guns.
Once we have achieved that laudable goal, I suggest a similar treatment for those registered on Free Republic. (Maybe we differently stripe their uniforms in red, white and blue.)
The constitution? It means only what we say it means, and even conservatives agree that much of this is already constitutional.
Buck up people.
If we only represent 10% of the population. And if the rest of the idiots are willing to march off behind “uncle zero”. The your ration is 10 people. The numbers are never as large as some people think they are.
Remember, it is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.
“Wolverines!!!”
As it should be.
Better still would be to bring back the 'gun rack'. How and why did it pass away? My pick-up truck seems naked without one. I suggest every truck owner get one- even if they have to go out of state- just to make a statement.
And then, we fill them.
By today's standards, having a loaded gun rack in your truck automatically makes you an 'enemy of the state'. Think about it.
I grew up with guys who wore .44 mag on the hip and had .264 or .270 in a rack to hunt with. They didn't kill anybody. They didn't threaten anybody. They hunted and traveled quite freely.
This was the vision of America our founders had in mind- folks with arms at the ready, a willingness to use them, and very few opportunities to do so given the 'respect' each citizen would afford the other.
I can't help but think the dis-armed citizen has lead to the infringements on many personal freedoms that we live under today. That's why I'd like to bring back the rifle rack. It's a symbol who's time has come.
Tomorrow, I'll take the time to head to my favorite 'truck accessory' dealer and ask about a 'gun rack'. I've already got the pipe rack, can't wait to see the look when I ask him for a rifle rack.
Suffice to say, they're winning, but they haven't won yet- not by a long shot. A gun in plain view is either a warning or a committment to hunting. Take your pick.
It’s not just “concern” that this program is the beginning — it IS the beginning. Subsection E clearly spells this out — The “National Civilian Community Corps”... Complete with CAMP(uses), and UNIFORMS.
'Forced' Service as a way of remembrance? It will keep the protesters at bay for a day, they'll all be serving. IOW, required to perform community service the government can no longer provide.
his way at getting back at slavery?
I don’t think this path will yield them any ground. We shall see.
I gotta ask this...........what happens if they don’t volunteer? I’m serious here......have they stated what happens?