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Friday, March 27, 2009 The National Service Threat By Paul Hsieh @ 12:01 AM The March 26, 2009 Washington Examiner has published a good OpEd on the threatened expansion of the Americorps "National Service" program. Although this issue has received less press than the various bailout-related issues, it could be equally important to the future of America. Here's an excerpt from the Examiner piece (bold emphasis is mine): "Expanded Americorps Has An Authoritarian Feel" ...To begin with, the legislation threatens the voluntary nature of Americorps by calling for consideration of "a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people." It anticipates the possibility of requiring "all individuals in the United States" to perform such service -- including elementary school students. The bill also summons up unsettling memories of World War II-era paramilitary groups by saying the new program should "combine the best practices of civilian service with the best aspects of military service," while establishing "campuses" that serve as "operational headquarters," complete with "superintendents" and "uniforms" for all participants. It allows for the elimination of all age restrictions in order to involve Americans at all stages of life. And it calls for creation of "a permanent cadre" in a "National Community Civilian Corps." But that's not all. The bill also calls for "youth engagement zones" in which "service learning" is "a mandatory part of the curriculum in all of the secondary schools served by the local educational agency." This updated form of voluntary community service is also to be "integrated into the science, technology, engineering and mathematics curricula" at all levels of schooling. Sounds like a government curriculum for government approved "service learning," which is nothing less than indoctrination. Now, ask yourself if congressmen who voted for this monstrosity had a clue what they were voting for. If not, they're guilty of dereliction of duty. If yes, the implications are truly frightening. (Read the whole thing.) This bill has already passed the House and being considered by the Senate. The Senate recently voted 74-14 to move the bill onto the floor (i.e., to not filibuster the bill). Hence, it has support from numerous Republicans and Democrats. If you're alarmed and outraged by this idea, then you can do the following: 1) Forward the Examiner piece to friends, family, co-workers, etc. 2) Tell your US Senator to vote against the bill. The Senate version is called S.277. To contact your Senators to tell them to oppose S.277, click here. You don't have to write anything long or super-eloquent. It's more important that your e-mail subject line be something unambiguous like "Oppose S.277", so their staff aides know how to tally your e-mail. For instance, I dashed off the following short note to my Senators: Please oppose S.277. It moves us dangerously close to mandatory national service, something which is un-American and a violation of individual rights. Of course if you are so inclined, you can write something longer. Here's what Diana sent: As your constituent, I wish to express my opposition to any expansion of AmeriCorps and other "service" programs. Such programs are not just costly and ineffective. They also violate the property rights of taxpayers to dispose of their own hard-earned income in accordance with their own choices and values. Personally, I strongly object to any attempts to use the power of the government to promote the moral ideal of selfless service to the community -- as AmeriCorps does. That ideal does not represent my values: I reject that moral ideal as destructive to human life and happiness. Yet I am forced to pay for this government program. That is morally wrong. A person has every right to donate his own money to the charity of his choice. A person has every right to volunteer or work for the charity of his choice, if the charity is amenable. I do both -- routinely -- for causes that I care about. However, a person has no right to dispose of another person's money to fund his charitable work. That's theft, plain and simple. AmeriCorps should be dismantled, not expanded. The Senate will be voting soon on this. Hence if you wish to speak out on this issue, the time is now! Update: The Senate has just passed its version of the bill by a margin of 78-20. They still have to reconcile their version with the one passed by the House of Representatives before they can submit it to President Obama (who has promised to sign it). Labels: Activism, Government Share |    E-mail Paul Hsieh     PermaLink ()    Comments (New Page)   Subscribe to NoodleFood Blog Posts via Feed Reader   via E-mail Subscribe to NoodleCast Podcasts M4A via iTunes (MP3)   via Feed Reader   via E-mail

Comments
	Friday, March 27, 2009 at 2:21:45 mst Comment ID: #1 Name: Ken Koff E-mail: kmk818(at)ix.netcom.com The sound of jackboots in America just got much louder... Many thanks for calling this pending legislation to our attention.
	Friday, March 27, 2009 at 4:56:44 mst Comment ID: #2 Name: Michael Labeit E-mail: logician169(at)yahoo.com URL: http://unit-perspective.blogspot.com "...the best aspects of military service..." Oh really, like what? The drill instructors flipping out over the fact you responded to a command with "yes sir" instead of "aye, aye sir?" Or perhaps the 15km plus road marches with a 35+ rucksack? Or maybe its the 4:30 wakeup (in the Marine Corps the recruits only have a few seconds to stand at attention after wakeup). I have fond memories of the gas chamber at Ft. Sill - maybe the article is alluding to this as well. Military service is necessary but it largely sucks.
	Friday, March 27, 2009 at 7:04:08 mst Comment ID: #3 Name: Joe Maurone E-mail: spaceplayer2112(at)hotmail.com URL: http://superherobabylong.blogspot.com Time to shrug? If this passes...like Yaron said, "Time to fight!"
	Friday, March 27, 2009 at 7:23:36 mst Comment ID: #4 Name: Thomas E-mail: toocritter(at)gmail.com The transit agency in southeast PA has introduced what it calls 'quiet cars'. At certain hours of the day, on trains with 3+ cars, the first car (or two?) is supposed to be a 'quiet car': no loud music -- that means YOU Mr Full Volume Headphones Guy -- no loud conversations no loud cellphone jabber and so on. Yeah, people are going to count the cars before they get on the train. Right. Now why has the agency done this? Because people are complaining to THEM about all of the above instead of doing something about it themselves. What exactly are people so afraid of? Why are they unwilling to poke Mr Headphones Guy in the ribs and tell him to turn that shyte off? Is human contact with a stranger really something exotic and dangerous now? Get in MFVHPG's face and tell him to turn it off, and volunteer to turn it off FOR HIM if he requires assistance. Try it, it works! For all the same reasons behind this silly and useless cop-out in PA, I suspect that most people will go along quietly with this chattel slavery outrage. After all, it's for the children and so on. Though I hope it never gets that far, I do look forward to the heartfelt FU that will be my sole response to any 'request' for my 'involvement'.
	Friday, March 27, 2009 at 10:28:18 mst Comment ID: #5 Name: Joe Maurone E-mail: spaceplayer2112(at)hotmail.com URL: http://superherobabylong.blogspot.com Thomas, as a resident of Philadelphia, I can tell you from firsthand experience that going up to someone and asking them to turn down the radio can be downright lethal.
	Friday, March 27, 2009 at 10:53:46 mst Comment ID: #6 Name: Ryan C This is, I think, the biggest threat to freedom in America. Thanks for blogging about it, Paul. I've forwarded it in my e-mail and sent a letter to my senators.
	Friday, March 27, 2009 at 12:44:59 mst Comment ID: #7 Name: Bill K. E-mail: wbkeough(at)msn.com "It anticipates the possibility of requiring "all individuals in the United States" to perform such service..." This would be a prelude to a civil war if enacted. How in the hell do the authors of this bill expect to enforce this provision? I would resist this slavery to my last breath.
	Friday, March 27, 2009 at 13:27:56 mst Comment ID: #8 Name: Joe Maurone E-mail: spaceplayer2112(at)hotmail.com URL: http://superherobabylong.blogspot.com Another thought on Thomas's post: dealing with his concrete example, even if one is right to do so, it still behooves one to pick such battles wisely. But there is the larger issue of property rights: SEPTA is a bad example, because it is not a private company, but subsidized by the government, but if it were, it's up to the owner to enforce the rules, and a patron should follow that (barring, of course, the threat of immediate danger) or ride elsewhere. But broadly speaking, your linking the fear of speaking up to the fear of speaking out against the government: I agree with you in spirit. WHEN is enough going to be enough?
	Friday, March 27, 2009 at 14:09:29 mst Comment ID: #9 Name: Kurt E-mail: kfa110(at)gmail.com As you may know, there were numerous debates about the validity of conscription in the early days of the republic, even long before the 13th Amendment became law. Here's a speech by Daniel Webster from 1814 that makes a strong case against conscription as a violation of liberty; just imagine what he would say in response to this latest power grab. http://www.constitution.org/dwebster/conscription.htm
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