Obama website: Hey, let’s make community service compulsory for students
posted at 2:45 pm on November 7, 2008 by Allahpundit
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Intriguing. Will that be in lieu of or in addition to the three months of compulsory civil defense training Rahm Emanuel wants 18-to-25-year-olds to do?
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 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. Obama will encourage retiring Americans to serve by improving programs available for individuals over age 55, while at the same time promoting youth programs such as Youth Build and Head Start.
Presumably, the penalty for being a 20-year-old who doesn’t want to spend two hours a week picking up trash would be not graduating. The penalty for dodging Emanuel’s program, only Rahm knows. I remember this subject coming up now and again in poli sci classes and my leftish professor arguing that a peacetime draft would violate the right of privacy sketched out in cases like Roe as an infringement of one’s physical autonomy. If The One pushes ahead with this, it’ll be fun watching conservatives suddenly trying to coopt that right and liberals just as suddenly trying to narrow it. (On which side, do you suppose, will the ACLU come down?) Alternatively, you could skip the right of privacy and try a First Amendment argument: If the state can’t compel students to say the pledge of allegiance, arguably it can’t make them go clean parks, either. That case would turn on the distinction between speech and conduct; given the current composition of the Court, refuseniks would stand at least a shot of winning.
It bears noting that Maverick’s also always been famously gung ho for kids doing some form of national service — “There should be more focus on meeting national goals and on making short-term service, both civilian and military, a rite of passage for young Americans,” he wrote in the Washington Monthly(!) in 2001 — but he’s been careful, at least lately, to say that it should be volunteer-only. Exit question: Won’t a lot of conservatives, especially older ones, dig this idea? Keeps kids busy and out of trouble, teaches spoiled teens responsibility, etc.
Update: Let’s not go nuts, please.
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Yeah. So? What makes those countries better than ours? And as Jonah Goldberg notes:
You know, I find it offensive that Obama (aka Grand Master Scam) believes that Americans are somehow deficient in their voluntary service, and the idea that he is the model we should revere is frankly nauseating.
Buy Danish on November 7, 2008 at 5:38 PM
The day this Bastard inducts my kid into his RED BRIGADE will be the day I die!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TheSitRep on November 7, 2008 at 5:38 PM
The funniest part will be that obama will lose his millions of minions if they have to leave their Xboxes to do work for him for free.
Wait a minute, forcing people to work for free?
Isn’t that called slavery?
Oh the irony!! LMAO!!
ArmyAunt on November 7, 2008 at 5:43 PM
This doesn’t even make sense!! How can one be “required” to “serve”?? Isn’t that like the DRAFT!! Right BHO!! Good luck with this.
Ozark_sky on November 7, 2008 at 5:44 PM
Americans are extremely charitable people already. When compared to socialist Europe that Obama admires so much, the U.S. surpasses them in charitable giving several fold. Americans making $200,000+ (aka the “rich” according to Obama) give over 7% of their money to charity. In comparison, Brits at that income level (who are the most charitable Europeans) give about 1%. Their top 10% income-level people account for about 20% of total giving by individuals; our top 10% account for about 50%. [See my earlier post(s)].
Europeans are nice people, but when you are saddled with high taxes to pay for a nanny state big government, charity suffers.
Americans are generous people. Our philanthropy is not broken. Why insert government into it?
And, can you honestly tell me that Obama would allow the children of the 57 million people who voted against him to use their mandatory service time to work for the National Right to Life committee? the Mormon Church? the Boy Scouts? or any other conservative-leaning group?
Y-not on November 7, 2008 at 5:44 PM
Hell, sign me up for that Alaskan Independence Party if this Obamov lunatic succeeds to shred the US Constitution and replace this nation with a socialist state. I’d be on a one-way ticket to Anchorage ASAP!
Sign of the Dollar on November 7, 2008 at 5:53 PM
Compulsory service to worldly interests of questionable worth is not a “Christian value.” Christians do not begrudgingly provide minimal labors out of obligation to the state’s definition of “good works.”
On top of that, “picking up trash” or other such tasks are jobs that should be compensated with something that can feed your belly or clothe your back. To be required to labor for nothing more than validation of your education and accomplishments is serfdom, especially when your parents and neighbors already paid for that validation with their taxes.
TMK on November 7, 2008 at 5:54 PM
Detta?
*eats*
Grue in the Attic on November 7, 2008 at 5:57 PM
Nah, they’ll make everyone do it. Just like social security. A decent-sized segment of the population has no need for social security at all, but the government forces people of all income levels to receive it so that they can make us all pay into it.
Sign of the Dollar on November 7, 2008 at 5:58 PM
Hey…does anyone know how to google bomb? I think I found out how to do it but I am not sure.
I was thinking maybe we could make change.gov be the first google search result for “Stalin.”
Barack “Stalin” Obama
Glenn Jericho on November 7, 2008 at 6:12 PM
While you’re relying on Constitutional arguments, always a good strategy, remember that our Founding document and the highest law of the land does NOT say “The Feds may compel you to do anything not specifically listed as a protected right.”
We have a right to freedom, period, limited only by an obligation to refrain from initiating fraud or force against our fellow citizens except in self-defense. The Feds don’t get to force us to do anything they like simply because the Founders didn’t specifically spell out each possible scenario in which the government might try to enslave us. That idea, incidentally, is in the Constitution already.
JDPerren on November 7, 2008 at 6:12 PM
See.. they “give” you the gift of “your Tax dollars” and then they think they can tell you what to do with your lives. ..
The rest of us will be next.
Noelie on November 7, 2008 at 6:17 PM
That’s how you do it, but unless Obama writes “stalin” on that page somewhere it’ll never show up. And since that won’t happen…
lorien1973 on November 7, 2008 at 6:24 PM
I’m stunned that some of you confuse voluntary service with involuntary volunteerism, and thus confuse Christianity with Marxism.
Moreover, you must realize that the State gets to decide what gets officially sanctioned as an approved pursuit of servitude. For example, as this opponent of mandatory volunteerism tells us, In a North Carolina servitude program an Eagle Scout was denied credit for hours of community service that he had performed because that service was partially responsible for him earning him his Eagle Scout badge. These socialist ideologues cannot tolerate even the slightest smidgen of earned reward to contaminate the socialist purity of their program.
Buy Danish on November 7, 2008 at 6:26 PM
Why do we care what McCains thought is on this? The guy is now history.
He needs to hold on that he was a war hero, because he doesn’t mean a thing to many of us now.
Noelie on November 7, 2008 at 6:28 PM
The keys words there are “citizens of all ages” and “require.”
Yep,, everyone from little Joey in preschool to grandma and grandpa,, will be “required to report.”
So,, these guys are just gonna pass this law in Washington and just require us all to report somewhere each week,, or board the neighborhood cattle truck and head out to the rice fields and work the land,, or bike to the city square and build Obama statues.
JellyToast on November 7, 2008 at 6:30 PM
This just serves to advance my theory that there is not a single article of the Bill of Rights in which Obama truly believes. America’s first black president, and he even rejects the 13th Amendment! Staggering.
So the “Democrats” now have George Lakoff paraphrasing Goebbels, Rahm Emanuel in position to serve–so far as I can determine–as something similar to Ernst Rohm (yes, I know Emanuel is Jewish, but anti-semitism is not a defining characteristic of fascism. And bear in mind this Wikipedia-provided characterization of Rohm’s role: “The SA [Rohm's organization] also attacked or intimidated anyone deemed hostile to the [National Socialist German Workers Party's] programme: editors, professors, politicians, uncooperative local officials or businessmen”). And now there are plans for what sounds eerily like establishment of an Obama Youth Corp. This is getting creepier by the day.
And please, nobody start screaming “Godwin’s Law!” If it were meant to be applicable to detailed historical comparisons between events in modern governments and those of 1930’s fascist Europe, there would be no meaningful way to discuss the actual emergence of governments with genuinely fascistic qualities in modern nations. No, I don’t believe Obama is an anti-semite. Nor do I believe he intends to expand America’s empire. I do, however, find his domestic, economic, and political strategies to be, objectively speaking, fascistic. And I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he isn’t even aware of the parallels himself.
Blacklake on November 7, 2008 at 6:32 PM
All they have to do is name this Marxist act “The Voluntary Free Choice Child Preservation Anti-Discrimination Act.” and it should pass no problem. No Republican would vote against it.
JellyToast on November 7, 2008 at 6:34 PM
I would like to tell all of you about Ralph Miller of Philadephia, Pa, born during WWI and KIA on Christmas Day 1942 in north Africa while flying a mission for the 9th AAF ( before they moved to England )
From his letters, you can tell that he believed with all his heart that America was worth fighting for–and dying for, if it came to that
In 1942, he was probably right. Now, from our 2008 perspective after the election of a ruthless, worthless cohort of Thugs and Punks……….
Janos Hunyadi on November 7, 2008 at 6:43 PM
Why don’t you just say,,”In fairness, money for slavery is pretty valuable.” How about,, “Money for your liberty,, money for your property,, money for your freedom,, money for your life,, is pretty valuable!”
I am not property of Obama! My children are not property of Obama!
if you actually believe you will be paid enough for what they will take,, you are very deceived. Yes,, they have the power,, they have the means,, they do not have my obedience nor my submission!
I will not report!
JellyToast on November 7, 2008 at 6:45 PM
He didn’t pal around with Bill Ayers, Mike Klonsky, and other authoritarians for nothing.
Buy Danish on November 7, 2008 at 6:45 PM
We all may as well prepare ourselves to lose everything we have. To be made examples of and to go to jail, or worse.
I will not report.
JellyToast on November 7, 2008 at 6:47 PM
Oh, there’s no doubt he’s a dedicated Statist. I’ve a sneaking suspicion, though, that he hasn’t studied 1930’s Europe closely enough to realize that his (and the rest of his party’s) schemes to skip the overt nationalizations of socialism by replacing them heavy-handed unions and coercive federal regulations, which produce roughly the same results as overt socialism, is in fact textbook fascism.
The rest of it admittedly just normal totalitarian thuggery, as characteristic of Stalinist Russia as it was of Mussolini’s Italy. But while not exclusively so, it’s nevertheless consistent with fascism.
Blacklake on November 7, 2008 at 6:54 PM
Obama could have helped is “project” by volunteering himself during his lifetime. But so far the only thing BHO has volunteered to do was dig in our wallets. Not exactly leadership by example….
Hog Wild on November 7, 2008 at 7:08 PM
sounds so creepy…in the “old country” in eastern europe my grandmother was forced into a work camp for 2 years…she never spoke of it, but only said that Americans don’t appreciate America.
ocbrat on November 7, 2008 at 7:17 PM
To Ben Smith in the update: What part of “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” is voluntary Mr. SoSmart?
m on November 7, 2008 at 7:21 PM
Here’s your community service President Government (_|_)
- The Cat
P.S. I will not wear a blue coat!!
MirCat on November 7, 2008 at 7:21 PM
err shirt even
MirCat on November 7, 2008 at 7:22 PM
Maybe the kids where Obama lives have a lot of free time for that, but my daughter is swamped with homework and her senior project. She actually cares about her education and takes tough AP classes so that she can get into college and she has NO free time, except for Sunday.
He wants to stress out those hard working kids who give a damn about their future by requiring community service on top of the other stuff they need to do in order to get into a good college? Then add even more when they are IN college?
Jerk.
Beledibelle on November 7, 2008 at 7:32 PM
If this is put into law by the Department of
educationindoctrination then they will have a list of what charities your family supports… obviously you would encourage your kid to volunteer at a place that matters to you. This is valuable social information that can be used to target groups for more mass appeal. Think of it, if an area mostly volunteers at say, an animal shelter. The next round of advertising in the 2012 election would feature the candidate holding a puppy when they talk about energy. In other areas, maybe he is swinging a hammer at a Habitat house while talking about energy.It’s a great scheme to data mine. And it would be information that was only available to those in office.
Additionally it trivializes real volunteerism, thus discouraging it. Compulsory volunteerism will breed disingenuous volunteers and inferior community service. Remember the majority of volunteers are conservatives, not his base. So to do this discredits their gift to society. The gift of volunteering is a two-way street. But if it is just another government program, sigh, it strips it of true meaning.
Don’t ever lose sight of the purpose – to gain power & stay in power.
*keep your eye on the ball*
batterup on November 7, 2008 at 7:42 PM
They better have an exemption if one joins the military, either active duty or reserves. College ROTC programs have better compensation than his proposed national service programs. I wonder if I should just join the ROTC.
mram on November 7, 2008 at 7:55 PM
From my standpoint (first post, hi), it’s Plato versus Locke on the role of parents and society in children’s lives. I side with Locke. I’m the parent. The state has no place requiring community service from my minor children.
Looking at Obama’s entire education section, there’s salutary stuff. Problem is, it’s being posed at the federal level. That’s insane.
It begins to look to me like the Long March Through The Institutions is being taken from the universities to the primary schools now. Screw that.
rasqual on November 7, 2008 at 7:55 PM
If this is put into the bylaws of the Department of Education then they will have to track who served and where they served. Obviously, a parent would have their child “volunteer” at a place with a cause that matters to the family. This is valuable social information that can be used to refine campgaign advertising, and target groups for mass appeal. Think of it, if an area has kids that mostly volunteer at the animal shelter, the next round of ads would feature the candidate holding a puppy during the ad. In other areas, he could be swinging a hammer at a Habitat House in the ad. And people would say “look he cares about the same things I do”.
It’s a great scheme to data mine. Invaluable information to those in charge of the data.
Additionally it trivializes real volunteerism, thus discouraging it. Compulsory Volunteerism will breed disingenuous volunteers and inferior community service. Remember the majority of volunteers are conservatives – this is not his base. This plan discredits the regular volunteers gift to society, striping it of its true meaning.
Don’t ever lose sight of the purpose in any of the plans – to gain & retain power.
*keep your eye on the ball*
batterup on November 7, 2008 at 8:00 PM
Compulsory service for all the 0bama Jugend
stm58 on November 7, 2008 at 8:02 PM
I missed the part about it being enforced by Caesar.
I also think you missed the point of my post.
JohnTant on November 7, 2008 at 8:21 PM
Indentured servitude for the young. And so it begins. The authoritarian collectivists long march to totalitarianism will begin with the simple idea that individual rights are subservient to the politicians idea of what’s beneficial for the common good. Having established that principle, the rest will be just a matter of degree.
NNtrancer on November 7, 2008 at 8:28 PM
It’s time for people in this country to become re-aquainted with the concept of civil disobedience. There is no way in hell I’ll have my children forcibly conscripted into whatever do-gooder pile of indoctrination the One wants to force onto us.
Physics Geek on November 7, 2008 at 9:23 PM
I welcome our new hyperbole. After 8 years of batsh!t “Chimpy McHitlerburton” nonsense, I’m not in a huge hurry to admonish people on the right for going Godwin.
Maybe I’ll change my mind by 2010. We’ll see.
Lehosh on November 7, 2008 at 10:16 PM
It’s not Godwin to talk about historical cases of fascism while making an actual good-faith intellectual argument characterizing the subject at hand as fascistic. If doing so were out of bounds, it would be impossible to ever discuss political developments in an actual modern fascistic state.
“Godwin’s Law” is just a funny anecdote about the way internet debates tend to degenerate. It’s not an actual law, and neither is it a logical fallacy.
Blacklake on November 7, 2008 at 10:33 PM
I’m sure this has already been asked, but will the brown shirts be issued by the gubmint or will the youtz have to buy them?
TugboatPhil on November 7, 2008 at 11:23 PM
They have changed the wording:
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 Energy Corps, and Veterans Corps. Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by setting a goal that all middle school and high school students do 50 hours of community service a year and by developing a plan so that all college students who conduct 100 hours of community service receive a universal and fully refundable tax credit ensuring that the first $4,000 of their college education is completely free. Obama will encourage retiring Americans to serve by improving programs available for individuals over age 55, while at the same time promoting youth programs such as Youth Build and Head Start.
jeremyp on November 7, 2008 at 11:40 PM
Hey, you get to wear cool brown uniforms and armbands.
diogenes on November 7, 2008 at 11:47 PM
From the excerpts that I have read, it seems that Sen Obama has specifically defined the new organizations that will receive credit. They don’t include any traditional community service orgs other than Americorps. This is going to slam any currently volunteering students hard as we need to shuffle ourselves over to fill the required time. I personally spend 24 hours on call each week which means that I may work on average 4-10 hrs, but this does not include travel time, nor the fact that I am required to be at the bay for these 24 hours. This is on top of an Aero Eng. curriculum of 17 credits and attempting to get prepped for the “real world” in the next year. Adding 50 hrs/year may not sound like much, but it would be a real PITA and likely lead to a decrease in other volunteer activities on my part.
Second, This $4k will do absolutely nothing to the actual availability of most colleges. I pay over 9 times this amount (defrayed via academic scholarships & grants). My total federal contribution is the Federal Work study, which I can’t get because of the nature of the work I do at the school. This money will just come out of the pockets of either the parents or the student at a later date.
Finally, in response to
I actually need to agree with this decision unless the decision to use the Eagle Project for dual credit was cleared by the local BSA council. As an Eagle Scout, if someone came to me (for conference or board) and told me that he used his project for two honors, I would tell him that he needed to do the extra time for the school project before I would sign off on him. I believe that this is also one of the requirements of the project.
aacid on November 8, 2008 at 1:37 AM
Check out the 13th Amendment…outlaws servitude, dude Constitutional scholar Obama.
The fool doesn’t know America anyway. My great kids already volunteer for the Red Cross and a University Hospital because they want to and feel great doing it. I’m sure BO will try to add economic incentives…completely defying the spirit of why we do what we do for our communities.
gracie on November 8, 2008 at 8:14 AM
Though it would be fun to see all these Obama lovers get stuck “serving” instead of going to spring break or hiking through Europe, I think Cuba also makes their young “serve”. Yeah we’ll be like Cuba, there’s “change” for you. Maybe he can get all those soon to be out of work coal miners for his “service” army.
jerseypatriot330 on November 8, 2008 at 9:25 AM
Good morning, everyone! Wow, five pages on this thread. I don’t know if anyone will see this, but…
My school has a 100 hour community service requirement. We are a public charter school. My son actually had a great time delivering donations to the local community center. It is nice for the community because if there’s a need for a bunch of warm body volunteers, anyone can call the school and set up service hours.
I don’t like the Feds dictating these from Washington, that’s all. Like everything else, we do just fine at the local level, thank you.
bonnie_ on November 8, 2008 at 9:35 AM
I am a college student, and honors student at that. I have classes and homework that take me all day. I get up at 6:00 and go to bed at 11:30, and I only stop working to eat meals and walk to class. My friends are the same way. There is no way I, or any of my friends, could fit 100 extra hours into the school year of community service. During the summer, I’m working; there’s no time for community service in my life, I barely have enough time for what I already have to do. Why doesn’t he focus on getting people paying jobs and not volunteer ones, our unemployment rate is now 6.5%.
Wilberforce_chick on November 8, 2008 at 10:35 AM
I got my Army draft notice in 1964 after completing university and went and did what was required. Compulsory service may be necessary at times–like defending our country. However, only truly necessary jobs should be handled this way. Our current (real) volunteer military is the best I have seen yet.
The Obummer keeps coming up with DO AS I SAY–NOT DO AS I DO plans. Learn Spanish–I did, he didn’t. Serve our country–I did, he didn’t–although he takes pretty good care of himself. What a loser–who will soon be our commander (appeaser) in chief.
John Bibb
rocketman on November 8, 2008 at 10:38 AM
That is exactly how Hitler started.
HAGGS99 on November 8, 2008 at 11:48 AM
The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution prohibits slavery and involuntary servitude
Of course, if Obama wants to throw some of his spare change at us for what many of us already do at the Red Cross, in hospitals and through our churches…well then, bankrupt us a little more, why don’t you, Mr. Constitutional scholar and sociopath.
gracie on November 8, 2008 at 12:21 PM
Gracie:The question is will the Supreme copurt uphold the Constitution, and the odds are fading for that if the “sociopath” gets some near term appointments
HAGGS99 on November 8, 2008 at 12:26 PM
Being a teacher, trying to get my students to turn in their work on time is an effort in itself. Asking them to do community service? Please… I’m lauging so hard it hurts.
boingo_tx on November 8, 2008 at 12:33 PM
I wonder what you all think of the Select Service System
mycowardice on November 8, 2008 at 2:11 PM
The Obama campaign did indeed alter the original text. It seems the word “requiring” has been replaced by the phrase “setting a goal.” This doesn’t contradict the original wording (one way of achieving the goal they set could still be to require participation), but it’s clearly a backtrack.
The big question, then, is whether we were looking at an honest mistake or a Freudian slip. I wish could feel more confident it was the former.
Somebody asked what those opposed to the idea of mandatory “Obama Youth” service think about the draft. I, for one, also consider the draft a profound violation of individual rights. Also, like the Obama Youth, I consider it simply a crappy idea. The quality of service provided by those forced to participate in an endeavor can’t even begin to compete with the efforts of those who choose to participate freely.
Blacklake on November 8, 2008 at 7:13 PM
Liberals have long been of the opinion that “helping the poor” only counts when you deliver that help through the government. Otherwise, you’re just selfish.
Now they want to channel all volunteer/community service work through the government. That’s almost certainly why they set the goal so high: if your government-
required-goal service takes up all the free time you have, you won’t spend any time volunteering anywhere else where you don’t get credit.At one time, I did children’s ministries at church, spending easily 200 hours a year. I’m quite sure none of that volunteer work would count towards the government
requirementgoal.Would the government use this time to indoctrinate children? Maybe, maybe not. But at the very least, children will get used to the federal government regulating their lives.
Obviously, I see volunteering as a good thing, and think the country would be better off if more people did some degree of it. It’s too easy to grow up selfish in this country.
But I refuse to have anything to do with a policy mandating service, or trying to set the government up to certify it. I’d rather have a population that is lazy and selfish than one trained to be subservient to the government.
theregoestheneighborhood on November 8, 2008 at 10:12 PM
MAKE CIVIL BEHAVIOR COMPULSORY: Pass mandatory criminal sentences. (Just thought our discussion should B. Frank.)
Dr. Charles G. Waugh on November 8, 2008 at 10:23 PM
So the Democrats really do support a draft and this time there will be no exemptions. Who’d have thought it. I wonder if even they have?
Fred 2 on November 8, 2008 at 11:14 PM
The keys words there are “citizens of all ages” and “require.”
Yep,, everyone from little Joey in preschool to grandma and grandpa,, will be “required to report.”
So,, these guys are just gonna pass this law in Washington and just require us all to report somewhere each week,, or board the neighborhood cattle truck and head out to the rice fields and work the land,, or bike to the city square and build Obama statues.
JellyToast on November 7, 2008 at 6:30 PM
Mr. Dictator is sadly mistaken if he thinks I or my hubby will do that crap. We need to raise some hell. This is total bullsh*t. He must be still snorting coke. No wonder he is the most protective President of all times.
On Friday, the news said that College tuition has gone up. A good ways up. Some help he will give. He is a lying sack of sh*t. Glad you posted this info. Thanks.
sheebe on November 9, 2008 at 1:55 AM
They will enact the volunteering part by presidential order. If it doesn’t need money he can get away with a lot.
davod on November 9, 2008 at 8:16 AM
I remember my brother asking me last summer what i thought about having college students take a year off for community service, peace, Corp, etc. I told him that i was sure that our son. soon to be UCSB freshman would not want to do that. He laughed it off and said that eh wouldn’t have wanted to do that either…but now i know where this question came from:
Obama-scamma.
I do like the idea of teaching SPOILED ROTTEN kids to be civic minded and active, but will they be forced? I don’t think so.
Christine on November 9, 2008 at 1:02 PM
I enjoyed Jonah Goldberg’s book Liberal Fascism enormously, but I’m not looking forward to being an extra in the reality TV version…
LagunaDave on November 9, 2008 at 3:16 PM
Good idea. Those morons in our universities voted for the Fraud, so let them be compelled.
atheling on November 9, 2008 at 6:14 PM
Fairness Act=No More Freedom of Speech
Now that Obama has been elected president, Senator Schumer and his cronies can’t wait to get the Fairness Act passed. Most Americans have no clue what the Fairness Act is or what its passage would mean to our Freedom of Speech as we know it now. Under the Fairness Act, all TV and Radio Talk Shows would have to have “Fair and balanced” programming or their shows would not be allowed to air. Now on the surface this doesn’t sound sinister but when you hear Senator Schumer openly tell a reporter that the Fairness Act would eliminate people like Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingram, etc., that definitely sounds like big brother will be telling the American people who we can listen to and what we can or cannot think. Funny, Senator Schumer and his cronies never mentioned the Fairness Act in conjunction with Katie Curic, Brian Williams, Chris Mathews, or other reporters for ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, or any liberal radio talk show hosts. IChris Mathews openly admitted in an interview with Joe Dressing or Savage, that he believes it is his JOB to help Obama as much as possible through his talk show, Hardball. That was pretty evident during the campaigns when Mathews would bash John McCain and swoon over Obama. Now Chris Mathews is considering running for the senate. (Heaven help us!)
If the democrats have their way, conservatives in this country will not have a voice any longer. The next generation of kids will not know any other values except what the democratic party dictates. Freedom of Speech is what makes this country so great! Everyone’s voice should count. Having the freedom to have diverse ideas, values, and beliefs are what brought our forefathers to America and continues to bring immigrants today.
We have to spread the word about what the Fairness Act is really all about and the consequences to American Freedom of Speech if it is passed. Read up on it, tune in to Sean Hannity or go to his website and educate yourself on it. Then tell your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers about the dangers of the Fairness Act. Ask them to “pass it on” so we can prevent the Fairness Act from being passed. Write, call, and e-mail not only our Senators and Congressmen of Missouri, but also Senators and Congressmen from other states. Put the word out on other Blogs. We need to really act on this now and get a grassroots movement growing to protect our Freedom of Speech and other Freedoms given to us by our constitution and Amendments.
Please “pass it on” and keep our voices heard.
JDB677 on November 9, 2008 at 8:07 PM
Bonnie, yours is the kind of polite but firm letter we all should be writing to the Obama administration should this terrible idea come to fruition.
I see they changed the wording on the website. But just remember what their real plans are, to make it a requirement to all Americans.
Sterling Holobyte on November 10, 2008 at 10:21 AM
Amendment 13 – Slavery Abolished. Ratified 12/6/1865.
1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Is this part of a living, breathing document? Or is being a college student a crime these days?
bryan2369 on November 10, 2008 at 7:19 PM
No. My kids are NOT going to be doing community service, period. Not two hours per week or two hours per year. Not happening.
Go ahead and push it Big O. You think you had the youth vote on your side before. Wait until Big Brother/Big O forces them to do something against their will.
Are we making a big deal of this? Could he be serious? Rush said the Big O’s website has been scrubbed. With all that is going on in this country, he’s going to worry about kids picking up trash or raking leaves in a park? He needs to worry about his own backyard (D.C.) before he worries about our backyards.
How prepared are any of you to protest in D.C. if necessary? Not just this issue but any of the others that will no doubt come down the pike. I am serious. Do you have it in you to drop what you’re doing and go to Washington?
Oink on November 10, 2008 at 9:22 PM
As horrifying as it is that Obama wants to throw this amendment out the window, what should scare us more is that so many common people don’t even see his proposals for what they are. Like, for instance, my own father. With children who could well be performing such involuntary servitude. Apparently the concept of his own children being forced to do ‘community service’ from on high for a cherry-picked list of organizations somehow isn’t a frightening violation of the Constitution to him. (”the draft was involuntary servitude…”)
The thought that my own siblings could be forced into the Big 0’s program makes me alternately sick and furious.
Dark-Star on November 10, 2008 at 9:24 PM
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