Two peas in a state worshiping pod
Posted on July 3rd, 2008 by bile Tags: Africa, Barack Obama, Fort Carson, Indonesia, John McCain, national service, New Orleans, peace corps, state worship, statism, Uncategorized, United States, warPatriotism is deeper than its symbolic expressions, than sentiments about place and kinship that move us to hold our hands over our hearts during the national anthem. It is putting the country first, before party or personal ambition, before anything.
Instead of a call to service, we were asked to go shopping. Instead of a call for shared sacrifice, we gave tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans in a time of war for the very first time in our history.
And that is why I won’t just ask for your vote as a candidate – I will ask for your service and your active citizenship when I am President of the United States.
Just as we must value and encourage military service across our society, we must honor and expand other opportunities to serve. Because the future of our nation depends on the soldier at Fort Carson, but it also depends on the teacher in East LA, the nurse in Appalachia, the after-school worker in New Orleans, the Peace Corps volunteer in Africa, and the Foreign Service officer in Indonesia.
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 efforts connected to a common purpose. People of all ages, stations, and skills will be asked to serve.
Asked? How about told. McCain’s looking to start another war or ten and likely a draft will be needed. Obama is looking to expand national services of all sorts and even if they aren’t giving me busy work they will be using their guns to make me pay for it.
One Response to “Two peas in a state worshiping pod”
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July 4th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
I’ve had discussions lately with some people about the U.S. economy and how many foreign nations are interested in keeping the it propped up because of the all the active investments they have in this country. It will be interesting to see what happens people with dumb socio-economic ideas have to butt heads with the people who have to high stakes riding on the future of this country. Even disregarding the U.N., we may not be the sovereign nation that most people think we are.