President-Elect Obama’s transition website “change.gov”1 has now retracted and revised the page regarding mandatory civil service for American youth. The original page at the time of my initial post stated the following:
“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,”
However after quickly receiving mass criticism all over the blogosphere the website has altered the copy to read:
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.
Yes fellow readers, the Obama Administration is already trying to cover and spin their true intent by removing the word ‘require’ and thus replacing it with a $4,000.00 Dollar bribe. Regardless, we as Americans were given a brief insight to the true nature of this statist’s definition of “CHANGE”.
Mark my words fellow readers, neither King Obama, Rahm Emanuel, nor their “Civilian National Security Force” will get their hands on our two boys, so as to indoctrinate them into the centralized state’s definition of “community service”. Teaching our boys a sense of responsibility is our job, not the nanny state’s. The federal government has already demonstrated its inability to educate the public through their state run government schools; we will not be fooled again.
Finally, let us not forget the “Obama Youth – Junior Fraternity Regiment” video that made its way around YouTube featuring a group of brainwashed students conducted at the request of a Kansas City middle-school teacher. The students march in military garb chanting “Alpha-Omega” and “Yes we can”. History has shown that such blind allegiance is both dangerous and destructive to liberty.
With the transition process from George W, Bush to Barack Obama already in high gear, liberals everywhere are filled with a tenacious hope that this moment in time is the beginning of a new era, a new dawn. If you voted for Barack Obama, then greatness is upon us, or in the very least, the need to believe that greatness is upon us is still fresh in the hearts of the Obama supporters. I cannot blame them. When people so fervently believe in something as broadly defined as ‘change’, and then put a man at the forefront of responsibility to create that ‘change’, it becomes increasingly difficult to be critical of their well-oiled, well-groomed, hypnotic leader; in much the same way that Christians are not particularly inclined to be critical of their leaders or beliefs.
Barack Obama has become a brand name, packaged and sold to the masses. There were promises made, like so many before, of a better, more efficient government that would end ‘politics as usual.’ The leading product, ‘Change,’ sold because we were told that we ‘could believe in it.’ Though, there is little doubt that the Bush Administration laid the groundwork, brick by brick, for change to become the word so desperately sought. It seems the time was never more ripe, the stars never so well aligned.
The Bush Administration led an invasion of Iraq with promises of “cake-walk” that quickly went from ridding America of the threat known as WMD’s to a war campaign based on Iraqi freedom and the deliverance of democracy to the Middle-East. And lest we forget the atrocities that followed; numerous Executive Orders, the warrant-less searches and wire-tapping (only to be feared if you’re not doing anything wrong), the private security forces of Blackwater, Walter Reed Hospital, Katrina, FEMA, Guantanamo, water-boarding, Attorney General Gonzales, and the more recent mess on Wall Street- the Bailout. ‘Tis no wonder Barack Obama is now our President-Elect.
The so-called value-voters were outnumbered this November 4th, at least as it pertains to the Presidential election, since the moral high ground seems to have gained something in all of this as the gays went from wedge issue to bargaining chip (California, Florida, Arizona, and Arkansas.)
In 2004, moral values outnumbered the Iraq war as Americans stood at the ballot box. In 2008, it was ‘the economy, stupid.’ Focus on the Family was won out by Focus on the Globe, as President Elect Obama is promising to change the world (Civilian National Security Force, anyone?) Though, I suppose it’s fair to say that every administration has changed the world in one form or another, whether it has been for better or worse is completely subjective.
Clearly, eight years under neo-conservatism was enough. But, where will we go from here? The American citizens were seeking change, and with good reason. But, is another stimulus check the only thing on the minds of a shrinking and sinking middle class? If so, then one could only conclude that the ‘hope’ that backed the 2008 election is an empty idea at best and by this time next year ‘hope’ will surely return to the apathy from whence it came. Or, are the Obama-ites truly enticed by the farce of a luscious utopia, sprouting with entitlement and more government powers, sprinkled with redistribution of wealth and the consequential loss of liberties? I’m afraid that too many believe that they can have their cake and eat it too, but one can hope that a return to apathy is just around the bend.
Editor’s Note: This article has been linked to by a white supremacist website known as the “Vanguard News Network”. We the staff of “The Smoking Argus”, wish to ensure our readers that we in no way agree or support their collectivist philosophy based on uneducated fear. The Smoking Argus believes the only criteria worthy of judging an individual is the content of their character.
It is my hope that perhaps by reading our site, members of this group will see that Tyranny calls no one group of people home; that a loss of liberty for one individual, is a loss of liberty for all. All peoples on our little blue marble have been subject to the thumb of oppressive despotism at one time or another.
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As previously reported, then Democratic Presidential candidate, Barack Obama while speaking in Colorado this past July, stated:
“We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objective that we’ve set. We’ve gotta have a “Civilian National Security Force” that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded.”
Unfortunately, President-Elect Barack Obama has yet to expound upon exactly what he means by such a statement. However, even prior to this mock election, media reports began circulating that candidate Obama had already extended an invitation to Rahm Emanuel to be his White House Chief of Staff. Representative Emanual (D-IL) having served in the Clinton Administration, is well groomed to help speed up the new King’s transition to power.
Moreover, it appears that Representative Emanuel (D-IL) who is also head of the the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, may be the best person to shed some light on the aforementioned ominous sounding statements. In “The Plan: Big Ideas for America“, co-authored by Representative Emanuel and Bruce Reed, the two lay out their vision of the “Homeland’s” new compulsory civilian service, writing:
“It’s time for a real Patriot Act that brings out the patriot in all of us. We propose universal [mandatory] civilian service for every young American. Under this plan, All Americans between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five will be asked to serve their country by going through three months of basic training, civil defense preparation and community service.”
If the arrogance alone in such sentiments bothers you not, the two “centralized planners” go on to say:
“Republicans will squeal about individual freedom,”
Such blatant disdain for individual liberty is a sentiment only of tyrants. We have seen this ruse perpetrated on us for the last eight years as it relates to the false justification for preemptive war. Let us not now be chastised away from our liberty based upon a centralized planner’s definition of patriotism. The definition of Patriotism to these scoundrels is loyalty to the power of the ’state’, their false notions of nobility, their blood soaked seats of power, not to our Republic, not to our Constitution, not to humanity’s inherent liberties.
Fellow readers, my political philosophy is far from what is espoused by the “Republicrat Party Platform”, however the thought of our children being indoctrinated into a 3 month “boot camp” and “civil disaster preparedness” reeks of statism. A search of history will turn up various reincarnations of these types of “community service” programs. Regardless of the slick glossy packaging and repackaging, the motivation and end is always the same, oppresion, tyranny, and despotism.
For those of you whom support President-Elect Obama, consider that even if he were to be pure in his intent, would you have wanted your children to have been forced to work under a Bush Presidency?
We know not what type of President we may have in the future, and this my fellow readers is why we should not allow this current President to obtain mandatory legal guardianship over our youth now or ever. The temptation of power is inevitable.
Fellow readers my disdain for the junior Senator from Illinois emanates not from any of the numerous wild emails circulating the internet nor individuals attempting to link him to radical organizations in his distant or recent past. No, my principles will not allow me to vote for Senator Obama based solely on his record, his public comments, or the complete lack thereof.
First, his stated tax plan will raise taxes, not only on those making $250,000 or more, but all Americans. The good Senator’s stated threshold for those receiving a “tax reduction” changed several times over the last week from $250,000 to $200,000 to $120,000,1 to $150,000 as of today2. Additionally, it is imperative that we understand the reality behind his plan is actually a “tax credit” not a “tax cut”. Meaning, payroll taxes, the money taken from paycheck withholding, actually might go up according to the Obama plan. Laughably Senator Obama’s plan then calls for issuing a $500.00 dollar welfare government check.3
Moreover, while it is a populist sentiment to “soak the rich” in the form of higher income and corporate taxes, raising the corporate tax rate has historically always resulted in higher costs in the form of goods sold to the consumer, lower wages paid to employees, or less business reinvestment in the industry. Thereby leaving us as the recipients of what is referred to as an “indirect tax”.4
Even more deflating is that reading over Senator Obama’s official tax plan, yields not one cut in any specific government program but instead just an endless list of goodies promised for the “average” person. (If it sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is) Again this is not a difficult concept to understand, although some would like to pretend otherwise. Spending more than you take in results in one of two things: deficit spending or increased tax rates to offset the shortfall. It should be obvious to all of us now that living on a “credit card” does not work for individuals nor government. It puts us in the perilous situation of being solely at the mercy of our creditors. Also, no matter how many times Senator Obama calls me “selfish”5 or Joe Biden tells me paying taxes is “patriotic”5 will I be convinced that less money to feed and cloth our family thus resulting in more money to Washington makes for sound fiscal policy.
Secondly, Senator Obama voted yes for H.R.6304 “FISA Amendments Act of 2008″. H.R.6304 is the warrantless wiretapping bill illegally abused by the Bush administration to gut the remnants of the 4th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Senator Obama originally stated that he would not support any legislation which included blanket immunity for complicit telecom companies and administration officials6. The bill as enacted however does in fact provide complete immunity for all telecom companies who help the government listen in to American’s phone conversations as well as administration officials. Worse, the bill abolishes the original FISA court set up in 1978 and grants the district court administrative oversight authority.
Further, Senator Obama voted to renew the USA PATRIOT act7, originally passed at the behest of the Bush administration’s fake war on Terrorism. A 342 page behemoth printed at 5:00 in the morning, read by no one in Congress, and voted into law six hours later. The USA PATRIOT act gutted many inherent and civil liberties and gave the government unprecedented “tools” to intrude into our lives all under the guise of a fake enemy.
Next, the man who promises “change” illustrated his further lack of leadership and loyalty to the Constitution when he took the wet noodle stance of “undecided”8 in regards to his support for S.1959 the “Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act” which currently resides in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, of which Senator Obama is a member. This bill defines homegrown terrorism as:
“the use, planned use, or threatened use, of force or violence by a group or individual born, raised, or based and operating primarily within the United States or any possession of the United States to intimidate or coerce the United States government, the civilian population of the United States, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives”
Further the bill goes on to define “ideologically based violence” as:
“the use, planned use, or threatened use of force or violence by a group or individual to promote the group or individual’s political, religious, or social beliefs,”
Finally in a vagueness that only government can craft, the bill loosely defines violent radicalization as:
“adopting or promoting an extremist belief system,”
The question we need to ask is, who gets to define what is an extremist belief system? The centralized Federal government of course. The same Federal government that has repeatedly abused its powers as it has become less and less restrained by the shackles of the Constitution. No government, no President, needs this sort of authority in a “free society”.
Next, his support of the “Wall Street” bailout bill, approving the use of our tax dollars to bailout the corrupt criminal financiers and bankers who created toxic mortgage security packages and lost billions on their devil’s gamble.
Finally, his belief that “we need a Civilian National Security Force” to support the military. At best it sounds like another massive expansion of government, at worst another large erosion of our liberty.
There is no doubt in my mind that Senator Obama will win tomorrow’s election coronation and there is also no doubt that there will be “Change”. However, his record leads me to believe that it will not be change to benefit the Republic or restore the Constitution.
In conclusion, my vote will also not be cast in support of either major “party” candidate who offer only the illusion of choice. Instead my vote will go to Ralph Nader as a write in, seeing how the Democrats and Republicans in Indiana have succeeded yet again in continuing their prohibition of actual opposition candidates appearing on the ballot.
Yes my vote will be a protest vote, but at least my conscience will be clear when the time comes.
