And so on and so forth. In short, my warnings (for what little they were worth) fell on deaf ears. Now, on March 20, 2009 (a mere 132 days later), I hereby present for their perusal (if they ever check this site anymore), the following (the wording of which comes straight from the bill itself, which is available, complete online, at the House of Representatives' very own web site):
House Passes Mandatory National Service Bill
"Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act" (aka the "GIVE" Act), was passed by the House of Representatives on March 18, 2009, by a 321-105 margin. It next goes to the Senate, where the senators there will almost certainly violate their oaths to protect and defend the Constitution too.
Lest anyone think that I am reading too much into that title, here is the relevant excerpt from the bill:
Section 6104. Duties. Subsection B6: In carrying out its general purpose under subsection (a), the Commission shall address and analyze the following specific topics: ... "Whether a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people could be developed, and how such a requirement could be implemented in a manner that would strengthen the social fabric of the Nation and overcome civic challenges by bringing together people from diverse economic, ethnic, and educational backgrounds.
"Part III, Section 120 b 3 B: YOUTH ENGAGEMENT ZONE PROGRAM. Service-learning is a mandatory part of the curriculum in all of the secondary schools served by the local educational agency."
The following is for anyone who might still deny that Obama would support this:
*Quote: "We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that is just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded." ••• Candidate Barack Obama, Colorado Springs, Colorado, July 2008.
*Obama's change.gov website originally stated that Americans would be "required" to complete "50 hours of community service in middle school and high school and 100 hours of community service in college every year." After large numbers of people read it and protested, Obama's staff changed the wording from "required" to "encouraged." Obviously, with the passage of the "GIVE" Act, the wording has been changed from "encouraged" back to "required" again (as realists fully expected). For more on this, read the following article in the Saint Louis Examiner of November 07, 2008: Obama's Compulsory Service Proposal Becomes Explicit.
P.S. Why is the federal government using the word "volunteerism" to describe "compulsory service"? I'd laugh at their stupidity if I didn't live in the country whose freedoms are being destroyed by those worthless losers (it's times like these that I really wish I had a foul mouth).