So let's pretend that you believe that serving your country is a noble, or even, self-less act. Further, let's suppose that you believe that those who serve their nation, rather than embarking on a career, should be given a living allowance (and since this is only pretend, let's say it's at the federal poverty level) during their service time. And finally, after these people (usually young, always idealistic), have finished their contracted time in national service, you believe that they should get the opportunity to advance their education. Would that be a partisan position? Would that be liberal or conservative? Or would it just be an American position?
Apparently, the members of South Carolina's Republican Congressional delegation believe that encouraging patriotic Americans to serve America is some kind of liber-al, fag-wing Commie-crat lifestyle choice. I draw that conclusion because today, when they had a risk-free opportunity to show that they love America and want to encourage patriotic national service, they all voted against it.
Fortunately, 76 Republican members of Congress still believe that serving America is good. They joined the 245 Democrats to pass the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act, the most significant overhaul and expansion of national service programs in 16 years. These leaders, acting like leaders, were responding to President Barack Obama's call to increase national service opportunities. The bill goes to the Senate next, and there are enough votes to pass it.
Who wants to bet that two of them won't be from South Carolina?
3 comments:
Serving America is fine, but you have to admit that the Service Nation logo is a big red star over yellow, Communist colors and symbol.
http://www.bethechangeinc.org/servicenation
So maybe they're not so far off.
Anonymous, Ummm... stars are a Communist symbol? Is it when you only have one, or do 50 stars mean fifty times as Communist? And is the color red evil only in stars, or is it Commie when the stripes are red, too? [And if you look at their site, what you see is the gold-lettered word "Service" with a 1/4 inch red star at the bottom of the V, directly above a large American flag, and on the right, a poster of a young woman designed to look like a modern (ie: tattooed) version of WWII's Rosie the Riveter... the symbolism leans far more heavily towards American volunteerism during WWII than towards the flag of Vietnam, which most young people probably wouldn't recognize anyway.]
I hate to break it to you, but first, Karl Marx plagiarized his Communism, from a book called "Acts". Try reading Chapter 3, verses 32 - 37 aloud sometime.
And second, as has been amply demonstrated everywhere it has been tried, Communism is the single best possible system of human governance, but only providing (as in Acts) that it is Christ-centered. Leave out the "Christ" part, and, well... I have had parishioners who out-lived the Commie Soviet Union (which in any case spent most of its 80 or so years as a non-Communist dictatorship with a Communist PR man). China´s Communism quickly shifted to personality-centered dictatorship, then reverted to American-style Capitalism, but with little "I'm really Communist! Really!" labels here and there. North Korea never really tried Communism, going directly to the personality-centered dictatorship (but they bought a bunch of China's 'We're Communists!' labels, at discount). Cuba did pretty much the same, only they bought their labels from the USSR before that shop went bankrupt.
You really need to find a new 'fearsome enemy', since non-Christian Communism has clearly failed in the 'fearsome' category.
And take a look at that reading from Acts again. I have no reason to believe that the young people who are willing to devote a few years of their lives to serving others at minimum wage or less are actually practicing Christians* any more than they are Communists (remember, they grew up watching Communism self-destruct), but they do seem to match up with Jesus Christ's description of who will be saved at the Last Judgement (see St. Matthew 25: 31-46) far better than a lot of folk who call themselves Christian (and I'd be willing to take Jesus' word regarding the criteria for Salvation, given who's scheduled to be on the Bench come Judgement...).
*I was by no means a Christian when I joined the Peace Corps, lo these many, many years ago... but it was in the Peace Corps that this nice Jewish boy was converted to the Faith. Here in Portugal, they say Deus escreva direita com linhas tortas, or 'God writes straight with crooked lines'. Who knows how God may move the open hearts of some of these volunteers?
Dear Anon,
Have you eve noticed that the Christian cross is the same symbol as the ancient Chaldean TAU? http://www.piney.com/His56.html
And have you ever noticed that the Washington Monument is a pagan obelisk?
http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Illuminati/dc.htm
By the way, I have removed all the stars from my flag. No Commies allowed around here.
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