I am cross-posting this from Rose 4 Hillary where the focus is academic. Here the focus is military and defensive. This long video clip and the PDF file attachment include Barack Obama’s plan for an enormous National Defense Force composed of a multitude of “corps” including many that already exist.
On the surface, the terminology is not offensive, but if we question everything, then we have to wonder who this force is intended to defend against. I don’t think the answer is necessarily terrorists. The confidence with which Obama declared that he would “get” me/us to vote for him somehow hints that if I don’t, I am somehow the enemy. Here is the post:
If this doesn’t make your blood run cold, then this Halloween you truly are a zombie – a dead voter.
“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’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.”
Obama’s Blueprint for Change proposes the establishment of a Classroom Corps (p.31). I am guessing that K – 8 teachers who have had to pass a Praxis exam, 9-12 teachers who were required to follow a liberal arts curriculum, and professors with liberal arts degrees are familiar with The Cultural Revolution and the Red Guards.
It is odd to me that colleagues of mine who voice concerns about the issue of academic freedom fail to see the implication of this Classroom Corps which echoes not only the Red Guards but also the Hitler Youth who reported statements made by teachers and professors in the classroom. Have they forgotten?
The legacy of my generation in academia includes faculty evaluation, revisionist history, and multiculturalism which is marked by a refusal to admit the existence of an American culture. To me, this adds up to cathetical principles which now are espoused according to individual philosophy but can, given the implementation of this Blueprint for Change, become the required new way of thinking , teaching, and speaking in a USA transformed by Obama.
Be careful what you wish for academicians. You just may get it! And you thought you had it bad with ratemyprofessors.com. HA! You may live to regret those chili peppers.
Now the focus above is narrow and academic, but whether you are a parent or a teacher you can see the implications of this plan. Youthful members of these corps who join to pay for college are potential spies in your own house or classroom. Another issue altogether is the degree to which these corps ARE intended to be voluntary. Is the next step conscription? Will we be impressed that first day we file for social security?
This entire entry on “conscription” is noteworthy, but one item that jumped off the page for me was the origin of military slavery (in the Middle East), another was the use of conscription for subjugation.
Oh my Homegirls, we must be very, very careful! Keep your ears close to the ground if he gets elected. National service is good. VISTA, The Peace Corps, The Teachers’ Corps – these are honorable and valuable initiatives. But national service can also be subverted for nefarious purposes which are myriad. In light of our mission, Homegirls, we must guard against the guard. Even if they are our own kids and students.
Also of interest: Impressment.
