Beck crops Obama to fearmonger about "crazy things" like "civilian national security force"
From the August 27th edition of Fox News' Glenn Beck:
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As Media Matters for America has repeatedly noted, Obama's comments about the necessity of a "civilian national security force" came from a July 2, 2008, speech on service, and referred to expanding the Foreign Service, AmeriCorps, and the Peace Corps.
From Obama's July 2, 2008, speech in Colorado Springs, Colo.:
Today, AmeriCorps -- our nation's network of local, state, and national service programs -- has 75,000 slots. And I know firsthand the quality of these programs. My wife, Michelle, once left her job at a law firm and at City Hall to be a founding director of an AmeriCorps program in Chicago that trains young people for careers in public service. And these programs invest Americans in their communities and their country. They tap America's greatest resource -- our citizens.
And that's why 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. Because when it comes to the challenges we face, the American people are not the problem -- they are the answer.
So we are going to send -- we're going to send more college graduates to teach and mentor our young people. We'll call on Americans to join an Energy Corps to conduct renewable energy and environmental cleanup projects in their neighborhoods all across the country. We will enlist our veterans to find jobs and support for other vets, to be there for our military families. And we're going to grow our Foreign Service, open consulates that have been shuttered, and double the size of the Peace Corps by 2011 to renew our diplomacy.
We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that 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.
We need to use technology to connect people to service. We'll expand USA Freedom Corps to create online networks where Americans can browse opportunities to volunteer. You'll be able to search by category, time commitment, and skill sets; you'll be able to rate service opportunities, build service networks, and create your own service pages to track your hours and activities. This will empower more Americans to craft their own service agenda, and make their own change from the bottom up.
Civilian Defense Force: We need civilians to travel throughout the world, and be good ambassadors for their country, engaging local populations in valuable tasks such as securing drinking water, renewable energy, building clinics and hospitals, sustainable agricultural practices, and also for outreach to hard hit communities right here in America such as New Orleans.
Who Are We Fighting: It's not so much as 'who' as a 'what'. President Obama is suggesting this group of civilians, because he knows it is the most effective way to repair the damage done worldwide to the U.S.A.'s reputation by the previous administration. This is not something the military can fix, though they do of course have things they excel at.
Threatening Us: We are currently the -most- threatened by conservative misinformation on health coverage reform, but you probably will not believe this. I'll go a bit further, and point out that, for the first time in eight years, the U.S. State Department is cognizant of the fact that there are more possible responses to disagreements with other countries than military force. We will need civilians to engage these other countries, building bridges to open dialogs to hopefully resolve more future conflicts with less bloodshed.
Tips on Muslims: No, the government does not want or expect this. They have the entire nation, and a good portion of the rest of the world currently under surveillance. As much as I wish this were not the case, it looks like one area where Mr. Obama and Mr. Bush are not as different as I had hoped.
I realize that your personal philosophy tends towards "Get a bigger hammer", so I hope this has helped. Please feel free to direct future questions right here, http://mediamatters.org, and I'll do my best to help you grapple with the complex issues involved.
FactCheck.org:
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Are you saying Factcheck.org is the ultimate authority on facts? They probably have their biases just like any other supposedly authoritative fact-checking site.
Maybe Glenn Beck's "crack research staff" doesn't trust that site. Just because you trust the site doesn't mean everyone else has to.
Why do we need redundancy in social programs already in place? Why do corrupt Union Bosses and 'Community Leader' need BILLIONS in funds to mobilize the 'youth'. I suspect it is to line their own pockets and increase their own power as they have since unions began at the turn of the last century. Ever heard the expression Union Thugs. That's not a new term. It came about many years ago when the 'Bosses' enlisted their 'Enforcers' to coerce the rank and file into submission. Members are forced to pay dues or lose their job, they are forced to contribute to PACs they don't support and if they refuse, they are threatened by the 'thugs'. ACORN is being criminally investigated in 15 states and the SEIU is housed under ACORN. AmeriCorp wants to bring these two corrupt organizations under their wing!
Getting the picture yet?
Maybe you've heard the saying; 'Charity begins at home'. It should not be legislated!