[Peace-discuss] [Fwd: [ronpaul-207] "Compulsory universal service" for ages 18-25]

[E. Wayne Johnson]

I am not much for compulsory anything except love and respect for the 
fellow man,
and I am told that even that works only when it is voluntary.

Karen Medina wrote:
> Only military service? What if the 18-25 year olds could choose service to the poor or service to the military? 
>
> Personally, I would have them do both. Service to the poor should come first -- and it could actually start younger in high school, maybe over the summer break. Military service should wait till 18.
>
> And I would include compulsery language immersion -- I find it terribly embarrassing that so few Americans are not trained in another language.
>
> RE: remuneration
> In the Peace Corps, the pay is related to the average pay of a host-country professional working in the same town where the volunteer is stationed rather than the pay of a person in the US. That way volunteers were less likely to spend the higher-than-the-neighbors salary like filthy American tourists. Though some volunteers still managed that sort of spending. 
>
> -karen medina
>
> ---- Original message ----
>   
>> Date: Sun, 09 Nov 2008 23:25:09 -0600
>> From: "C. G. Estabrook" <galliher at uiuc.edu>  
>> Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] [Fwd: [ronpaul-207] "Compulsory universal service" for ages 18-25]  
>> To: "E. Wayne Johnson" <ewj at pigs.ag>
>> Cc: Peace-discuss List <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
>>
>> Wayne--
>>
>> Instead of opposing this, we should support it -- with improvements.
>>
>> Here's how it would work. Young people will know that between the ages of
>> eighteen and twenty-five, the nation will enlist them for three months of service.
>>
>> Such service shall be remunerated with a living wage, defined as the annual
>> amount necessary to support a family, acquire a residence, transportation, etc.
>>
>> After the initial three months, such adequately-remunerated work may be resumed
>> at any point of the citizen's choosing, and for as long as s/he may wish.
>>
>> Such service shall include military service.
>>
>> The manner in which tasks are accomplished shall be determined democratically by
>> those engaged in them.  Notably, labor may be withdrawn with no loss of pay when
>> the task violates the conscience of the worker -- by, e.g., environmental
>> destruction, military devastation, etc.
>>
>> I'm sure you can think of other improvements.  I'm also sure that we agree that
>> an anarchist society has to be a highly organized one.  (Anarchism doesn't mean
>> no rules -- just no rulers.)
>>
>> Regards, CGE
>>
>>
>>
>> E. Wayne Johnson wrote:
>>     
>>> -------- Original Message -------- Subject: 	[ronpaul-207] "Compulsory
>>> universal service" for ages 18-25 Date: 	Sun, 9 Nov 2008 21:58:56 -0500 From:
>>> Kurt Fiech <kfiech at hotmail.com> Reply-To: 	ronpaul-207 at meetup.com To:
>>> ronpaul-207 at meetup.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Obama's chief of staff choice favors compulsory universal service
>>>
>>> Rep. Rahm Emanuel <http://www.house.gov/emanuel/photos.shtml> of Illinois,
>>> President-Elect Barack Obama's choice for chief of staff in his incoming
>>> administration, is co-author of a book, /The Plan: Big Ideas for America/ 
>>> <http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1586484125/>, that calls for, among other
>>> things, compulsory service for all Americans ages 18 to 25. The following
>>> excerpt is from pages 61-62 of the 2006 book:
>>>
>>> It's time for a real Patriot Act that brings out the patriot in all of us. We
>>> propose universal 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. ... Here's how it would work.
>>> Young people will know that between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, the
>>> nation will enlist them for three months of civilian service. They'll be
>>> asked to report for three months of basic civil defense training in their 
>>> state or community, where they will learn what to do in the event of
>>> biochemical, nuclear or conventional attack; how to assist others in an
>>> evacuation; how to respond when a levee breaks or we're hit by a natural
>>> disaster. These young people will be available to address their communities'
>>> most pressing needs.
>>>
>>> Emanuel and co-author Bruce Reed insist "this is not a draft," but go on to
>>> write of young men and women, "the nation will enlist them for three months
>>> of civilian service." They also warn, "[s]ome Republicans will squeal about
>>> individual freedom," ruling out any likelihood that they would let people opt
>>> out of universal citizen service.
>>>
>>> As chief of staff, Emanuel will not be in a position to directly introduce
>>> public policy, but his enthusiasm for compulsory service, combined with
>>> Barack Obama's own plan to require high school students to perform 50 hours
>>> of government-approved service 
>>> <http://www.examiner.com/x-536-Civil-Liberties-Examiner%7Ey2008m9d17-The-plausibly-deniable-draft--Obamas-very-modern-take-on-national-service>,
>>> suggest an unfortunate direction for the new administration.
>>>       
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