I didn't write this, but I wish I had:

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/racetoth ... ments.aspx

Posted By: DBLAIRXP7 (October 29, 2008 at 1:40 PM)

To Barack Hussein Obama,

The New York Times carried a story on Saturday, October 4, 2008, that proved You had a significantly closer relationship with Bill Ayers than what you Previously admitted. While the issue of your relationship is of concern, the Greater concern is that you lied to America about it.

The Chicago Sun reported on May 8, 2008, that FBI records showed that you had a significantly closer relationship with Tony Rezko than what you previously

admitted. In the interview, you said that you only saw Mr. Rezko a couple of times a year. The FBI files showed that you saw him weekly. While the issue of

your relationship is of concern, the greater concern is that you lied to America about it.

Your speech in Philadelphia on March 18, 2008, about 'race' contradicted your statement to Anderson Cooper on March 14 when you said that you never Heard Reverend Wright make his negative statements about white America. While your attendance at Trinity Church for 20 years is of concern, the Greater concern is that you lied to America on March 14.

In your 1st debate with John McCain, you said that you never said that you would meet with the leaders of Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, and North Korea without 'preparations' at lower levels ... Joe Biden repeated your words in his debate with Sarah Palin ... While the video tape from your debate last February clearly shows that you answered 'I would' to the question of meeting with those leaders within 12 months without 'any' preconditions. While your judgement about meeting with enemies of the USA without Pre-conditions is of concern, the greater concern is that you lied to America in the debate with McCain.

On July 14, 2008, you said that you always knew that the surge would work while the video tapes of you from more than a year ago show that you stated that the surge would not work. While your judgement about military strategy as a potential commander-in-chief is of concern, the greater concern is that you lied to America on July 14.

You now claim that your reason for voting against funding for the troops was because the bill did not include a time line for withdrawal, while the video tapes of you from more than a year ago show that you voted against additional funding because you wanted our troops to be removed immediately... Not in 16 months after the 2008 election as you now claim. While your judgement about removing our troops unilaterally in 2007 is of concern, the Greater concern is that you lied to America about your previous position.

You claim to have a record of working with Republicans while the record Shows that the only bill that you sponsored with a Republican was with Chuck Lugar ... And it failed. The record shows that you vote 97% in concert with the Democrat party and that you have the most liberal voting record in the Senate. You joined Republicans only 13% of the time in your votes and those 13% were only after agreement from the Democrat party. While it is of concern that you fail to include conservatives in your actions and that you are such a liberal, the greater concern is that you distorted the truth.

In the primary debates of last February, 2008, you claimed to have talked with a 'Captain' of a platoon in Afghanistan 'the other day' when in fact you had a discussion in 2003 with a Lieutenant who had just been deployed to Afghanista n . You lied in that debate.

In your debates last spring, you claimed to have been a 'professor of Constitutional law' when in fact you have never been a professor of Constitutional law. In this last debate, you were careful to say that you 'taught a law class' and never mentioned being a 'professor of Constitutional law.' You lied last spring.

You and Joe Biden both claimed that John McCain voted against additional funding for our troops when the actual records show the opposite. You distorted the truth.

You and Joe Biden claim that John McCain voted against funding for alternate energy sources 20 times when the record shows that John McCain specifically voted against funding for bio fuels, especially corn ... and he was right .... corn is too expensive at producing ethanol, and using corn to make ethanol increased the price of corn from $2 a bushel to $6 a bushel for food. You distorted the truth.

You and Joe Biden claim that John McCain voted like both of you for a tax increase on those making as little as $42,000 per year while the voting record clearly shows that John McCain did not vote as you and Joe Biden. You lied to America .

You and Joe Biden claim that John McCain voted with George W. Bush 90% of the time when you know that Democrats also vote 90% of the time with the President (including Joe Biden) because the vast majority of the votes are procedural. You are one of the few who has not voted 90% of the time with the president because you have been missing from the Senate since the day you got elected. While your absence from your job in the Senate is of concern, the greater concern is that you spin the facts.

You did not take an active role in the rescue plan. You claimed that the Senate did not need you while the real reason that you abstained was because of your close relationships with the executives of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Countrywide, and Acorn ... who all helped cause the f inancial problems of today ... and they all made major contributions to your campaign. While your relationship with these executives and your protection of them for your brief 3 years in the Senate (along with Barney Frank, Chuck Schumer, Maxine Waters, and Chris Dodd) is of concern, the greater concern is that you are being deceitful.

You forgot to mention that you personally represented Tony Rezko and Acorn. Tony Rezko, an Arab and close friend to you, was convicted of fraud in Chicago real estate transactions that bilked millions of tax dollars from the Illinois government for renovation projects that you sponsored as a state senator ... and Acorn has been convicted of voter fraud, real estate sub prime loan intimidation, and illegal campaign contributions. Tony Rezko has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to your political campaigns. You personally used your political positions to steer money to both Tony Rezko and Acorn and you used Acorn to register thousands of phony voters for Democrats and you. While your relationships with Rezko and Acorn are of concern, the greater concern is that you omitted important facts about your relationships with them to America .

During your campaign, you said: 'typical white person.' 'They cling to their guns and religion.' 'They will say that I am black.' You played the race Card. You tried to label any criticism about you as racist. You divide America .

You claim that you will reduce taxes for 95% of America , but you forgot to tell America that those reductions are after you remove the Bush tax Reductions. You have requested close to $1 billion in earmarks and several million for Acorn. Your social programs will cost America $1 trillion per year and you claim that a reduction in military spending ($100 billion for Iraq ) can pay for it. While your economic plan of adding 30% to the size of our federal government is of concern, the greater concern is that you are deceiving America .

The drain to America 's economy by foreign supplied oil is $700 billion per year (5% of GDP) while the war in Iraq is $100 billion (less than 1% of GDP). You voted against any increases to oil exploration for the last 3 years and any expansion of nuclear facilities. Yet today, you say that you have always been for more oil and more nuclear. You are lying to America .

Mr. Obama, you claimed that you 'changed' your mind about public financing for your campaign because of the money spent by Republican PACs in 2004. The truth is that the Democrat PACs in 2004, 2006, and 2008 spent twice as much as the Republican PACs (especially George Soros and MoveOn.org). You are lying to America .

Mr. Obama, you have done nothing to stop the actions of the teachers union and college professors in the USA . They eliminated religion from our history. They teach pro gay agendas and discuss sex with students as young as first grade. They bring their personal politics into the classrooms. They disparage conservatives. They brainwash our children. They are in it for themselves ..... not America . Are you reluctant to condemn their actions because teachers/professors and the NEA contribute 25% of all money donated to Democrats and none to Republicans? You are deceiving America .

Oh, Mr. Obama, Teddy Roosevelt said about a hundred years ago that we Americans should first look at the character of our leaders before anything else.

Your character looks horrible. While you make good speeches, motivating speeches, your character does not match your rhetoric. You talk the talk, but do not walk the walk.

1. You lied to America . You lied many times. You distorted facts. You parsed your answers like a lawyer.

2. You distorted the record of John McCain in your words and in your advertisements.

3. You had associations with some very bad people for your personal political gains and then lied about those associations.

4. You divide America about race and about class.

Now let me compare your record of lies, distortions, race baiting, and associations to John McCain: War hero. Annapolis graduate with 'Country first.' Operational leadership experience like all 43 previously elected presidents of the USA as a Navy officer for 22 years. 26 years in the Senate. Straight talk. Maverick. 54% of the time participated on bills with Democrats. Never asked for an earmark. The only blemish on his record is his part in the Keating 5 debacle about 25 years ago.

Mr. Obama, at Harvard Law School, you learned that the end does not justify the means. You learned that perjury, false witness, dishonesty, distortion of truth are never tolerated. Yet, your dishonesty is overwhelming. Your dishonesty is tremendously greater than the dishonesty that caused the impeachment and disbarment of Bill Clinton. Your dishonesty is tremendously greater than the dishonesty of Scooter Libby. You should be ashamed.

Mr. Obama, it is time for us Americans to put aside our differences on political issues and vote against you because of your dishonest character. It is time for all of us Americans to put aside our political issues and vote for America first. It is time for America to vote for honesty.

Any people who vote for you after understanding that you are dishonest should be ashamed of themselves for making their personal political issues more important than character. Would these same people vote for the anti-Christ if the anti-Christ promised them riches? Would they make a golden calf while Moses was up the mountain? Would they hire someone for a job if that someone lied in an interview? Of course not. So why do some of these people justify their votes for you even though they know you are dishonest? Why do they excuse your dishonesty? Because some of these people are frightened about the future, the economy, and their financial security .... and you are preying on their fears with empty promises ... and because some (especially our young people) are consumed by your wonderful style and promises for 'change' like the Germans who voted for Adolf Hitler in 1932. The greed/envy by Germans in 1932 kept them from recognizing Hitler for who he was. They loved his style. Greed and envy are keeping many Americans from recognizing you ... your style has camouflaged your dishonesty .... but many of us see you for who you really are ... and we will not stop exposing who you are every day, forever if it is necessary.

Mr. Obama, you are dishonest. Anyone who votes for you is enabling dishonesty.

Mr. Obama , America cannot trust that you will put America first in your decisions about the future.

Mr. Obama, you are not the 'change' that America deserves. We cannot trust you.

Mr. Obama, You are not ready and not fit to be commander-in-chief.

Mr. Obama, John McCain does not have as much money as your campaign to refute all of your false statements. And for whatever reasons, the mainstream media will not give adequate coverage or research about your lies, distortions, word parsing, bad associations, race baiting, lack of operational leadership experience, and generally dishonest character. The media is diverting our attention from your relationships and ignoring the fact that you lied about those relationships. The fact that you lied is much more important than the relationships themselves .... just like with Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon ... Monica Lewinski and Watergate were not nearly as bad as the fact that those men lied about the events ... false witness ... perjury ... your relationships and bad judgements are bad on their own .... but your lies are even worse.

Therefore, by copy of this memo, all who read this memo are asked to send it to everyone else in America before it is too late. We need to do the job that the media will not do. We need to expose your dishonesty so that every person in America understands who you really are before election day.

Mr. Obama, in a democracy, we get what we deserve. And God help America if we deserve you.

YAAAY Dennis Miller!

Comedian Dennis Miller was on Jay Leno's show on Oct. 3rd,

and he was really funny. He was asked by Jay who he favors in the

election, and here are excerpts from his response...

'I'm voting for McCain. People need to understand that all

of Hollywood is not for Obama, and anyone who served their country in

a Vietnam prison as a prisoner for 5 years deserves my vote. (Huge

applause) Hey, he gave us 5 years, I'm willing to give him 4 back.

I don't like the fact that Obama has played his color card

all by himself. He said, 'People might not vote for me because my

name sounds funny.' McCain and his people have never gone there.

Obama playing that card turns me off.

I'm not worried about the color of his skin. I'm worried

about the thickness. Quite frankly, he get a little too whiney. (Huge

applause) And his wife... She is a bad night. If she were barking

in my ear while I was driving, I'd take a sharp left and go off the

cliff.

Barack missed the boat when he didn't pick Hillary, and I'm

no Hillary fan. But quite frankly, she earned to be picked, and I

believe the American women can relate to her. She has been cheated on

more often than a blind woman playing scrabble with a bunch of

gypsies.

Sarah Pallin isn't perfect, but I don't want her to be

perfect. We've had smart people as vice presidents before. Nixon was

smart, and he turned out to be a nightmare. Gore was smart, but I

never got him. I want someone normal as VP who is like me.

People say McCain may die after being elected. Hey,

everyone knows Barack smokes, and look at what the actuarial tables

say about a 47 year old smoker. He dies, we get Biden, and he's as

old as McCain. He dies, and we get Nancy Pelosi, and then I'm

leaving the galaxy.'

Amen, Dennis!

I looked up the transcript and you are correct. Obama, "That's using a hatchet to cut the federal budget. I want to use a scalpel so that people who need help are getting help and those of us, like myself and Sen. McCain, who don't need help, aren't getting it." My bad.

Eh, it's all starting to run together anyway. :rolleyes2:

Here is what I think NEEDS to happen -- and it was thought of for us over 200 years ago:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is in the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security.

Sounds like entitlement-itis from yet another in the gimmee-gimmee crowd. :rolleyes2:

Oh for crying out loud... this nimrod is really beginning to believe he's the messiah! :rolleyes2:

Obama: 'I Will Change The World'

Barack Obama has promised to "change the world" if he is elected US

With just three days to go he and his opponent John McCain are touring key states in an effort to woo undecided voters.

Senator Obama is still almost seven points ahead in the Real Clear Politics poll of polls, but the gap has narrowed slightly.

At a rally in Henderson, Nevada, he warned his supporters against complacency.

"At this defining moment in history, you can give the country the change we need," he said.

Sky News' Michelle Clifford, who was at the rally, said Mr Obama was trying to leave nothing to chance.

"He'll be using every ounce of his resources to get the vote out," she said.

At the same time Senator McCain was rallying his followers in Newport Beach, Virginia.

In a usually safe Republican state, which is threatening to go to the Democrats, he asked for help on the home stretch.

He said: "Let me state the obvious again, we need to win Virginia on the 4th of November and with your help we're going to win and bring real change to Washington.

The campaigning has been tough for both men, but Sky News' Robert Nisbet, who has been following the McCain bandwagon, says the toll is beginning to show on the older man.

"Being on the road at rally after rally is exhausting and Mr McCain appears to be tired," he said.

Obama: 'I Will Change The World' - Yahoo! News UK

Omg, and now this stooge is calling for a civilian security force?? Can anybody say Hitler's Youth Brigade and thought police?? We already know he wants to silence the opposition. And so it begins...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt2yGzHfy7s]YouTube - Obama Civilian Security[/ame]

Wait, what? You don't approve of Bush's spending money (neither do I), but you want Obama because he'll spend more?

He wont be spending it on Iraq. He wont be spending it making Halliburton executives millionaires and billionaires.

And the idea of Bush as a liberal is risible. He has ushered the neo-conservatives era in the White House.

The rewriting of history going on in this thread would be funny if it was not a reflection of how scary America has become. Basically, Joe McCarthy is alive and well.

He wont be spending it on Iraq. He wont be spending it making Halliburton executives millionaires and billionaires.

Businessmen and -women make themselves millionaires and billionaires. Barring the types of bullcrap that Enron executives and other shysters pulled, and no matter what the left will have you believe, wealth is not evil. The class envy on the left is amazing.

And the idea of Bush as a liberal is risible. He has ushered the neo-conservatives era in the White House.

*snorkle* Something tells me you wouldn't know a neo-conservative if it bit you on the leg. IF he has ushered in neo-conservatives, it is only because he did not stay true to his base and went far afield of the right. I know because you adhere to such leftist policies you don't see it, but to the right, he IS a liberal. Because you are so leftist, to you he is a conservative.

The rewriting of history going on in this thread would be funny if it was not a reflection of how scary America has become. Basically, Joe McCarthy is alive and well.

You're so very right. And his name is Barack Hussein Obama. Just ask "Joe the Plumber" about how the left has virtually performed anal probes on him for the mortal sin of daring to question Heil Hussein.

Omg, and now this stooge is calling for a civilian security force?? Can anybody say Hitler's Youth Brigade and thought police?? We already know he wants to silence the opposition. And so it begins...

Again you are doing no research. Obama was speaking of massive community organizing akin to the Peace Corp not about creating a homeland army - see below for more on that.

You got it backwards. McCain and Palin may lead to a social democracy which is what the Reich was. Again check the Patriot Acts and see what McCain voted for.

Ever heard of Homeland Security? This is what your administration has done:

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/army_homeland_090708w/

Our own Homeland ready to intervene.

And Kellogg Brown & Root was awarded four years ago a contract to provide DOMESTIC portable detection centers that can be deployed and set up to house detainees in short notice with an estimated holding capacity of between 1 and 5 million people.

That's not Obama planning to silence the opposition, that's was your administration making sure they have the infrastructure to emprison Americans under very short notice.

You say the current administration is not "your" administration. Well, in voting for McCain you are voting for 4 or 8 more years of the same failed policies that have created the crisis we are in.

As far as I am concerned, there is no choice. It has to be Obama because the republicans were not able to provide a rational, intelligent candidate with a platform that addressed the current problems of America. Instead we have McCain and worse, Sarah Palin. For McCain to have chosen her shows his contempt for Americans or early onset dementia. You pick.

Edited November 2, 200817 yr by Carolinela

You say the current administration is not "your" administration. Well, in voting for McCain you are voting for 4 or 8 more years of the same failed policies that have created the crisis we are in.

I haven't voted yet. Nor have I ever said I will vote for McCain. I may write in Micky Mouse for all you know. And Nader is still on the ballot. There are not just two choices.

For the 7000th time, we are electing a President, not a Dictator. You have this notion that he's going to be standing on the streets throwing currency. During a debate, McCain said he wanted to take a hatchet to the federal budget and Obama said he wanted to take a scalpel.

If you listen to the first debate (I can't remember if it was the Presidential Forum / Rick Warren thing or the actual first debate), when Obama was asked where he would cut government, he couldn't come up with anything. McCain had a ton of places he would cut. Obama fumbled through the question and kept mentioning things that he would add to the budget. He couldn't come up with a single thing to cut.

Fast forward to the second debate and all of a sudden he had his talking points -- the hatchet/scalpel thing. But if you go back to the first time he was asked the question, he didn't have that cute line in his head yet and you therefore got his real, unrehearsed answer -- he wouldn't cut anything, but rather add stuff.

Two words: No teleprompter. :rolleyes2:

Two words: No teleprompter. :rolleyes2:

Oh, no doubt. And I think it's critically important to go back to when the candidates didn't have their talking points drilled into their heads to figure out what they really believe. Obama spoke volumes at the Rick Warren thing. His handlers cleaned him up really well after that event.

Context being everything, here is the speech your video was excerpted from. It was delivered on the 2nd of July:

July 2, 2008, 12:27 pm

Obama’s Remarks on Service

Barack Obama is scheduled to give a speech this afternoon in Colorado Springs, Colo., issuing a call to service for all Americans to serve their country or community through programs like AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps. Here are his remarks, as prepared for delivery:

In two days, we will Celebrate America’s Independence Day. We’ll come together with family and friends to enjoy a day off. Maybe you’ll cook out, watch a parade or take in some fireworks. Hopefully, you’ll get a break from things like politics.

But I’m sure there will be a moment or two, when the fireworks grow quiet or the parade has gone by, when the enormity of the American accomplishment will sink in, along with a deep pride in your place in the story of the United States America. I hope you take that moment to think about what you can do to shape the future of this country we love.

These days, it’s easy for us to get caught thinking that there are two different stories at work in our lives. There is the story of our day-to-day cares and responsibilities – the classes you have to take or the bills you have to pay; the bustle and busyness of what happens in your own life. And then there is the story of what’s happening in the wider world – a story seen in headlines and websites and televised images; a story experienced only through the price you pay at the pump or the extra screening you pass through at the airport.

This is the divide that separates you from the ability to shape your own destiny. So I am asking you – on this 4th of July – to reject that divide, to step into the strong currents of history, and to shape your country’s future. Because your own story and the American story are not separate, they are shared. And they will both be enriched if together, we answer a new call to service to meet the challenges of our new century.

I say this to you as someone who couldn’t be standing here today if not for the service of others, and who wouldn’t be standing here if not for the purpose that service gave my own life.

You see, I spent much of my childhood adrift. My father left my mother and me when I was two. My mother remarried, and we lived in Indonesia for a time. But I was mostly raised in Hawaii by my mom and my grandparents from Kansas. Growing up, I wasn’t always sure who I was, or where I was going.

But during my first two years of college, perhaps because the values my mother had taught me –hard work, honesty, empathy – had resurfaced after a long hibernation; or perhaps because of the example of wonderful teachers and lasting friends, I began to notice a world beyond myself. And by the time I graduated from college, I was possessed with a crazy idea – that I would work at a grassroots level to bring about change.

I wrote letters to every organization in the country I could think of. And one day, a small group of churches on the South Side of Chicago offered me a job working to help neighborhoods that had been devastated by steel plant closings. My mother and grandparents wanted me to go to law school. My friends were applying to jobs on Wall Street. Meanwhile, this organization offered me $12,000 a year plus $2,000 for an old, beat-up car. And I said yes.

I didn’t know a soul in Chicago, and I wasn’t sure what was waiting for me there. I had always been inspired by stories of the Civil Rights movement and JFK’s call to service, but when I got to the South Side, there were no marches, and no soaring speeches. In the shadow of an empty steel plant, there were just a lot of folks who were struggling.

I still remember one of the very first meetings we put together to discuss gang violence with a group of community leaders. We waited and waited for people to show up, and finally, a group of older people walked into the hall. And they sat down. And a little old lady raised her hand and asked, “Is this where the bingo game is?”

It wasn’t easy, but eventually, we made progress. Day by day, block by block, we brought the community together. We registered new voters. We set up after school programs, fought for new jobs, and helped people live lives with more opportunity, and some measure of dignity.

But I also began to realize that I wasn’t just helping other people. Through service, I found a community that embraced me; citizenship that was meaningful; the direction I’d been seeking. Through service, I discovered how my own improbable story fit into the larger story of America.

There is a lesson to be learned from generations who have served – from soldiers and sailors; airmen and Marines; suffragists and freedom riders; teachers and doctors; cops and firefighters. It’s the lesson that in America, each of us is free to seek our own dreams, but we must also serve a common purpose, a higher purpose. When you choose to serve – whether it’s your nation, your community, or simply your neighbor – you are connected to that fundamental American ideal that we want Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness not just for ourselves, but for all Americans. That is why this is a great nation. Because time and again, Americans have been willing to serve on stages both great and small; to draw on the same spirit that launched America’s improbable journey to meet the challenges of each defining moment in our history.

One of those moments came on September 11, 2001. Whether you lived in Manhattan or thousands of miles away in Colorado, you felt the pain and loss of that day not just as an individual, but as an American. You also felt pride – pride in the firefighters who rushed up the stairs while workers rushed down; pride in the police who provided comfort, and the neighbors who lent a hand; pride in your citizenship, and the tattered flag that flew at Ground Zero. That’s why Americans lined up to give blood. That’s why we held vigils and flew flags. That’s why we rallied behind our President. We were ready to step into the strong current of history, and to answer a new call for our country. But the call never came.

Instead of a call to service, we were asked to go shopping. Instead of a call for shared sacrifice, we gave tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans in a time of war for the very first time in our history. Instead of leadership that called us to come together, we got patriotism defined as the property of one party, and used as a political wedge to take us into a war that should have never been authorized and never been waged.

We have lost precious time. Our nation is less secure and less respected in the world. Our energy dependence has risen, and so has the specter of climate change. More of our children have been left behind, and our American Dream risks slipping away. The burden of service has fallen on to the backs of our military – and their families – who have endured tour after tour of duty bravely and brilliantly, even though they haven’t always gotten the care and support they have earned.

When I was thinking about whether or not to seek the presidency, there were voices that counseled me to wait. Why not stay in Washington for a few more years, they said, to master the game. But the fact is, I had been in Washington long enough to know that it needs to change.

I am running for President, right now, because of what Dr. King called the fierce urgency of now. This moment is too important to sit on the sidelines. Our country faces determined enemies abroad, and definitive challenges at home. But I have no doubt that in the face of these odds, people who love their country can change it. That is why I am running for President. That is why I’m determined to reach out – not just to Democrats, but to Independents and Republicans who want to move in a new direction. And that is why I won’t just ask for your vote as a candidate – I will ask for your service and your active citizenship when I am President of the United States.

This will not be a call issued in one speech or one program – this will be a central cause of my presidency. We will ask Americans to serve. We will create new opportunities for Americans to serve. And we will direct that service to our most pressing national challenges.

There is no challenge greater than the defense of our nation and our values. The men and women of our military – from Fort Carson to Peterson Air Force base, from the Air Force Academy to the ROTC students here on campus – have signed up at a time when our troops face an ever-increasing load. Fighting a resurgent Taliban. Targeting al Qaeda. Persevering in the deserts and cities of Iraq. Training foreign militaries. Delivering humanitarian relief. In this young century, our military has answered when called, even as that call has come too often. Through their commitment, their capability, and their courage they have done us all proud.

But we need to ease the burden on our troops, while meeting the challenges of the 21st century. That’s why I will call on a new generation of Americans to join our military, and complete the effort to increase our ground forces by 65,000 soldiers and 27,000 Marines.

A call to service must be backed by a sacred trust with anyone who puts on the uniform of the United States. A young person joining our military must know that we’ll only send them into harm’s way when we absolutely must. That we’ll provide them with the equipment needed to complete their mission safely, and deployments that allow adequate time back home. They must see that we’ll care for our military families while they’re deployed, and that we’re providing our veterans with the support, benefits, and opportunity that they have earned when they return home. That’s what I’ve fought for on the Senate Veteran’s Affairs Committee. That’s what I’ll promise as Commander in Chief.

Just as we must value and encourage military service across our society, we must honor and expand other opportunities to serve. Because the future of our nation depends on the soldier at Fort Carson, but it also depends on the teacher in East LA, the nurse in Appalachia, the after-school worker in New Orleans, the Peace Corps volunteer in Africa, and the Foreign Service officer in Indonesia. Americans have shown that they want to step up. But we’re not keeping pace with the demand of those who want to serve, or leveraging that commitment to meet national challenges. FDR not only enlisted Americans to create employment, he targeted that service to build our infrastructure and conserve our environment. JFK not only called on a new generation, he made their service a bridge to the developing world, and a bright light of American values in the darkest days of the Cold War.

Today, AmeriCorps – our nation’s network of local, state and national service programs – has 75,000 slots. I know firsthand the quality of these programs. My wife Michelle once left her job at a law firm to be the founding director of an AmeriCorps program in Chicago that trains young people for careers in public service. These programs invest Americans in their communities and their country. They tap America’s greatest resource – our citizens.

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.

We’ll 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. We’ll enlist veterans to help other vets find jobs and support, and to be there for our military families. And we’ll also grow our Foreign Service, open consulates that have been shuttered, and double the size of the Peace Corps by 2011 to renew our diplomacy. And we’ll use technology to connect people to service. We’ll expand USA Freedom Corps to create an online network 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.

We also need to invest in ideas that can help us meet our common challenges, because more often than not, the next great social innovation won’t be generated by the government.

The non-profit sector employs 1 in 12 Americans and 115 nonprofits are launched every day. Yet while the federal government invests $7 billion in research and development for the private sector, there is no similar effort to support non-profit innovation. Meanwhile, there are ideas across America – in our inner cities and small towns; from college graduates, to seniors getting ready to retire – that could benefit millions of Americans if they’re given the chance to grow.

As President, I will launch a new Social Investment Fund Network. It’s time to get the grass roots, the foundations, the faith-based organizations, the private sector and the government at the table so that we can learn from our own success stories. We’ll invest in ideas that work; leverage private sector dollars to encourage innovation; and expand successful programs to scale. Take a program like the Harlem Children’s Zone, which helps thousands of kids in New York through after-school activities, mentoring, and family support. We need to make that model work in different cities across America. And just as we support small businesses, I’ll start a new Social Entrepreneur Agency to make sure that small non-profits have strong support from Washington.

Finally, we need to integrate service into education, so that young Americans are called upon and prepared to be active citizens.

Just as we teach math and writing, arts and athletics, we need to teach young Americans to take citizenship seriously. Study after study shows that students who serve do better in school, are more likely to go to college, and more likely to maintain that service as adults. So when I’m President, I will set a goal for all American middle and high school students to perform 50 hours of service a year, and for all college students to perform 100 hours of service a year. This means that by the time you graduate college, you’ll have done 17 weeks of service.

We’ll reach this goal in several ways. At the middle and high school level, we’ll make federal assistance conditional on school districts developing service programs, and give schools resources to offer new service opportunities. At the community level, we’ll develop public-private partnerships so students can serve more outside the classroom.

For college students, I have proposed an annual American Opportunity Tax Credit of $4,000. To receive this credit, we’ll require 100 hours of public service. You invest in America, and America invests in you – that’s how we’re going to make sure that college is affordable for every single American, while preparing our nation to compete in the 21st century.

For our veterans, I was proud to be a strong and early supporter of Jim Webb’s bipartisan GI Bill, so that today’s vets have the same opportunity that my grandfather had under the GI Bill. To marshal their talents in building a new energy economy, I will launch an initiative to give our veterans the training they need to succeed in the Green Jobs of the future. It’s time to end our energy dependence at home so our national security isn’t held hostage to oil and gas from abroad.

And we will not leave out the nearly 2 million young Americans who are out of school and out of work. We’ll enlist them in our Energy Corps, so that disadvantaged young people can find useful work, clean polluted areas, help weatherize homes, and gain skills in a growing industry. And we’ll expand the YouthBuild Program, which puts young Americans to work building affordable housing in America’s poorest communities, giving them valuable skills and a chance to complete a high school education. Because no one should be left out of the American story.

Now I know what the cynics will say. I’ve heard from them all my life.

These are the voices that will tell you – not just what you can’t do – but what you won’t do. Americans won’t come together – our allegiance doesn’t go beyond our political party, region, or congregation. Young Americans won’t serve their country – they’re too selfish, or too lazy. This is the soft sell of the status quo, the voice that tells you to settle because settling isn’t that bad.

That’s not the America that I’ve seen throughout this campaign. I’ve seen young people work, and volunteer, and turn out in record numbers. I’ve met members of our military – like the thousands of soldiers and airmen here in Colorado Springs – who signed up to serve in the wake of 9/11. I’ve met community workers who want to care for our kids; students who want to end the genocide in Darfur; businesses that want to expand opportunity; farmers who want to help free us from the tyranny of oil; seniors searching for ways to give back; and people of every age, race, and religion who want to come together to renew the American spirit.

Renewing that spirit starts with service. Make no mistake: our destiny as Americans is tied up with one another. If we are less respected in the world, then you will be less safe. If we keep paying dictators for foreign oil, gas prices are going to keep rising, and so are the oceans. If we can’t give all of our kids a world-class education, then our economy is going to fall behind.

And that’s how it should be. That’s the bet our Founding Fathers were making all of those years ago – that our individual destinies could be tied together in the common destiny of democracy; that government depends not just on the consent of the governed, but on the service of citizens. That’s what history calls us to do. Because loving your country shouldn’t just mean watching fireworks on the 4th of July. Loving your country must mean accepting your responsibility to do your part to change it. If you do, your life will be richer, and our country will be stronger.

We need your service, right now, at this moment – our moment – in history. I’m not going to tell you what your role should be; that’s for you to discover. But I am going to ask you to play your part; ask you to stand up; ask you to put your foot firmly into the current of history. I am asking you to change history’s course. And if I have the fortune to be your President, decades from now – when the memory of this or that policy has faded, and when the words that we will speak in the next few years are long forgotten – I hope you remember this as a moment when your own story and the American story came together, and – in the words of Dr. King – the arch of history bent once more towards justice.

During that speech he:

Senator Obama was nearly 17 minutes into his July 2 speech (yet another one where naming Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was required) in Colorado Springs, Colorado when he deviated from his pre-released script and performed without the teleprompter net saying,

"We cannot continue to rely 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

." (

emphasis added

)

The immediate context for that amazing statement was a preview of parts of his plan to vastly expand community service opportunities for Americans of nearly all ages. He said,

"People of all ages, stations, and skills will be asked to serve."

The range of his community service initiatives was outlined in an earlier American Thinker article. In his campaign document entitled "The Blueprint for Change: Barack Obama's Plan For America," Obama's "Service" section runs a close second to "Education" in complexity. But, with his Colorado Springs' statement, it grabbed first place in its projected costs to taxpayers. Obama did the cost projection himself.

He plans to double the Peace Corps' budget by 2011, and expand AmeriCorps, USA Freedom Corps, VISTA, YouthBuild Program, and the Senior Corps. Plus, he proposes to form a Classroom Corps, Health Corps, Clean Energy Corps, Veterans Corps, Homeland Security Corps, Global Energy Corps, and a Green Jobs Corps.

.

Note that the AmericanThinker article is not complimentary to Barack Obama but they state the TRUTH about his speech, unlike you.

American Thinker: Obama's Civilian National Security Force

Washington Wire - WSJ.com : Obama

Like... I... said... reeks of Hitler's Youth Brigade.

See, what you don't seem to realize is that the distance from socialism to communism is thisclose.

You think the Patriot Act is bad? Just wait. All you need is your neighbors tattling because you said something that's considered criminal or don't walk in lock step with some group. You may be okay with that because right now you side with heil Hussein. But what if that changes? Then what? You'll be okay with his little Hitlers running around?

When the Nazis came for the communists,

I remained silent;

I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,

I remained silent;

I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,

I did not speak out;

I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,

I remained silent;

I was not a Jew.

When they came for me,

there was no one left to speak out.