Honor those who've served

Good afternoon,

 

For 92 years, our nation has set aside November 11th as a day to honor those who have served in our armed forces. Originally, the day was set aside to celebrate the veterans of the First World War. Later, it was broadened to include every man and woman who has worn the uniform of the United States. And today, we continue that tradition by honoring the service and sacrifice of our troops and veterans.

 

But I believe that this commemoration should last much longer than just 24 hours, once a year. That's why Jill Biden and I launched the Joining Forces initiative to honor, recognize, and support the veterans and military families who have given our nation so much.  We're issuing a call to all Americans, so that everyone asks themselves one simple question: How can I give back?

 

We've been overwhelmed by responses from across the country. Businesses are hiring more veterans. Nonprofit organizations are working with military children. And individuals all across the country have stepped up to help out in their community. How will you give back?

 

Sign up for an opportunity to volunteer in your community, pledge service hours in honor of military families, or send a message of thanks to America's heroes.

 

Our efforts with Joining Forces come on top of the many actions my husband has made on behalf of our veterans and military families.

 

He's worked to send 600,000 veterans back to school on the Post-9/11 GI Bill and taken steps to help veterans translate military experience to the private sector job market. He repealed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- so that our troops don't have to live a lie in order to serve the country they love. He ended the war in Iraq -- our service men and women there will be home for the holidays. And just yesterday, the Senate passed two tax credits that he proposed to encourage businesses to hire America's veterans and wounded warriors.

 

So inside and outside of government, we're building a wave of support to honor and recognize our veterans and their families. We can use your help. Today, let's all find a new way that we can get involved in our communities, not just for Veterans Day, but every day.

 

Visit JoiningForces.gov and sign up today.

 

Thank you,

 

Michelle Obama

9/11: Serve and Remember

Good morning,

Tomorrow, on the tenth anniversary of the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001, we will mourn the innocent lives lost, honor the heroic first responders who rushed to the scene, and pay tribute to our troops and military families who have served over the past ten years to keep us safe and strong.

But, I also hope you'll remember how the worst terrorist attack in American history brought out the best in the American people. From giving blood, volunteering time, and donating clothing, food and money, in the weeks and months after the attacks, we were united as a nation, everyone doing their part to lend a hand and help the country move forward together.

With just a small act of service, or a simple act of kindness towards others, you can both honor those we lost and those who serve us still, and help us recapture the spirit of generosity and compassion that followed 9/11.

September 11th has been designated as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. Americans across the country will come together to honor the victims of 9/11 and to reaffirm the strength of our nation with acts of service and charity. In Minneapolis, volunteers will help restore a community center, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, members of the community are building new homes for deserving families, and once again, Michelle and I will be joining a local service project as well.

There are so many ways to get involved, and every American can do something. You can join me in participating in the National Day of Service by finding a service opportunity in your area on Serve.gov.

A decade ago, our fellow citizens and first responders rushed up stairwells, into flames, and into that cockpit and gave their lives to save others. In the decade since, a new generation -- our military personnel, intelligence officers, and law enforcement -- has stepped forward to serve our country and keep us safe.

This weekend, I encourage all Americans to remember not only the innocent lives we lost on that day, but to remember the ordinary goodness and patriotism of the American people and the spirit of unity that brought us together during the days and weeks after the attacks of September 11th. 

Sincerely,

President Barack Obama

Students Fight Back, Swinging Blindly part 2

By Zach Foster

Continued from Part 1

One organization vanguarded by young Marxists is the multi-campus group Students Fight Back, and these students have been making a lot of noise.  They make themselves seen around university and community college campuses and often recruit new membership from the promising pool of students struggling with unemployment, family issues, or those who are just beginning to rebel against their parents.  They gain popularity by telling struggling students the things that they want to hear, as if these laundry lists for “social justice” can be realistically achieved.  The majority of Students Fight Back members actually believe in these laundry lists.  One set of goals that they have been shouting about is the Ten Points of Unity and Struggle, deceptively used as a front to fight attacks on education, but whose actual purpose is the destruction of capitalism.

1.      “Education is a right.  Stop budget cuts and tuition hikes.”

Most of this is reasonable.  Budget cuts do tend to be harmful to education in the long run, mostly because they are made carelessly.  It is also ridiculous how universities have been slashing budgets and raising tuition at the same time.  It is understandable that everyone is going through a hard time economically.  To do one or the other is called compensating for hard times; to do one AND the other is called robbery.

However, the statement that “education is a right” only goes so far.  Education is indeed a right.  The right to own property is also a right.  In this case, Students Fight Back is making the grievous error of mistaking entitlements for rights.  A right is the public recognition and sanction of one’s ability to do something.  An entitlement is something that is provided to an individual.

While every American citizen and resident has the right to an education, the only education anyone is entitled to is a high school education.  That means that from Kindergarten to the end of high school, the state will provide a public school education to children who aren’t home schooled or in private school.

While every citizen and resident has the right to go to college, none are entitled to having an education provided to them.  Those families who have the monetary ability to pay for tuition will send their adult children.  Young adults supporting themselves will pay for their own education through working one or more jobs and possibly taking out student loans.  Many ease their burden through vigilantly pursuing scholarships.

A false sense of entitlement is a destructive thing to carry around because it is contagious.  It is this mindset that undermines workers who toil for a worthwhile existence by creating among their peers a culture of professional welfare recipients.[1]

It is also ludicrous to say that budget cuts and tuition hikes target students of color.  This is a false statement because these financial burdens affect the entire student body.  Every student (or their sponsor) pays for these tuition hikes.  It is a lie to even imply that only students of color, not white students, come from blue collar or humble backgrounds and face financial hardships.

2.      “Stop U.S. wars and military recruitment in our schools.”

Quoting some biased statistics of U.S. military spending, Students Fight Back has demonstrated that its members know how to count, but what does this have to do with education?  Only the comment about military recruiters on campuses has any relevance to the greater topic.  Given that many Americans have anti-war sentiments, it seems reasonable that they would take issue with military recruiters recruiting students, at least during times of war.

If students organize and petition the faculty and board of governors at their schools, they could probably secure their freedom from military recruiters.  However, this possible ideological victory only applies to private schools.  Public schools, especially community colleges and state universities, have no say regarding military recruiters as long as they are run by government money.  If a school can manage to run strictly on state funds (not allocated by the federal government) and private donations, then they could have moral standing in keeping the federal military services off campuses.  However, given that they would run on state funds, they would still have to allow recruiters from state military organizations: the Army and Air National Guards.  The logic is quite simple: accept government money, then accept the government.  To be free of government intrusion, even just from the military, then colleges and universities must operate exclusively on private funds.  This reasoning also holds true for any students receiving any kind of government welfare.  If they really want to be free from Uncle Sam, they must go all the way or not at all.

Despite the hardships of deployment to combat zones, military service has benefitted countless young people.  The military lifestyle gives structure and discipline to those who grew up without it.  It instills values of selflessness and team work much better than any labor union or socialist organization, and it also helps individuals set goals for self-improvement.  Most veterans—many of whom came from blue collar or humble backgrounds—do not regret their service at all, even during times of war.

Regarding the comment about troops dying in Wall Street’s wars, that comment is reminiscent and probably a substitute to the slogan “no blood for oil.”  The elites and the economic fiction called “the bourgeoisie” would find their motivation to pursue Middle Eastern oil plummeting if oil was allowed to be drilled from America’s vast untapped oil reserves.  Sensible as this course of action would be, it remains unfulfilled in the name of environmentalism. Economics professor and Soviet defector Yuri Maltsev says it best: “[these kinds of environmentalists] are like watermelons… green on the outside and red on the inside.”

 

Continued in Part 3: Free speech is a right? DUH!

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[1] Child care loopholes lead to easy money. http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/38309864.html

Ways to Honor America

Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the summer is full of opportunities to show our pride in our county. But beyond hanging the flag outside our homes and gazing at a night's sky lit up with red, white, and blue fireworks, there are other ways of honoring America and the men and women who protect it. Here are a few ideas from the Federal Citizen Information Center on how you can show your support:

Get active and involved by volunteering your time on public lands. The Take Pride in America Program lets you help protect local, state, and federal lands by getting your hands dirty. Collecting litter, building trails, or pulling weeds are just a few ways you can help. Make it a group or family activity, and volunteer to keep our public lands intact and beautiful.

The story of our country and those who have served is much deeper than the pages of history books. Why not go see for yourself where some of the greatest events in our nation actually happened? The National Park Service has preserved many battlefields and military parks where you can go to pay homage to those who have served, and get a feel for the places where history happened.

Our servicemen and women have earned the country's gratitude and respect. But some veterans and their families are unaware of the benefits to which they're also entitled. Direct any veterans or their dependents you know to the Department of Veteran's Affairs, so they can get the information they need about transition assistance, education benefits, pension plan options, and more.

Looking more for culture than sand and surf this summer? Our nation's capital is the place to be for family activities--many of which are free. Washington, DC is home to beautiful monuments, tons of museums, parks, and events. Besides touring the iconic Capitol building, wander the National Mall, and you never know when you'll stumble upon a free concert or festival paying tribute to the U.S.A.

We all live fast-paced, busy lives. The slower, more relaxed days of summer give us a chance to think about ways we can take pride in and be of service to our country. Use these ideas or others of your own to honor the country this summer--and all year round.

Government Gab - New Year's Resolution #12: Volunteer

By Stephanie

Love dares you to care

For people on the edge of the night

—David Bowie, "Under Pressure"

Some popular New Year's resolutions: Save money. Find a better job. Lose weight. Quit smoking. Go back to school. Organize that closet. Volunteer to help others.

Sometimes the resolution to volunteer to help others gets a bit buried in all the rest. But one thing's certain: people's circumstances change throughout their lives, and sometimes we need help from someone else to get through the harder times. And in this economy, plenty of people are experiencing harder times.

Is one of your New Year's resolutions to volunteer to help others? If you follow through with that resolution, you'll be in excellent company. Last year, 63.4 million Americans age 16 and older volunteered. And the number of Americans volunteering in their communities jumped by 1.6 million last year, the largest increase since 2003.

The volunteering I've done in my life—and the remarkable people I've met while doing it—have left a lasting impression on me. Whether mopping floors at a homeless shelter, giving out groceries at a food pantry, supervising a transition house for women moving out of a shelter, or regularly bringing my dog to cheer up nursing home residents, I've encountered so many people who surprised me with their resilience, cheerfulness, unique backgrounds, and resourcefulness. I always feel like I get as much out of helping them as they do.

On the other end, I'll never personally know the volunteers who brought meals to seniors like my housebound grandmother, or the hospital volunteers who visited bedridden patients like my mom—but the companionship and care they gave were invaluable and appreciated by our whole family.

Want to volunteer, but don't know where to start? Serve.gov makes it easy to find opportunities in your area. Just type in your interests, such as seniors, hunger, veterans, education, health, animals, and even technology. Then type in your city, state, or zip code—and see the amazing variety of volunteer opportunities come up. There's sure to be one that fits your time, talent, and interest.

Under the category of seniors in my area, for example, I saw a call for a snow shoveler, food distribution assistant, English as a second language instructor, computer instructor, and even volunteers to offer talks on classical music and opera!

For more volunteer opportunities, visit USA.gov's FAQ on Public Service and Volunteerism, and USA.gov's section on Volunteering Your Time. And good for you for getting serious about that New Year's resolution to volunteer to help others!