Service Nation and Servitude Nation

[memenode]

Hi,

What do you think about the Service Nation campaign? When I've been told what it's about I was pretty outraged about it because it seemed like they want to pass a bill which would force people to serve for the "common good" in some way (apparently including military drafting) while at the same time claiming it is a "voluntary" service. You get to choose between various kinds of services, but you wouldn't be able to choose not to serve at all, so it's coercive.

Apparently many people have been raising this same concern and now it turns out that they aren't actually about that bill and that they indeed are all about voluntary service and don't seek to force anyone to anything, just increase service options for those who do want to participate. Yet the Americans for National Service Act, which obviously promotes the act, remains a strong supporter of the National Service campaign.

So it seems easy to assume that even if the campaign supporters do not want coerced servitude as the end result and have something much less threatening as their goal, those who do want mandatory service are happily riding the bandwagon of this new "grassroots" movement. Add to that the implications of the term "Service Nation" and interesting timing, as well as seeming connection between this and Obama's campaign, and I think we get something a bit worrisome.. It may not be threatening right now, but the direction it may be taking doesn't seem very promising.

Meanwhile, I had an idea to start a web site that would be a counter-campaign to this sort of thing and even registered a domain and started making it, at ServitudeNation.com. Considering this last news, however (about the actual campaign not being about mandatory service and pushing of the actual act) I'm not sure if it's a thing worth doing. I don't want to head on target the campaign just to be told by the growing number of their supporters how I'm barking up the wrong tree, and actually be, for the time being, right about that.

On the other hand, I abhor the word "service" the way it's commonly used today. It is too often used to mean selfless acts of serving the "common good", a nation etc. which is just another way of putting "servitude to government". It encourages the mentality of servitude, supposedly taking responsibility for other people while as it often happens losing responsibility for your own self. So maybe I should keep the site, speak up a bit about the threats of supporting projects that imply government as the solution while promoting mentality of servitude and otherwise use the site as a news portal to cases of government abusing people.

I welcome your thoughts and suggestions about all this.

Thank you

[error]

True grassroots movements don't have "change agents."

[memenode]

True that.. good point.

[dalebert]

Ugh. Someone wrote bleh on my wall about National service on Facebook.

[dalebert]

Right as Obama is pushing for compulsory required service and the military is having trouble meeting recruiting goals thanx to the Iraq war. Also, there has been trouble brewing about Iran and a general sense that America is about to become a whole lot more imperialist around the world. At the risk of sounding a bit conspiratorial, does anyone have this nagging sense that they've put this off until just the right time for their plans to re-inspire people about the military, particularly liberals who have traditionally been anti-military? It may seem unfair that gay people have this "out" when it comes to drafts, but the truth is they always seem to relax it when it comes to drafts anyway. It only seems to be enforced with any enthusiasm when they can afford to be a little picky.

Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell: President Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve.

[K. Darien Freeheart]

They're gonna draft everyone and then invade Mexico. The writing is on the wall.

[Pat McCotter]

[T]he military is having trouble meeting recruiting goals thanx to the Iraq war.

Since the economic problems have started to escalate the Army is having no problems surpassing their recruiting goals.
Army Exceed Recruiting Goal for Fiscal Year 2008