WHO might be signing up for the volunteer civilian reserve corps?

I'm stumped. And second question, why?

1) Really poor people who can't find a job even in this awesome, republican-led economy.
2) Political cronies and referrals from The Heritage Foundation to manage and supervise the poor people.

I don't know, but the idea makes me very uneasy.

But they are doing it to bust the government workers union and to get cheap labor for military subcontractors.

It is also a way to force feed young people with propaganda, much like Hitler did before WWII was started.

Brownshirts. Hitler youth.


Its a little too late for Prezdent Monkeynuts to do it now, methinks.

He should have started that back in 03-04.



He'd such a third rate dictator.

to make this sound like an updated version of the Peace Corps and VISTA.

props to DUer YOY for this yuck-yuck...

Civilian Volunteer Service Reserve Act.
H.R.2724
Title: To establish a national Civilian Volunteer Service Reserve program, a national volunteer service corps ready for service in response to domestic or international emergencies.
Sponsor: Rep Rangel, Charles B. (introduced 5/26/2005)

SUMMARY AS OF:
5/26/2005--Introduced.

Civilian Volunteer Service Reserve Act - Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish the Civilian Volunteer Service Reserve to respond to domestic or international emergencies or other circumstances determined by the President.

Permits a U.S. citizen or legal resident over the age of 18 to enroll for a five-year commitment in the Reserve during which he or she shall be expected to serve in a full-time active duty status for six months.

Authorizes the President to issue a voluntary call of action as an executive order to mobilize members of the Civilian Reserve to active duty status in times of emergency. Allows members of the Civilian Reserve to accept or decline a call to action except under extreme circumstances that require mandatory mobilization.

Prescribes benefits and reemployment protection for members serving in full-time active duty status.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR02724:@@@D&summ2=m&

Charlie Rangel also introduced a bill to re-institute the draft. Is this just a back-end way of getting a draft of civilians?

...not an advocate of creating another branch of the volunteer military, a "military lite".

Reading HR2724 - the volunteers, the contract, the clause allowing Pres to declare emergency and mobilize personel to active duty status, sounds alot like another branch of the military - just without guns(?). Sounds kinda "bait and switch" to me...

I like to think Rangel had good intentions, & he has highlighted the importance of national sacrifice. But this proposal is being highjacked by Bushco to smooth the way to a military increase. In Bush's speech, he also talked about increasing the military by another 50,000 troops? Where is he going to get those people? Is this "corp" part of the increase? IMO, they're using this "volunteer corp" as another way to outsource military duties. I also don't like that the whole corp is organized under DHS - do we really need a domestic "Homeland Security Army?".

Finally, the most interesting thing to me is the pay:

"(c) Stipend- members of the Civilian Reserve serving in full-time active duty status shall receive a stipend in order to pay for necessary cost of living expenses, for such period of full-time active duty status. The amount of the stipend shall be determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security."

There's no salary, or hourly pay, but only a "stipend" to cover costs. That's much less than soldiers, Halliburton employees or federal workers. It's basically slave labor. In exchange, the corp member promises to serve up to 6 years abroad. WHO would sign up for this?

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

"" A second task we can take on together is to design and establish a volunteer Civilian Reserve Corps. Such a corps would function much like our military reserve. It would ease the burden on the Armed Forces by allowing us to hire civilians with critical skills to serve on missions abroad when America needs them. And it would give people across America who do not wear the uniform a chance to serve in the defining struggle of our time.""


This is another way to get people to sign away their rights to a totalitarian military industrial complex.

CRITICAL SKILLS. ABROAD.

and who sets the limitations, benefits and guarantees for this service? a president run amok maybe? who cuts their benefits and discards them when they are no longer useful? who takes who he wants where and when and the families at home suffer?

bad, bad, bad idea if its implemented how I think they would want.

"defining struggle of our time". :puke:

Followed by Jenna and Not Jenna.

I'm sure there is something they can do over there.

I first thought, perhaps,it would be a core group of volunteers who would be trained and then called up when national disasters hit our country - much like Katrina or even Sept 11th.

But essentially he's contracting out the military so we don't have the responsiblity of paying for their recovery, health insurance, etc. etc. etc.

W wants to shift troops into combat roles and subsequently backfill their former, non-combat assignments to civilian employees.

The former mess hall cook will now carry a gun instead of a spatula, and his old job is shifted to the new Civilian War Corps...

For real. If it were something like the Peace Corp, sending people to help poorer countries prosper and improve conditions. But this is probably more like a migrant worker corps - to send people to work for Halliburton on the taxpayer's dime. No thanks.

taking place in a Peace Corps frame, but I can't help but think it's another name for a draft, with no strings attached.

Especially now that I see where he got the idea from. Rangel originally proposed this civilian corps idea along w/his proposal for a military draft. It seems like another way of sneaking into a draft. Really, when has Bush ever supported volunteerism? His response after 9/11 & Katrina was "go shopping." Suddenly, he's embracing the idea of national sacrifice? No, this benefits him.

we got Halliburton

I, for one, wouldn't mind joining the National Guard after I retire from the Navy, if I thought it would mainly mean helping out after disasters, and not being the first soldier off the bench in the unending War on Terr.

This civilian volunteer reserve corps sounds like it would be a lot like the National Guard without the guns. That's a pretty damn good weekend job for working-class people, who have enough problems without so-called Democrats sneering at their beer guts and mullets.

Now, since it does sound like a Democratic idea, you can guarantee it will never be heard from again; that's Bush's MO.

From Bush's SOTU speech: "It would ease the burden on the Armed Forces by allowing us to hire civilians with critical skills to serve on missions abroad when America needs them."

Read: Iraq. This corp would not work in the US, and would not work on weekends. Bush could care less about having volunteers for national disasters - look at Katrina. This isn't about helping out, and it certainly isn't about replacing the National Guard at home. It's more warm bodies for Bush's wars - that's it. I do agree though, that we'll most likely never hear of this again - just like human/animal hybrids, the trip to Mars, and Bush's other SOTU "initiatives."

Did you read the damn thread?

From the DU rules:
Civility: Treat other members with respect. Do not post personal attacks against other members of this discussion forum.

PS Get over yourself.

I didn't want to call out any individuals. But the picture of Cletus and Raylene? You're telling me that's not classist? I was born in a trailer park, and that shit ain't all that fuckin' funny.

I could support you on "classist jerk" (singular).

But, I didn't want to attack an individual, so instead attacked a group. Hmm. Perhaps not such a wise decision.

In fact I'm scheduled to work on Habitat for Humanity project next month.

I do have issues with doing anything that will help feed the war juggernaut that is the United States Government--it's bad enough I have to give up a percentage of my earnings to help pay for it.

I think the concept of enlisting into a "guaranteed" non-combat role within the Civilian Reserve makes alot of sense for recruiting purposes (and Lord knows what wonders the Iraq War has done for National Guard recruiting), but I wonder if there isn't an incentive for Bush to use this new "military lite" as an excuse to shift current troops into active combat roles, and backfill their old, non-combat positions with the new Civilian Reserve.

I'm wrong, shut me the fuck up. It's a retarded idea to enlist Halliburtonees into a pre-existing contract, so they can pay them a hell of a lot less to come over to places like this, instead of the mind-boggling salaries they currently get (friend of mine, ex-Army staff sergeant, makes $1,000 a day to edit video over here). Never mind.

I still don't like the cracks about "who would sign up for this," though, implying that it would be toothless yokels.

And I suspect he's hoping to get some specialist skills, like doctors and nurses, as cheaply as possible. And maybe one or two things like 'prison guard' (not that I'd trust them to use experienced guards), to free up soldiers for combat duty - again, on the cheap.

However, signing up for the Volunteer Civilian Reserve Corps would be a fine way for them to set an example.

But--what are their "special skills"?