First It Happens to the US then it Happens to Us

Are the USA and the UK imitating the policies of the USSR?

The much derided but highly informative website, Prison Planet, today reveals that the 'new policy initiatives' being mooted in the UK about compulsory voluntary service are already in the offing in the US. The website keeps a watchful eye on the actions of States around the globe and mostly on US, UK and European movements of the State towards a new brand of totalitarianism. Quite naturally the US citizens have had a suspicion of the power of the State since the founding of the US and the Civil War.

Hence the right of US citizens to bear arms, as, if the State were to become too powerful, the people would have the power to resist. This was also the reason behind the division of powers between the Executive, the Legislature and the Supreme Court. The great hope was and remains that the Executive never had too much power and the interests of the individual states would always be preserved. Yep, I did my degree in Politics so I know a little bit about this. History suggests that indeed at times of crisis, or actually at any time, to put too much trust in the State or the Government is highly dangerous.

The problems always come in times of 'national emergency', whereby the balance of power tilts at an unequal equilibrium towards the Executive. This was seen most dramatically in the wake of the 9/11 attack and the launch of the two-pronged 'War on Terror' which saw the US and the UK invade two sovereign countries in order to defeat terror. Another outcome of the attack of 9/11 was the Patriot Act which handed much more power to the Executive to call time on democracy and act without restriction in times of national emergency. Most States have this capacity, as seen when, for example, martial law was imposed during times of national emergency in Latin American countries like Argentina during the so called, 'Dirty Wars'.

So, as I mentioned yesterday, the reason the following article is interesting is because the exact same policy is now being mooted here. The policy proposal is from a Democratic Senator from Connecticut who has...

'...introduced four bills aimed at establishing a groundwork for a system of comprehensive national service. Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., says that the legislation will “create the architecture and the structure that will serve as the invitation for everyone to serve.” The Senate Bills, co-sponsored by Thad Cochran, R-Miss., are companion legislation to bills Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, introduced Tuesday in the House, calling for increases in federal spending for public service programs.

The legislation would target everyone from schoolchildren to the elderly and aim to create new bases of volunteers beyond the usual young-adult pool of service-program participants, reports The Day. Two of the bills, named the Summer of Service Act and the Semester of Service Act, are particularly aimed at middle school and high school students and will offer “credits” in return for participation in community-service programs.

Some residents and education experts are concerned that such public service programs may become part of student graduation requirements. A third bill, named The Encore Service Act, offers cash awards to people aged 55 and over who complete 250 or 500 hours of public service. In return for their service, participants would also receive an education award which could be transferred to their children or grandchildren. Some residents and education experts are concerned that such public service programs may become part of student graduation requirements.

A fourth bill, The ACTION Act, is aimed at increasing awards for AmeriCorps volunteers and reestablishing the Corporation’s connection with federal agencies. The bill would also grant the 'Corporation for National Service' Cabinet-level status under the Obama administration.
Sen. Dodd is reintroducing the bills which he previously failed to bring to a vote. Dodd told the media that the legislation is a response to President Obama’s call in his inaugural address for national service. ”People ask me why I joined - I joined because the president asked,” Dodd said. “We’ve got a president who’s asking.”

The key word here is timing. What do you do when unemployment begins to spiral out of control and the threat of civil unrest increases dramatically? What do you do with 20 million disaffected and impoverished people left stranded by the sub-prime mortgage crisis? Well, the easiest thing to do is to make people do National Service...or worse, make them join the military. The main reason Hitler managed to achieve full employment in Germany was because the nation was miltarised. If everyone's in the army, there is no unemployment. That is how awful dictatorships start. Obama's getting plaudits now for setting a timetable for the withdrawl of US troops from Iraq. Some of them will go to Afghanistan, but again the key word here is timing. He also needs them on home soil because the proverbial is hitting the fan!

Now, accuse me of scaremongering if you like, but what was the method by which Hitler and Stalin attained full employment and made people feel happier again in the midst of an economic meltdown? Err...it was National Service and demands upon people to give total loyalty to and even worship of, the State. The fact the two of them shared different ideologies was irrelevant. To them, the State owned the people, not vice versa. After years of constitutional liberty and relative economic prosperity, the State is coming out fighting in both the US and the UK and is requiring loyalty and subserviance, now that those in authority realise the chips are down and people feel 'without hope'.

By its policies it is no longer saying, "The State is here to serve the people," Instead, it is saying, "The people are here to serve the State." Notice how the US didn't make any sideswipes at China this time for human rights abuses? Not only does China own loads of US Treasury bonds, but the US are nicking all their ideas off the Communist State it so willingly denounced years ago. I have no truck with anarchists, and I don't consider myself to be a political radical...It's just that history has a habit of repeating itself...and repeating itself it is.

Some Catholics might think, 'Well what does this have to do with the Catholic faith?' The problem is that when the State becomes supreme, religion isn't tolerated. The Church is persecuted widely in China, suffered under Nazism and was banished in the Soviet bloc. Wherever the State is too powerful, there the Church suffers. The only people who don't suffer in this situation are the people who merely acquiesce.