Last Chance Cafe

When you see the poor bastards in bright orange vests along the roadside picking up garbage, chances are that they have committed some offense against society. They have been impressed, dragooned, Shanghaied, convicted. They are not there willingly. Some, you can have no doubt, have asked the 'judge' that they may serve their time in jail and have been denied. This is punitive embarrassment my friends, every bit as humiliating as being pilloried or bound in stocks in the middle of some eighteenth century town square.

They are not murderers nor have they been found guilty of aiding and abetting the enemy. We're talking about the common shoplifter and lunch time imbiber found to have been behind the wheel at around point-oh-eight. They are not threats to the Republic but as a society we have found them wanting in social grace and have determined to make them pay. As they have committed offense to the community we find it just that they perform a service to the community in return.

My friend Gail has just returned from a trip to the Southeast where she witnessed a chain gang, I believe she said in Georgia. I remember from my childhood driving from Jersey to Florida with my parents on the Disneyland route and seeing the same thing. How much could the contrast be- a three-day pass to the happiest place on earth or working in the hot sun chained to the fella next to you? Here in California we are chain-free, but I'm guessing that the gang in Georgia might include an offender of a slightly higher caliber.

Today, people aspiring to rule our country, want to turn us all into a virtual chain gang. They want to require our youth to be legally committed to community service for a certain number of years. Aside from the insane economics of it all I would personally like someone to explain to me what part of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" that this addresses? In what sense is this liberal or progressive? How is this conservative? Is this really the middle of the road or moderate position?

These are rhetorical questions of course, for as a society we've gone beyond what the communists and socialists had planned for us. We're calling for our own mass enslavement, and liking it. We have a duty to the State, not for the defense of our nation and our way of life, but for the principal of it. That the State exists is reason enough to serve it. The same folks who said the draft was wrong and are repulsed by our volunteer military yet call for obligatory service to the State for other correct purposes.

It's not a joke anymore. I see us looking at a critical mass where we will need to fight for every scrap of liberty we have left.

Am I going over the top on this? Is it hyperbole? I personally don't think so, but I do feel like Cassandra. As a small demonstration as to how mainstream this movement is I offer the following criticism of John McCain for his lack of zeal in this regard by Ben Adler published on the Politico web site on July 13th of this year:

John McCain, who’s predicated his presidential run in no small part on his distinguished military record, frequently exhorts Americans — and especially young Americans — to serve their country. Despite that appeal, he has yet to offer any proposals to expand or transform national service outside of the military.

Barack Obama, by contrast, has proposed dramatically expanding Americorps and the Peace Corps, adding 65,000 members to the military and creating an annual $4,000 tax credit for post-secondary education in exchange for 100 hours of community service.

Ouch, that must have hurt, because it rated a response:

"John McCain has constantly spoken to the need for young Americans to serve a cause greater than their self-interest," said McCain spokesman Joseph Pounder. "McCain's campaign is all about a cause greater than yourself," echoed Jessica Colon, chairwoman of the Young Republican National Federation.

If you don't see the twisted logic of this yet, please allow me to introduce you to Service Nation.

ServiceNation [sic] is about an America that is ruggedly idealistic, compassionate, and above all committed to the idea of shared sacrifice in pursuit of America’s boldest promise: liberty and justice for all.

America's boldest promise: shared sacrifice in pursuit of liberty and justice for all. Sorry, that's not my country, that's not my vision and those aren't my ideals. I'm all about the original idea of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Is that selfish? If you think so you are my problem.

What to do? I haven't a clue, but I've only just touched on this lemming like movement to mass self-flagellation. For those of you who think we have a choice in all of this I would direct your attention to the first of this year's Presidential debates scheduled for September 11th in New York City. The forum will be called "A Nation of Service" and will be sponsored by the previously noted and linked Service Nation organization. John McCain is quoted as saying:

“I am pleased to be participating in the ServiceNation [sic] Summit in New York City. The Summit will be an important remembrance of those that made the ultimate sacrifice serving their country and others as we focus on how to inspire others to serve causes greater than their own self-interest through national and community service."

Perhaps McCain calls out "those that made the ultimate sacrifice" because they're not here to defend themselves anymore. I know that I certainly didn't volunteer three years of my young life so that I could force others to clean bedpans and such, but then I'm not dead yet so I lack moral superiority.

So much for the Republican position, so, where does our Democratic candidate stand on this issue?

On July 2, 2008, in a speech at Colorado Springs, Barack Obama (as presumptive Democratic Party nominee) made another reference to such legislation when he called for the creation of a "national civilian military service" by saying: "We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives 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." Obama then went on to explain his vision of a national service program similar to the one he outlined in the MTV/MySpace forum, saying he would make federal assistance to schools contingent to school districts establishing service programs, with a goal of 50 hours of service per year for middle school and high school students, and 100 hours of service per year for college students.

So that, my fine feathered friends, is how it begins. A vote for Obama is a vote for enslavement, or more properly, for indentured servitude, for our publicly educated youth.

To the youngsters that may one day stumble across this lost diatribe you'll now know that if mommy or daddy can't buy your way out by sending you to a privately funded school you will be a tool of the State. A little baksheesh may get you a plum position lording it over your fellow tools, but you'll still be a tool.

What was your offense that got you here? You were born to a wannabe tool.

For my Republican friends I would like to ask how the hell is throwing your support behind McCain going to make any difference with a Democratic congress when he's ready to bend over for these people on September 11th? Is this what being a "Maverick" means? There's a place where the sun don't shine and I hope you're all comfortable up inside there. You will deserve it.