What are Barack Obama's Books About?

[OmCheeto]

It's a slippery slope...flag draped coffins are one issue...body bags another...we need to respect the dead and their families.

He needs to be clear.

Yes. I thought about this a bit more and decided it would just open up a pandora's box of paparazzi and media buttheads trying to get a good clear shot of tears and asking stupid questions like, "how do you feel?", etc, etc.

But getting back to understanding Barack, I ran across a brief article about him:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2007/12/13/ST2007121301893.html"

By Kevin Merida
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 14, 2007; Page A12

This undated photo released by Obama for America shows Barack Obama and his father, also named Barack Obama. Obama's father left the family to study at Harvard when Barack was just two, returning only once. Obama wrote poignantly about this visit in his memoir, remembering the basketball his father gave him, the African records they danced to, the Dave Brubeck concert they attended. Obama, then 10, never saw his father again.

 

[WhoWee]

Can anyone explain this yet?

 

[Scuzzle]

I've thought about that, and after listening to all of the talking heads and radio personalities, I've decided that he isn't calling for a literal civilian military. It's likely that his idea of a "civilian security force" is an organization, or group of organizations, who are given the task of communicating the Democrat values and principles (or, more importantly, his values and principles) to America. He'll count on millions of volunteers to wage a constant, yet passive, advertising campaign for his agenda. Think "Obama's Witnesses".

 

[WhoWee]

I've thought about that, and after listening to all of the talking heads and radio personalities, I've decided that he isn't calling for a literal civilian military. It's likely that his idea of a "civilian security force" is an organization, or group of organizations, who are given the task of communicating the Democrat values and principles (or, more importantly, his values and principles) to America. He'll count on millions of volunteers to wage a constant, yet passive, advertising campaign for his agenda. Think "Obama's Witnesses".

Like ACORN?

 

[WhoWee]

I've thought about that, and after listening to all of the talking heads and radio personalities, I've decided that he isn't calling for a literal civilian military. It's likely that his idea of a "civilian security force" is an organization, or group of organizations, who are given the task of communicating the Democrat values and principles (or, more importantly, his values and principles) to America. He'll count on millions of volunteers to wage a constant, yet passive, advertising campaign for his agenda. Think "Obama's Witnesses".

Those are not his words:

 

[Art]

Here is a link to his whole speech on 'service'. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Df2p6867_pw&NR=1

He is talking about people volunteering for non-profit charities with greater financial support from the gov't. He gives an example of a Harlem group *Harlem Children's Zone" who help and mentor children from deprived backgrounds.

His stated goal is to have more people involved in their communities to improve their environment. For example by having students help weatherise homes it not only helps the less well off but also helps with America's security as it reduces dependence on foreign oil. By having community groups tackle the reasons behind gang violence it also helps with security both directly though less violence and indirectly through freeing up police resources.

Tellingly, some people here seem to have automatically equated service and security with some form of military service and military goals which is not the sense in which he was using the term and highlights perhaps why this speech needed to be made. There are many more ways to serve one's country than donning a uniform and carrying a gun. Any notion he was calling for a 'civilian military' or a Democratic fifth column is not only utter nonsense but is the complete opposite of the message he was communicatimg as is plainly obvious when one listens to the whole speech, though given the selective nature of the section of his speech quoted one can see why it could be open to misinterpretation to the gullible which was no doubt the intention of whoever posted it on YouTube.

 

[BoomBoom]

Can anyone explain this yet?

It is amusing how they can take a little clip and completely disregard the context of what he was actually talking about and clip the words just so it sounds like he is discussing something else...specifically to distort the message.

In another clip (of the same speech) that included just a few words before your clip started, the true message is clear. Those words were: "by 2011, to renew our diplomacy.". He is obviously talking of diplomatic efforts.

Simply ridiculous...


EDIT: I just noticed Art posted the whole speech as I was typing. (listening now) Thanks, for that...hopefully it will clear up things for the conspiracy theory nuts.

 

[BoomBoom]

Indeed after listening to the speech, preceding the clip being mis-characterized he says: "we will double the size of our peace corps by 2011, to renew our diplomacy." ...ooooh scary!

Look for yourselves, it starts at about 16:35 in the speech that Art linked above.