Friday, September 5, 2008

Obama and Public Allies: Boot Camp for Radicals?

Investors Business Daily published an editorial, headlined "Michelle's Boot Camp For Radicals," yesterday linking Obama and his wife Michelle to a non-profit community activist group called Public Allies, in which it said was a radical protest group against the military that Obama hopes to federally fund. Parts of the editorial read:

Barack Obama was a founding member of the board of Public Allies in 1992, resigning before his wife became executive director of the Chicago chapter of Public Allies in 1993. Obama plans to use the nonprofit group, which he features on his campaign Web site, as the model for a national service corps. He calls his Orwellian program, "Universal Voluntary Public Service."

Big Brother had nothing on the Obamas. They plan to herd American youth into government-funded reeducation camps where they'll be brainwashed into thinking America is a racist, oppressive place in need of "social change."

The pitch Public Allies makes on its Web site doesn't seem all that radical. It promises to place young adults (18-30) in paid one-year "community leadership" positions with nonprofit or government agencies. They'll also be required to attend weekly training workshops and three retreats.

In exchange, they'll get a monthly stipend of up to $1,800, plus paid health and child care. They also get a post-service education award of $4,725 that can be used to pay off past student loans or fund future education.

But its real mission is to radicalize American youth and use them to bring about "social change" through threats, pressure, tension and confrontation — the tactics used by the father of community organizing, Saul "The Red" Alinsky.

"Our alumni are more than twice as likely as 18-34 year olds to . . . engage in protest activities," Public Allies boasts in a document found with its tax filings. It has already deployed an army of 2,200 community organizers like Obama to agitate for "justice" and "equality" in his hometown of Chicago and other U.S. cities, including Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York, Phoenix, Pittsburgh and Washington. "I get to practice being an activist," and get paid for it, gushed Cincinnati recruit Amy Vincent.


The editorial continues:

The Obamas discourage work in the private sector. "Don't go into corporate America," Michelle has exhorted youth. "Work for the community. Be social workers." Shun the "money culture," Barack added. "Individual salvation depends on collective salvation."

"If you commit to serving your community," he pledged in his Denver acceptance speech, "we will make sure you can afford a college education." So, go through government to go to college, and then go back into government.

9 comments:

whatnext said...

OK. So, Obama...if no one is working in the private sector, who's PAYING for silly little groups like Public Allies? Socialism is inevitably and always a terminal disease for just that reason. Eventually the waiter comes with the check, and SOMEONE has to pay.

Anonymous said...

It is so appalling that people have to spread these lies, to scare people into voting for McCain. As the pro-life mom of a special needs child, I know the importance of the issues; economy, health care, war, environment, home foreclosures, etc.

McCain and Palin (who is an earmark queen and wanted the "bridge to nowhere" before it was a good political move to be against it) have given nothing but Bush policies on the issues that matter to people's lives.

Though it may be tempting to think those who fall for these scare tactics, get what they deserve with a Palin presidency, the rest of us don't deserve it. So, come on everybody, think!...why are they trying to scare us?...Remember, we have seen this before and it has led to almost 8 years of destruction of the middle class, the environment, our rights, etc.

BTW, I made reference to President Palin on purpose. According to insurance statistics using actuary tables, only 1 in 3 men will live to be 80 years old. That means if McCain were to get 2 terms, the USA would have a 2 out of 3 chance of having President Palin. The campaign keeps showing McCain’s mother as proof of family longevity, but statistics show women live longer. John McCain, who has had health problems, is now 72 years old…his dad died at the age of 70 and his grandfather died at the age of 63.

Palin has been no advocate for special needs families, no reformer, but has been caught in numerous giant fibs, lies, untruths...whatever you want to call them. If we want our children to tell the truth, how can we keep electing Presidents that don't.

Please check out these links:
http://blog.pdamerica.org/?p=2093#more-2093
Republican, Barney Smith http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuAVw_v3br8 lost his job after 31 years when his job was out sourced.
Palin pursued a vendetta trying to get her ex-brother-in-law fired and when his superior refused, she fired the superior. That’s too much like Dick Cheney for my taste. Here’s a link to an ABC report: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOBWZ7Jocc8
Palin's affiliation with the Alaskan Independence Party: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Re0vmbtHK8 I’m just flabbergasted that Obama has attacked as not a patriot, and Palin was involved with that group. "We’re Alaskans; not Americans"!?! Can a candidate be patriot and want to secede from the USA? In my thinking takes more patriotism to be involved in the nitty gritty community organizing that Obama did, than to just say we don’t like things, so let’s stop being a part of the USA like Palin's cohorts do.
Finally, here's Obama’s speech that actually addresses specific ideas on how to make the USA stronger economically, environmentally, and in our national security, go to: “Keeping the Promise to America” Speech: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/26447607#26447607
Peace be with you!
Nicole, Pro-life mother to a daughter with Autism.

Anonymous said...

It is amazing that people will take a distorted smear job and distort it further without any critical thinking or objective research.

Public Allies is not a radical organization. In fact, the Bush administration tripled its funding, named them a model of faith-based and community initiatives, and hired them to help other nonprofits improve their services (they teach people how to fish rather than give them fish). Also, John McCain has championed and called for more than tripling AmeriCorps programs like Public Allies if he is elected.

The organization does not sponsor, endorse or participate in partisan or protest activities whatsoever and its service is conducted in partnership with groups like American Red Cross, Boys and Girls Clubs, faith-based organizations, and even charter and choice schools.

The organization’s leadership curriculum is fairly similar to the types of leadership curricula that FORTUNE 500 companies use. Public Allies’ effective management and business savvy led Fast Company Magazine to give them a “Social Capitalist Award.”

It is a shame that people will make up “facts” and distort information to attack a good organization because the Obamas have supported it.

Get Off That Bullshit said...

I'm a white, Republican, straight, male graduate of the Public Allies program. My placement involved teaching impoverished, inner-city kids how to read. If that's this author's idea of "radical indoctrination", his perspective on society terrifies me.

It's appalling to see the current attack on public service come from my own party, whose nominee implored people to "get involved" to make their country better, offering a laundry list of possible public service opportunities - all things you might find a Public Ally doing on a daily basis.

ryo said...

It is amazing that people will take a distorted smear job and distort it further without any critical thinking or objective research.

Public Allies is not a radical organization. In fact, the Bush administration tripled its funding, named them a model of faith-based and community initiatives, and hired them to help other nonprofits improve their services (they teach people how to fish rather than give them fish). Also, John McCain has championed and called for more than tripling AmeriCorps programs like Public Allies if he is elected.

The organization does not sponsor, endorse or participate in partisan or protest activities whatsoever and its service is conducted in partnership with groups like American Red Cross, Boys and Girls Clubs, faith-based organizations, and even charter and choice schools.

The organization’s leadership curriculum is fairly similar to the types of leadership curricula that FORTUNE 500 companies use. Public Allies’ effective management and business savvy led Fast Company Magazine to give them a “Social Capitalist Award.”

It is a shame that people will make up “facts” and distort information to attack a good organization because the Obamas have supported it.

Anonymous said...

This is another reason why you should think twice before believing what you read as "news". This article is absurd and completely WRONG.

I was also a Public Ally, after graduating college, before going back to school for a Masters Degree in Public Administration. I now work in City government using GIS mapping technology to make better decisions for the spending of our taxpayer money. The AmeriCorps educational grant gave me the opportunity to obtain my Masters and excel in my career.

Please don't believe CRAP like this. Where would our country be without devoted public servants filling your potholes, running your trains, housing children without families, and providing medical services to the elderly? If caring about your community and devoting a year of your life to community service is wrong, I guess Public Allies is guilty.

Nikki C.
Public Allies Alumni

Anonymous said...

After college I participated in the Public Allies program for one year. I was placed with a faith based, non-profit organization that helps homeless, single mothers become productive citizens who are able to support their families. It was a service to my country and fellow American citizens that I am very proud of - nothing at all like the 'radical boot camp' described here. Please, do some objective research next time.

Anonymous said...

I was a registered Republican and Bob Dole supporter when I was in Public Allies. Many of the non-profit sector placements at the time were with faith-based organization, and social change was defined very broadly. At the time, as a Republican, I embraced social changes as meaning improving the lives of poor people by building work skills and initiative. I stayed an extra year to work on Wisconsin's quite conservative W-2 Welfare Reform, created by Tommy Thompson and touted for year by Republicans as a model welfare reform. I found the Public Allies organization to be completely non-partisan in regard to me and my work.

The article really speaks to the core reasons I am no longer a Republican. Republican politics became so vitriolic and so much based in the exploitation of social wedges that it completely eroded a responsible Republican's ability to be a compassionate citizen who respects the views of others and works collaboratively to solve problems. Our way or the highway thinking is weakening the fabric of our sense of shared nationhood, purely in the pursuit of short-term political gains.

CarolynsVoice said...

I can not believe these remarks. I realized just how dangerous of a path Obama, or should I say Barry Soetoro, was taking us. I defy you all to tell me just ONE campaign promise that he kept. You people who were in Public Allies are sheep. Are you all believer in Alinsky?

He rammed the health care law down of throats using tactics such as, Deemed Passed" and "Reconciliation". "We have to pass the bill to find out what's in it", said Nancy Pelosi. T is unconstitutional. Even with a majority in both houses, he had to make sleezy backroom deals to get it passed.

Do you realize at the last G-20 summit the members implemented the "Canada Action Plan for Jobs Growth", co-sponsored by India. It is "a wide range blueprint for building foundation of renewed world wide growth". Wow! As leaders of the free world, weren't we suppose to do that? Canada was the first nation to return to pre- recession levels.

I write have been a blogcast since Sept. 2009 about Obama's lies and broken promises and HOW he is manipulating his followers. Hitler did it the same way. If you don't believe me go to one that I wrote on Oct. 10, 2009 http://www.carolynsvoice.net /2009/10/history-story.html. If you want to keep up on what really is going on read www.CarolynsVoice.net If you want to leave a message, you're more then welcome to.