The "Give Act." Not what it seems?

Ok, ok. My buddies in the comments want us to take a good long look at "The Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act" that passed the house yesterday. Now it goes to the Senate.

Whenever something is named in such a gobbly gook feel good wordy mess, you know you have something to worry about.

I don't think I'm quite where Gateway Pundit is by calling it "The Hitler Youth Bill," but am I bothered by it? You bet.

You can't get to the actual bill right now because of overload, but here is a summary.

Fox News reported that "“The legislation, slated to cost $6 billion over five years, would create 175,000 “new service opportunities” under AmeriCorps, bringing the number of participants in the national volunteer program to 250,000. It would also create additional “corps” to expand the reach of volunteerism into new sectors, including a Clean Energy Corps, Education Corps, Healthy Futures Corps and Veterans Service Corps, and it expands the National Civilian Community Corps to focus on additional areas like disaster relief and energy conservation.”

Gateway Pundit reports that Section 120 of the bill also discusses the “Youth Engagement Zone Program” and states that “service learning” will be “a mandatory part of the curriculum in all of the secondary schools served by the local educational agency”.

Yeah, it's that "mandatory" thing that brings us to the Hitler reference. If that is indeed true, then we should fight this with every ounce of strength we have. You don't MANDATE volunteerism. Yeah, because then it is no longer a volunteer thing.

There is no way on (if you will pardon the term) God's green earth I am going to let my children "serve' this country in some faux named "Clean Energy Corps" that is nothing more than the Al Gore school of global warming and melting icebergs. Obama and the Democrats could call it "the God's Green Earth Corp" and we would still know exactly what they are talking about; expensive energy alternatives that do not include the cleanest and most inexpensive and efficient energy of all......nuclear energy. Nor will it include shedding of our dependency on foreign oil by drilling more of our own oil and gas right here in our back yard.

As you read through the "public service" gobbly gook it's interesting to note that religion shall have no part in it. RB says in the comments that Congressman George Miller (D-CA) has attached Amendment 49 to this bill that includes language that would prohibits participants from:

(7) Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of religious proselytization.

No Christians or any person of faith need apply unless you leave your faith at the door of "public service." Wow.

This is the dream of Obama. An ever expanding government to "better" our lives. This is truly unprecedented. Having Washington force participating states and organizations to permanently depend on the government for their service activities.

It may not be "Hitler's Youth," but it is almost as disturbing.


Update: Kat says in the comments that the "mandatory" language didn't make it into the Senate bill. Thank goodness. But can't more language be put in at the Senate level? Let's keep a watch on that. It seems with everything else going on, no one seems to be paying much attention to this.