Lest I be accused of issuing dogma, I should like to elaborate on each of the thirty points put forth on my blogs related to Election issues:
1) A voluntary civilian defense corps made up of primarily school drop-outs, and high school students not college-bound and senior citizens for nominal stipend; this corps would be organized and supervised by local enforcement agencies and paid for by Homeland Security.
School dropouts as rule are in a blind alley with literally few chances of ever going beyond a low-paying service job. This leads to low self esteem, discontent and loss of faith in oneself and the nation. Sometimes this discontent can lead to crime and or drugs. Our prisons are already overcrowded. One might argue that dropouts deserve low esteem; they should stay in school and make something of themselves. Achievement or lack thereof in schools is not only measured in grades alone, but in cultural influences of the neighborhood, let alone family background. Were the country ready to treat alternative education seriously, massive funding would be for vocational training to fit the needs of so many incompatible with academics. A national draft in many instances could very well fill this gap; that is not going to happen. The next best thing is to encourage these youths to build their esteem by actually doing something for a community that has failed them.
Even for the high school graduate disillusionment sets in from the realization that his academic training is not going to lead him to college as the result of his course of study, requiring either scholarships for which he does not qualify or lacking financial help from family. With a civil defense corps he is offered an alternative to be employed in something important in lieu of settling for a counter job at 7/11.
Many retired seniors who do not have the luxury of supplementary pensions, allowing such to do volunteer work at hospitals and other community organizations, he must apply for part-time work at neighboring stores to supplement his living costs. Would he not be useful as a canine trainer or at least care for these bomb-sniffing experts? Would he not be useful in supervising school playgrounds to prevent kidnapers and perverts that could very well also be the next plan for terrorists to hold hostage our cherished children?
The short of it is that an effective homeland security requires bodies to defend our power plants, state buildings, transportation systems, and close inspection of cargo imports.
Copyright © 2004 Richard R. Kennedy All rights reserved. Revised: March 1, 2004.