McChrystal on "service"

[BrianFromWA]

An excerpt from his article:

We have let the concept of service become dangerously narrow, often associated only with the military. This allows most Americans to avoid the sense of responsibility essential for us to care for our nation—and for each other. We expect and demand less of ourselves than we should.
And now it is time to fix it.
“Service member” should not apply only to those in uniform, but to us all.
The concept of national service is not new, nor is it outdated. When America needs it, national service is the personal obligation of every American. And she needs it now.
All of us bear an obligation to serve—an obligation that goes beyond paying taxes, voting, or adhering to the law. America is falling short in endeavors that occur far away from any battlefield: education, science, politics, the environment, and cultivating leadership, among others.
Without a sustained focus on these foundations of our society, America’s long-term security and prosperity are at risk.
We live in a nation of rights, and jealously defend them.
Thomas Jefferson drew upon the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment’s finest minds to articulate the concept of “inalienable rights” in defining the essential freedoms guaranteed to Americans in the new republic.
Those rights are sacred. We fought a war to make the Declaration’s statement of rights a reality, and have sacrificed since to defend them.
But as important as those inalienable rights are, there are also inalienable responsibilities that we must accept and fulfill. Those responsibilities are wider than are often perceived or accepted. Just as we have allowed the term “service member” to apply solely to the military, we have allowed the obligations of citizenship to narrow.

 

[Haakzilla]

[video=youtube;nUXtyIQjubU]

 

[MARIS61]

[video=youtube;nUXtyIQjubU]

America's last, and maybe only, honest President.

 

[BrianFromWA]

In what I'm sure is a complete coincidence, he was also the last career military guy to be President.

 

[MARIS61]

In what I'm sure is a complete coincidence, he was also the last career military guy to be President.

He was also the last to have any real control of the country.

Sure can't say he didn't warn us.

 

[Denny Crane]

When he was president, Democrats called him stupid and dumb and all the things they called GW Bush.

 

[barfo]

When he was president, Democrats called him stupid and dumb and all the things they called GW Bush.

What's your point? GW Bush = Eisenhower? Don't think so. Both had their positives and negatives but they were very different.

barfo

 

[Denny Crane]

What's your point? GW Bush = Eisenhower? Don't think so. Both had their positives and negatives but they were very different.

barfo

My points would be that the blistering attacks against presidents are hardly new, and the ones that Democrats call "dumb" end up with two terms.

 

[barfo]

My points would be that the blistering attacks against presidents are hardly new, and the ones that Democrats call "dumb" end up with two terms.

Deep. And one of the ones that Republicans call dumb ends up with 4 terms.

barfo

 

[Denny Crane]

Deep. And one of the ones that Republicans call dumb ends up with 4 terms.

barfo

Dumb? I don't think anyone called FDR dumb.

Dangerous, perhaps. Serving 4 terms is rather counter to the American way, before him or since. And that's just for starters. Packing the supreme court doesn't seem very constitutional, either.