Seven Years Later, a Service Mandate

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK -- It seems appropriate that on the seventh anniversary of the attacks of September 11th, both presidential candidates are here in New York, at a university, calling upon the need for national service.

As an entering college freshman, I was ready for that call after September 11th, 2001. The powerlessness I experienced on that day was utterly and pervasively overwhelming. Despite my greatest hopes, I could not catch those who threw themselves hundreds of stories out of a burning skyscraper. Despite my strongest prayers, I could not keep the towers from tumbling down, one after the other.

What could I do? How could I help? How should I serve?

The response I received from President Bush was disappointing. On September 15th, when asked what sacrifices Americans should be expected to make, he stated, "Our hope, of course, is that they make no sacrifice whatsoever... I urge people to go to their business on Monday."

Go to my business? I was a student choosing a course of study that would inform my ultimate career path. I wanted my leadership to frame for me the new challenges our country would undoubtedly face in a post-9/11 world, so that I could structure my studies to meet those challenges. And I was told to go shopping?

To his credit, John McCain has criticized the tremendous opportunity lost to call upon all Americans to serve in that moment of need. "After 9/11, I think we made a mistake by telling Americans they ought to go on a trip, or shop. I think we should've told Americans to join the military, the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, volunteer organizations -- all of the organizations that allow people to serve this nation." Tonight he reiterated that position, stating "obviously at that time we needed to take advantage of the unity [...] to ask for a concrete plan of action on the need for us all to serve."

But I remain suspect of what McCain means when he speaks of "service." Every time he mentions it, his first reference is to the military. At one point in the conversation, McCain criticized Columbia's policy of disallowing the ROTC from recruiting members on campus. With all due respect to Mr. McCain, I went to an undergraduate institution that did allow such recruitment, which was marketed as "leadership training" for "weekend warriors." Those former classmates are now serving in Iraq in a conflict that was conducted based on false premises. Although they serve proudly, they had no reason to suspect in 2001 that our country would be in Baghdad in 2008.

Paradoxically to the traditions of his party, McCain's conception of service entails an individual subsuming his or herself within the larger constructs of a hierarchical organization. It is Obama's success story which reflects the merits of the social entrepreneur, self-organizing from the outside to reform within, to effect beneficial change.

That is why it is particularly bothersome to me that in her acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, Sarah Palin chose to deride Obama's service as a community organizer. It seems worth noting that as the leader of ProjectVote, Obama helped to register more voters (150,000) than the number who voted for Palin in the 2006 Alaskan gubernatorial election (114,697).

"Inspiring young people to serve is something the president is uniquely positioned to do," Obama said tonight. "We should encourage young people, the best and the brightest, to get involved in public service. I want every young person around this country to realize that they will not realize their full potential until they hitch their wagons to something bigger."

That is a sentiment I wish the president would've expressed seven years ago today.

Jonathan Host is a graduate student at Columbia University's School for International and Public Affairs.

Comments

[Zoolie]

Regardless of his election fairy tales, McCan's philosophy is that of the conservatives. It's "Survival of the fittest" and "Every man for himself". Milk the masses and grab all you can. His record clearly shows a refusal to support anything that benefits the "commoners". He's in that group of "entitled", and wants to keep the status quo. One example is his lack of support of veterans. Why improve their lives when we can keep them subserviant?

[aramos]

Mark my words, it will be a Democrat that institutes the draft, not a Republican.

[huntunseasun]

every able bodied American SHOULD serve their country. And there should be a draft NOW.

[darker]

For McCain, service for YOU ALL means: GUN FODDER for big oil and other WAR PROFITEER CORPORATIONS stealing YOUR MONEY FROM USTREASURY and laughing all the way to their off-shore bank accounts! hahahahaaa­aaaaa...ha­hahahaaaaa­aa...

Meanwhile
Republicans have mastered VOTER MANIPULATION.
they use SENSATIONALIST SOUND BITES PRETENDING to "connect" with the issues working class/middle class are ANGRY about.

LIES AND COMMENTS that RESONATE with angry people are what Republican PUBLICITY LIARS hatch daily .
Angry voters are NOT RATIONAL.
They'll vote for whoever you get them ANGRY at.

Voters are steered to VOTE AGAINST THEIR OWN INTEREST by a greedy old party that laughs all the way to the bank, at YOUR expense!

[maxiemom]

It still disturbs me that recruiters are positioned on high school campuses: put there because of Bush's (and Republicans') convoluted educational ideas and this obscene and baseless war. Those kids: can't drink a beer; haven't even graduated from high school; can't vote. Yet they can sign up for the military right in their own high school.

McCain doesn't think any other kind of service to this country but the military matters. He makes it clear every time he answers a question involving or even talks about service. He did say he wasn't opposed to the draft, remember.

McCain's a hawk. He thinks in black and white terms, blow 'em up, shoot 'em down, kill 'em all.

We cannot afford a President McCain.

[etcetera]

I was in the military, just a few months out of basic training, when the attacks happened. I remember watching the president when he told people to go about their business, to go shopping. I remember the sinking feeling I got in my stomach, when he said it. I remember senior military personnel saying in hushed tones that we were all screwed, that the president would find a way to make this about Iraq. I remember not believing them. I remember the huge betrayal by the Bush administration. Please, if you support our troops, don't' vote for McCain.

[stayinsouth1981]

ETC, I have to agree with you. My father, 26 year vet of USN, said a similar thing. He also added there must be something they are all hiding. Ever since Vietnam, I've been suspiciousm very suspicious of this stuff they spout off.

I just Emailed McCain's campaign regarding my disgust over his insinuation that Obama is somehow a pervert for supporting the sex education bill. I read the bill and understand it's meaning. McCain's use of that material makes me ill. ICK

[etcetera]

There is something very suspicious going on, and people like your father saw it coming. Unfortunately, you will not hear this talked about in public often, the powers that be have twisted articles 88 and 134 of the UCMJ to prosecute military personnel (even enlisted personnel) who speak out in public against the president. I hear people say all the time, "Well, if things are so bad, why don't the troops say anything?" One reason is that they are afraid; afraid of retribution and afraid of losing their benefits. I am no longer in the military, but I still have an obligation to the IRR, but you can be sure the day contract runs out, I will speak out publicly about the president's betrayal of our country and his desecration of our constitution.

[keyrr]

McCain is from a long lineage of warriors. His ancestry was resolute with war.
He runs his campaign as war is his touchstone to the people!

Born, raised and winding through life in and about war, he tells his story...

McCain, to this day feels betrayed by the American peace movement as to why the Vietnam war was lost. This is familiar ground for the war culture that now has manifest itself in the Iraq War!
A war that McCain said we needed and voted for!

Yet another war that will go down historically as a political assignation of our constitution and our cultural beliefs!
Another huge loss of national equity and our beloved youth all because of political ego and the lack of political wisdom!

Great nations prosper as wars are won or lost by the rightness of the participants! This is something viably important that McCain, and conservatives don't grasp!

Our nations has never lost a war when we were right but we now have lost wars because we were ideologically wrong!
It's not just about military strength- its about wisdom and justice!

His RNC biography finally sequences into his career as an AZ. senator.
Twenty-six years of senatorial time are blurred into nothingness!

His voting record parallels the GOP- a 10% difference from the GOP is supposed to define his presidency, and his given name the “Maverick?”
His record cannot be hidden, his ideology is full of contradiction!

[deliriousgod]

quite simply, a draft would involve more college-age, college-bound people in the machinations of politics, lead them to become informed more quickly about politics, draw conclusions more quickly, and begin an anti-War campaign more quickly if they uncovered it was unwarranted. Just politics, folks. Older people are slower to gather information and challenge a preconception.

[deliriousgod]

I'm suspicious of what he meant by "take advantage of teh unity" poor choice or apt choice of words?

[Grit]

McCain is talking about the draft. We can fully expect a reinstatement of the draft if he is elected president. We will have to in order to have enough troops to fight all the wars the Neo-cons still want to start, and to uphold the bush doctrine. I figure this draft will include both sexes and have an age range of 18 to at least 30. I doubt being married with children will get anyone out of it. The Republicans want to control all the oil reserves by force and it will take a huge army to do it. As for money to do all this? no problem We still have an interstate highway system to sell and I would imagine China would still like to buy all the national forest , and we still have ports to sell and China still has lots of money to lend us. Maybe they would buy the mortgage on your house. Hey we could sell them Alaska. If all else fails we still have the Brooklyn bridge to take bids on.

[ReElectNoOne]

Ok...was this the same McCain who's surrogates at the RNC belittled and made fun of community organizers?

Public Service? Community Outreach, Community organizers­.... how is it that if McCain says it, it is ok, but if Obama actually did it, it was something to mock ?

[pahpah25]

IT ALWAYS BUGS ME WHEN THE MILITARY IS REFERRED TO AS A 'SERVICE'.­.......A'S­ERVICE' IS AN UN-PAID VOLUNTEER.­..........­.......MIL­ITARY PEOPLE ARE 'PAID' FOR WHATEVER 'JOB THEY DO...EACH 'JOB' HAS ITS PAY SCALE.....­...THEY ALSO RECEIVE COMPENSATION , IN MANY FORMS,FOR THEIR FAMILIES..­....LIKE ANY OTHER PROFESSIONAL///; PEOPLE WHO CHOOSE THE MILITARY AS THEIR 'PROFESSIO­N'., DO SO AS ANY PERSON CHOOSES WHAT PROFESSION TO ENTER....F­ULLY EXPECTING TO BE PAID FOR THEIR SKILLS....

[stayinsouth1981]

I consider my decision to enter into social work as service to my country and those less fortunate than I am. I also consider it tithing to G-d. But hey, that's just me.

[southernoldie]

Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brough

t to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” Hermann Goering Sound familiar Americans??????

[magen]

Service to your country.

What does this mean???

Does it include things like community organizing? Or teaching American children? Or volunteering to help on election day?

Or is the only thing that qualifies as "service to your country" military service???

[kwalton]

I'm confused. This seems to me like the community service that the McCain/Palin ticket has so disparaged.

[Opsimath44]

Jonathan,
The world needs as many bright young men and women like you as we can get. People like you give me hope for this planet.
Cheers!