Civilian Volunteer Service Reserve Act

[cyberpj]

To establish a national Civilian Volunteer Service Reserve program, a national volunteer service corps ready for service in response to domestic or international emergencies.

This one was the 109th Congress but I found previous submissions too. They all seem to be connected to Rangel.

http://www.theorator.com/bills109/hr2724.html


I also remember reading some time ago about a database to maintain college degree info in case certain specialties became necessary to US security. Can't find that one yet. But undoubtedly these items would be related. Anyone else remember that?

[tblue]

1. Ahhh, this is Charlie Rangel's brainchild. But it makes me nervous if it's * who gets to decide

what the volunteers have to do. He's such a great Commander in Chief and all.

[cyberpj]

4. My worry is college financial aid getting linked to the "volunteering" (by draft of some sort)

I'm almost sure I remember reading about this last year. For engineers, IT people and all sorts of degrees.

[gratuitous]

2. Anything around Bush that involves the word "service"

Makes me think he's found a way to "augment" the troop levels some other way.

[cyberpj]

5. Think Homeland Security calling up "volunteers" who got college financial aid.

Small print. Just sign on the dotted line.......

[Just-plain-Kathy]

3. Here I was thinking that maybe a Civilian Core, had to do with Blackwater

I was just getting ready to post this....I have a gut feeling that when Bush says civilian core, he means some company will be paid a bundle for their services.

-----
I hope democrats look into who exactly Bush’s “Civilian Core” will be.

I never heard of Blackwater until today’s downing of a helicpter in Iraq. It was carrying “Blackwater employees”.


Check this out....

Posted on Think Progressive
Posted by Amanda March 30, 2006

Blackwater USA: Turning The All-Volunteer Army Into An ‘Army For Hire’

This week at a conference in Jordan, Blackwater USA vice chairman Cofer Black announced that the private security company is ready to shift from a security role to a more “overt combat role,” essentially becoming an army for hire.

The Bush administration has shown itself more than willing to call in Blackwater in place of U.S. troops.

In Aug. 2003, the Bush administration awarded Blackwater a $21.3 million contract to guard then Amb. Paul Bremer. The average senior special operations officer makes $50,000 a year from the U.S. government. Employees in private security firms in Iraq often make more than $1,000 a day from government contracts. This arrangement is “depleting the ranks of the special forces,” luring them into lucrative private jobs.

Some military analysts initially welcomed the administration’s private security arrangement with Blackwater because it allowed “regular military troops to concentrate on fighting.” But Blackwater’s new proposal would shift some of the fighting to the private sector, further diminishing the role of the all-volunteer army.




http://thinkprogress.org/2006/03/30/blackwater-army/

[cyberpj]

6. Blackwater was created at the start of all this to be our privatized warriors (mercenaries) because

there are big financial and legal benefits to not being actual military. They used this private army to keep US force numbers down, make lots of money AND - these guys aren't accountable for anything (it's in the law).

[Kosmo]

7. Outright I don't object to the idea.

But let's call this what it is a Local Militia. How will this change the roll of the National Guard?

[cyberpj]

8. They're supposed to be technical specialists who can be "called" if needed and won't get benefits.nt

[Just-plain-Kathy]

9. It sounds like a new back-door draft

[SanCristobal]

10. Wasn't this part of Clarks 2004 platform?

[OneBlueSky]

11. kinda like a Boy Scouts for grown-ups? . . . n/t

[Orangepeel]

12. how is this different than a regular volunteer reservist in the National Guard?

I don't get it. I thought that was what the National Guard was supposed to be, until they got dragged into Iraq.

[divineorder]

13. No Military Rules or Accountability I Guess

Anybody in the Armed Services has to be accounted for in some way. Civilians, are well, civilians. I suspect that these "volunteers" are to be cannon fodder that can be left behind to fend for themselves if things get too hairy.

There were rumors about Defense Department civilian employees also being susceptible to being deployed to Iraq for "support".

A link!

Unifying Our Approach to Conflict Transformation

[Orangepeel]

14. Ah, that makes sense

[cyberpj]

15. I think it means no benefits to pay. Typical. nt