That's a headline I would love to see, and certainly one that John McCain would not expect to see. Let me explain...
I've been challenging the Ayers smear campaign every day on-line in the major print media. I attack this fear and innuendo rhetoric by citing the fact that since 2003, the Bush administration has granted over 125,000 'moral waivers' to new enlistees in our military who have serious criminal records, many of whom are also members of organized gangs with names like 'Crips', 'Bloods' and 'Gangster Disciples'. It's about drawing a distinction between guilt by association, and the inference of a terrorist threat, and a real-world set of policies and actions which have led to real-world acts of terror here at home, by organizations which are, among other things, the terrorists we know.
Here's a link to my blog that provides details of that policy:
(http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/tedthomas/gGg7Fg)I believe these policies are seriously undermining our military by reducing the entry level standards to be a member of our armed forces. It's not just a policy that allows criminals to enlist in our armed forces, they have reduced the minimum educational requirements as well. I believe this reveals a degree of contempt for our military personnel on the part of Bush, McCain, and Lindsay Graham, all of whom opposed improving the education benefit for volunteers, and who have deliberately pursued policies designed to extend and exploit to the limit the enlistment contract in order to compensate for their own inability to contain and bring closure to the Iraq initiative. It is also profoundly hypocritical given the propensity of Senator McCain to wrap himself in our flag, and pose as the "true champion of our citizens in uniform".
I suggest that Senator Obama announce that he will end the practice of approving moral waivers on enlistees with criminal backgrounds, and discharge any enlistees who may have connections with domestic gang organizations. This would correct one of the most insidious aspects of this ill-considered policy, by restoring the expectation of all who enlist in the military that they are joining an elite corps that represents the best people in our country, rather than seeking out the dregs of our society from amongst those who have committed crimes. If we don't make this change, we will create a serious disincentive for the best among us to even consider volunteering for military service. What reasonable person would consider going into combat knowing that some of their comrades have a criminal history, or worse, have divided loyalties which include domestic terrorist organizations, aka: organized gangs?
He should announce tax credits for businesses who provide entry-level on the job training for returning Iraq veterans, and an extension of military health care benefits to veterans even after they have left the military and taken jobs in the private sector. By relieving prospective employers of the health-care costs of veterans, we create an incentive and an offset for training costs, and provide businesses with a means of sharing the burden of our foreign policy.
Finally, I think he should create a national recruiting campaign called the "Shared Service Initiative" under which Americans are encouraged to enlist in the reserves solely in order to relieve existing military personnel and their families of the crushing burden they have been asked to bear.The cost associated with these changes in policy can be offset by reducing the amount of money being paid to private contractors like Blackwater for security personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. I contend that if Americans believe their service commitment is respected by the government, and that our leadership is willing to ask all of our Citizens to share the burdens of defending this country, the call will be answered. That is the tradition in this country, and the failure of the Bush administration to ask Americans to share the sacrifices of these two wars has undermined the bond of trust between the nation and those who go in harms way in service of their country.
I firmly believe these measures are called for regardless of their impact on the Presidential campaign. But I think it would be timely to announce them during the campaign as a way of refuting the misconception that Democrats are somehow less tuned-in to the issue of national security, and pointing out the egregious disregard that has been demonstrated by the Bush administration and by Senator McCain towards our military, albeit beneath the public radar for the most part.
Anyone who reads this, if you agree, please make some noise about it, and pass it on up the chain to the leadership of the campaign. We could still lose this election...
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