Exposed: The GIVE Act Bans Religious Activities for (Mandatory) Participants - *UPDATED*
** ADDITIONAL UPDATES FOLLOW **
UPDATED BELOW - URGENT!
The House passed the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act on Monday. The bill includes language indicating young people will be forced to participate in mandatory national service programs. The bill also states that "service learning" will be a mandatory part of the youth curriculum.
SEC. 1304. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES AND INELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS.
Section 125 (42 U.S.C. 12575) is amended to read as follows:
SEC. 125. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES AND INELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS.
(a) Prohibited Activities- A participant in an approved national service position under this subtitle may not engage in the following activities:
(1) Attempting to influence legislation.
(2) Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes.
…
(7) Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of religious proselytization.
This bill calls for a minimum of three months of mandatory service, during which time participants (our children) will be forbidden from attending worship services, bible studies, or Sunday School. Also note #2 - no more freedom of speech for these kiddos!
I wonder if they'll make an exception for muslims. Allah forbid we step on their freedoms.
Section 120 of the bill also discusses the “Youth Engagement Zone Program” and states that “service learning” will be “a mandatory part of the curriculum in all of the secondary schools served by the local educational agency”. The language very clearly also extends to private and secular schools. I'm unclear how this affects homeschooling families.
Ahem, ACLU? Where is the outrage? If this was a bill aimed at forced religious instruction there would be rioting and bloodshed. And rightfully so, honestly.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;
or abridging the freedom of speech,
or of the press;
or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,
and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
The Senate is also considering a similar piece of legislation known as the “Serve America Act,” which also includes language about “Youth Engagement Zones”. Coincidence? Maybe. Read more at Unequal Time:
A quick skim of the legislation exposes potential restrictions of free speech and expression as well as the handle for the federal government to provide punishment for schools that refuse to require compulsory service on students.
Aside from the creepy Orwellian impression that that “Clean Energy Corps” or “Healthy Futures Corps” make, a more objective reading of GIVE/SERVE reveals sections that could remove religion and political expression from the public sphere.
The truly frightening prospect of Obama’s mandatory government servitude is covered in-depth in Alex Jones’ new documentary blockbuster, The Obama Deception. Watch it for free here.
** UPDATE: The Senate is voting on this unconstitutional piece of garbage this morning. CALL YOUR SENATORS IMMEDIATELY!! **
** CONTINUING UPDATES:
First, let's get this out of the way. PLEASE do not leave comments that intimate that I have not read this bill. Al Gore would have a stroke on the spot if he saw how many trees I've murdered printing this monster out. It's filled with sticky notes, red ink and highlighted text pointing every which way between the 80 bazillion revisions.
Second, let me clarify/correct one thing. If this bill passes, which seems likely, the service referred to is NOT mandatory as it stands now. What a version of the bill says is that a commission would be formed to study the effectiveness of making it mandatory. This portion of the bill has been struck from the version currently before the Senate. HOWEVER ... will we know if it is added in at another time? Is the language clear enough now to ensure that it truly IS voluntary? The voluntary version as it stands includes higher education, baby boomers and senior citizens.
Sec. 1203, Sec. 120 of the bill references grants for educational institutions participating in this round-about community organizing effort, and very clearly includes public AND private schools, and "summer of service" programs for children as young as SIXTH GRADE (their age at the end of the summer). This is the same section of the bill that creates "youth engagement zones" for secondary school participants whose local educational agencies do not participate in the program.
Finally, the section regarding prohibited actions of participants in the program does NOT state that this is for adults only, or for paid positions only. First of all the subheader reads "Required and Eligible National Service Projects" which leads me to believe that some portion of this service is NOT voluntary, although damned if I can discern which part. It clearly specifies that this is to be done in the summer months, but is unclear if it is actually part of the "summer of service" programs. But just so there is no confusion, it DOES state that the prohibited actions apply to PARTICIPANTS ("a participant in an approved National Service position"), not participating institutions. If this is not the bill's intent, then it most definitely needs to be reworded.
19 COMMENTS:
I'm thankful they at least got the part in where these "volunteers" can't lobby for passage of legislation, etc. That's all we need ... a bunch of youth representing liberal groups and liberal interests ... in our face telling us how to live our lives. It's more governmental interference. Why in the world aren't the GOPers on the Hill more up in arms about this???
Whatever happened to freedom of choice? I know volunteering is a good thing and I support encouraging our youth to do so, but I don't want anybody - especially the gov't - bossing me around telling me or my kids that we MUST volunteer.
And why exactly is volunteering at a place of worship not acceptable? I think there are a LOT more important things that Congress should be worried about than this particular topic...
First of all, this doesn't ban anyone from participating in worship services. It says they may not provide instruction, lead services, or maintain facilities. Or proselytize.
Secondly, it's not even a mandatory government service program. Far as I can tell, it's offering extra funding to districts who have a 90% participation rate OR mandatory participation.
Public schools have always taught things or required kids to do things that make some parents unhappy. That's why we have the right to file exemptions, and also why we have the right to send our kids to private schools or homeschool.
Actually, the bill has specific language that includes private and religious schools. In addition, it states that those educational facilities that do not voluntarily comply will be given proper "instruction".
Interpret that how you will.
It still wrong for them to even say you can't lead a worship!
This is wrong on so many levels.
This is the second step in a long staircase in the destruction of our country.
I've spent the past 17 years of my life working within campaigns, politics and the federal government and I have finally come to the conclusion that it's time for me to depart and return to the farm for a quiet and simple life. Because, Capitol Hill consists of nothing but a bunch of blatent idiots who need to be voted out of office and sent home packing.
I've got just 8 more weeks of their crap! And this piece of legislation is CRAP.
It's not even saying you can't lead a worship. It's saying that leading a worship can't be considered part of your service. Let's assume for one second that this would make volunteering mandatory (it wouldn't). This is just saying you can't fulfill your service obligation by, for example, singing in a church choir or running a church bake sale or leading a worship service.
Incorrect. It says, and I'm copying and pasting bill text as it is presented in the Senate for cloture right now:
"Prohibited Activities- A participant in an approved national service position under this subtitle may not engage in the following activities:"
It PROHIBITS. It does not say that it cannot count towards service, it expressly prohibits. This is a BAN.
Taking part of service is part of faith. Proselytizing, at respective times, is part of faith. Anyone who'se so much as perused the Gospels can attest to this. Also - language includes public, private and indigenous nations educational facilities.
It is an outright suppression freedom of religion under the guise of community enrichment. This transcends party lines, folks. Get past that. I don't care who sponsored it: this is unreal.
If you think it's ok for it to prohibit political lobbying, protesting, etc., then it should be ok to prohibit religious proselytization and indoctrination. Honestly, though, I don't know enough about it to say how much of this is a real concern to the average person and how much is fear-mongering.
You have got to be kidding me?
Why aren't we hearing ANYTHING about this? Oh that's right...the little AIG distraction. Yep, while we're all sitting here worrying about how Congress and Geithner created this AIG fiasco, the fox is in the hen house having his way with the chickens.
I'm absolutely aghast at this. I have no words.
Auds at Barking Mad
McMama - I don't believe anyone is on board with the ban on protests or political lobbying either. Most definitely not me.
Unfrigginbelievable, is what it is. Does it surprise me, though? Not in the least. We're headed for the shitter.
I'm a liberal atheist and this proposal is just plain WRONG. And I love the picture you used. Mandatory national service pshaw. What a disgrace. Whose idea was this bull$#!+?
I do think you're reading it a bit wrong, It doesn't say kids can't do religious stuff, it says it can't be counted as their service, just a distinction.
And the schools have already failed in literacy and all other educational areas, why does anyone think they should be taking this on? I wonder how homeschools would be affected. I don't see how missing 3 months of church is going to hurt anyone, but that's just me. And the rule is still garbage.
Passed through the House - depressing. What are we going to do with these idiots??
Look for real estate in the Carribean perhaps?
You're reading it wrong.
Section 1304 says that participating in religious instruction, etc. won't count toward the service learning/service program requirements. Not that people who are involved in service learning won't be allowed to participate in religious activities.
In other words, you can volunteer at the Catholic senior center all you want, but don't expect it to count toward your requirement. If you want to get points toward your service learning credit, you need to volunteer at a SECULAR senior center.
I think this is to prevent kids from fulfilling their "service learning" requirements by volunteering to make posters for Fred Phelps.
Amy @ http://prettybabies.blogspot.com
Umm, suggestion: read the context of the resolution. In that quoted cut and paste, the "participant in an approved national service position" is referring to someone with a full or part time JOB (read: adult) funded by the National Community Service and State Grant Program. If you look past "(7) Engaging in religious instruction..." to section 8, it becomes obvious.
"(8) Providing a direct benefit to--
‘(A) a business organized for profit....."
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: It's talking about an adult. In a full or part time job. Funded by the Grant Program.
Settle down, folks. There's enough fear-mongering as it is out there.
Please update this post. That section of the bill was repealed and is no longer included.
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