H.R. 1388

Those of you that know me know that I am not one to send mass e-mails about politics.  Quite frankly I loathe partisan bickering and find both parties lacking in the moral and ethical fiber necessary to do the job which we have elected them to.  That said, when legislation is proposed that is not only damaging to some subset of our country but frighteningly destructive to the foundation on which on entire democracy is built it tends to capture my attention.  H.R. 1388 is one such bill, particularly because it is disguised as a positive way for citizens to perform charitable works.  Scratch a little deeper...and I'm not talking lawyer depths...and you will find a very unsettling message.  Follow the link below and, once you have the bill in front of you scroll down to section 1304, sub-section 125.  Read #5 & 6, where it spells out that people involved in this program will not be able to express themselves politically.  Or # 7 where it spells out the fact that they will be stripped of their religious freedoms.  I had to read this section three of four times before it hit home.  This isn't a question of Republican or Democrat.  I happen to be a registered Democrat who marched against the war, vocally opposes capital punishment and thought our great nations involvement with the torture of prisoners was despicable.  The current administration, with it's partisan congressional majority, is moving forward with the implementation of an experiment that I do not believe most Americans endorse.  I beg you to take a few minutes to read these parts of this bill.  If they disturb you reach out to your representatives in the federal government and spread the word.

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h1388/text

The legislation does not include a mandate requiring service, yet.