If President Obama launches the AWSC in the year of his Peace Prize, even Rush Limbaugh may have trouble blathering criticism. Well, maybe that's wishful thinking. Rush would probably have to do some AWSC service for him to actually understand the mechanics of peace.
Launching a robust AWSC will give tribal leaders of Central Asia and elsewhere many more opportunities to share three cups of tea with Americans serving peacefully. In time, as author and do-gooder John Mortesson has learned, the works of AWSC volunteers will bring even warlords to join doing-good Americans over tea. After sipping tens of thousands of cups of tea in this way, Obama will have more than earned the Peace Prize.
Yes, it may take a generation of robust, peaceful involvement to erase most of the terrorists and crazies. On the other hand, relying so heavily on our military will multiply terrorists in and around the poverty of Africa, Asia, and Latin America and here, which will break our economy and military. Such an approach will hasten America's cascading downward spiral.
Now, however, our Nobel Peace Prize President has another opportunity to set the world table by fielding a peaceful, cost effective army of American World Service Corps (AWSC) volunteers that will inspire other nations to do the same.
Imagine how right Norway would feel if their Nobel President held a press conference and said,
"As part of America's New Strategy, we will send twenty-one million Americans volunteers over the ensuing twenty-seven years to serve in their choice of Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Habitat for Humanity, Head Start, Doctors Without Borders, Red Cross, International Rescue Committee, Oxfam, Mercy Corps, and State Conservation Corps, etc. We ask other nations to join with us to build their own similar kind of peaceful, productive corps that will contain hatreds, spread welfare, and build hope at home and abroad.
Had we done such robust service over the last generation, we would not be shedding blood around the world today. We want to launch this peaceful offensive quickly, so tomorrow's world has less bloodshed, poverty, and hatred.
It is time to again say, ˜And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.'
Today, I ask America and nations of the world to answer this call to stem forward, to involve their citizens in service with and to their fellow man.. Together we can ˜confront the common challenges of the 21st century.'
Fellow world leaders, as I call Americans to action, do the same with your people. Launch your own World Service Corps. Let us train and work together. Let us field these Corps together to combat poverty, hatreds, disasters, etc. Let us work side by side. Let us make the 21st Century the era when the nations of the world answered the "call to action by fielding peaceful, productive armies that stemmed violence, hatred, and ignorance. Let our and your World Service Corps be the harbingers of 21st century change that brings sanity, security, and health to the world's seven billion striving citizens.
Together we can change the world. Let us give peace a fighting chance. Let this be our 21st century call to service and peaceful action.
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The President's Secretary of Defense, Bill Gates, supports the President on this long-term goal stressing that,
"The American toolbox should contain something other than hammers."
Secretary of State Clinton and Gates both agree that if the world is to become safer and saner many more American civilians must be involved in solving problems that lead to warfare.
"Working for me are 2 million men and women in uniform. Secretary Clinton has I think somewhere south of 7,000 foreign service officers. If you took all the foreign service officers in the world, they would barely crew one aircraft carrier.
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