Kaslin —
Michelle Malkin was really off base when she commended Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx as follows:
“One vigilant House member, GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx, successfully attached an amendment to the GIVE Act to bar National Service participants from engaging in political lobbying; endorsing or opposing legislation; organizing petitions, protests, boycotts or strikes; providing or promoting abortions or referrals; or influencing union organizing.”
The fact is that the following is what is in the bill, HR 1388, AS IT WAS DELIVERED TO THE SENATE:
H.R.1388
GIVE Act (Placed on Calendar in Senate)
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.
`(3) Assisting, promoting, or deterring union organizing.
`(4) Impairing existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements.
`(5) Engaging in partisan political activities, or other activities designed to influence the outcome of an election to any public office.
`(6) Participating in, or endorsing, events or activities that are likely to include advocacy for or against political parties, political platforms, political candidates, proposed legislation, or elected officials.
`(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.
(END OF EXCERPT}
Note that Section 125(a) after “Prohibited Activities” the bill says “A PARTICIPANT (empasis added) in an approved national service position may not engage in the following activities, etc.”
In other words, the bill does not just prohibit volunteer national service ORGANIZATIONS or UNITS from attempting to influence legislation, taking part in political campaigns or being involved in religious instruction, but tells INDIVIDUALS what they may not do.
So Virginia Foxx’s amendment is really TERRIBLE, and has to be exposed!
“...A participant in an approved national service position under this subtitle...”
Calm down.
Read the line above. It applies to those in the Mandatory Volunteer Service org. Not your ordinary keyboard warriors like you and me.
Of course, this is subject to change as time passes. This will have to be watched carefully.