Free Republic

Regulating Volunteerism by Paul Weyrich Issue 104 - March 26, 2008When Alexis de Toqueville traveled through the United States in 1831 to observe American penal institutions, he wrote down his observations of American political and civil society. Four years later he published Democracy in America, one of the defining texts of early American history. He titled Section 2, Chapter 5, “Of the Use Which the Americans Make of Public Associations in Civil Life.” In it, he marveled that Americans “of all ages, all conditions, and all dispositions constantly form associations. They have not only commercial and manufacturing companies, in which...

4/1/2008 - NAVAJO, N.M. (AFPN) -- Air Force Academy cadets, civil engineering professors and family members performed volunteer work during the Academy's spring break March 24 to 28 on a Navajo reservation here. Organized by the Academy's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Southwest Indian Foundation, one of this year's spring break projects took the Academy volunteers to the home of Korean War veteran Hoskie Bitsilly, Sr. Mr. Bitsilly's wife, Grace, suffered a stroke recently and is now wheelchair-bound, but their home was not wheelchair-accessible. "The cadets are trying to renovate the deck, to extend out the deck...

Two applicants at the police recruiting drive in Tameem sprint 300 meters during a physical fitness test March 23 as Soldiers from the 59th Military Police Company, from Fort Carson, Colo., currently attached to the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, look on. One hundred and seventy-five applicants attended the event. Photo by Spc. Ben Hutto. COMBAT OUTPOST CASHE — One hundred and seventy-five Iraqi men waited for their opportunity to join the police force during a recruiting drive at the 3rd Battalion, 1st National Police Brigade headquarters in Tameem, a town southeast of Baghdad, March 22. Prospective policemen went through...

WASHINGTON, March 7, 2008 – Vice President Richard B. Cheney thanked recruits and sailors at Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill., today for choosing to serve a cause greater than themselves in the struggle against terrorism. Cheney talked with about 4,000 recruits and sailors at the center outside Chicago, where his own father trained for his Navy service during World War II. The vice president compared today’s military members who, like their World War II predecessors, put their own interests aside to serve “when the country needed you most.” “Your presence at Great Lakes proves that you understand the core Navy...

Americans worked a median of 52 hours last year without pay. They’re called volunteers. Many organizations can’t survive without unpaid labor, and many people are glad to provide it. Sadly, though, data released Wednesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that both the number of volunteers and the volunteer rate — the percentage of the population that volunteers — declined in 2007 from 2006. Volunteering also had fallen in 2006 from 2005. About 60.8 million Americans, age 16 and up, volunteered in 2007, compared with a high of 65.3 million in 2005. The proportion of that population that...

BAGHDAD — Dispelling rumors of a rift between the Iraqi Army (IA) and the local Concerned Local Citizens (CLC) group, leaders from both groups pledged to work together to bring security to Baghdad’s Adhamiyah neighborhood at a ceremony honoring the birthday of the Iraqi Army, Jan. 6. The ceremony proved the bond between the two groups was stronger than ever, said officials at the ceremony. “We, the Iraqi Army, stand with you, our new brothers, to protect Iraq,” Iraqi Army Col. Tariq Abdul Kareem Nasser, commander of the 1st Brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division, vowed in a speech to more...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RELEASE No. 20080106-05 January 6, 2008 Iraqi Army, Iraqi Security Volunteers strengthen their unity 2nd BCT Public Affairs, 82nd Abn. Div. Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO BAGHDAD – Key leaders from the Iraqi Army and the local volunteer security force in Baghdad’s Adhamiyah neighborhood held a summit Jan. 3 to discuss the way forward. The meeting was attended by Maj. Gen. Mushir, commander of the 11th Iraqi Army Division, and Col. Riyad Al Samarrae, the contractor in charge of the local Iraqi Security Volunteers, as well as the IA and ISV leaders. At the meeting, IA and...

I've been involved with the military since 1984. I've served with the 82nd Airborn Divison, 19th Special Forces Group and 145 FA as an FO. My civilian job is quite the opposite of this life, I work around women and make them look good (a hair stylist). I have a tiny little salon called Lucky Seven and I've been fortunate to have done hair for some rather famous models. My hobbies include building custom bikes and cars,photographing the custome car world.

BAGHDAD — Iraqi security forces recently began manning checkpoints in Saydiyah, a neighborhood in southwest Baghdad in the province of Rashid, in an effort to bring security and stability to a troubled area. “The residents of Saydiyah have said security was best when the ISV (Iraqi security volunteer) checkpoints were manned. Evidence of this was the robust market activity during that period. We hope to return to that type of activity soon, but it’s going to take some time for this effort to bear some fruit,” said Lt. Col. Johnnie Johnson, commander of 4th Battalion, 64th Armored Regiment, 4th Brigade,...

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 16, 2007 – They came from around the country, some with tears in their eyes, putting holiday demands on hold to honor veterans most never knew. In a few hours in freezing temperatures, about 3,000 volunteers yesterday placed more than 10,000 balsam fir wreaths with blazing red bows on graves at Arlington National Cemetery here. “I wish I could lay one on all of them,” said Charles Wright, a Vietnam War Marine veteran and commander of the Kansas City Composite Squadron, a civil air patrol unit. “This is a tribute I’ll remember forever.” Morrill Worcester, owner...

Watch Now USAID Scholarships – USAID’s scholarship program for Iraqis. Iraqi Nat Police Course – INP go through intense 4-day course at FOB Rustamiyah. The “Raid Report” – Daily update on Iraqi and Coalition security progress. Weather News Desk – Car Bombs Kill At Least 41 In Amarah; Police Chief Fired. 400 Billion Iraqi Dinars Pledged For Basra Reconstruction. Awakening’ Meets Resistance From Local Government. Iraqi River Patrol Graduation – Iraqis graduate from River Boat Patrol Course. From Volunteers to Police – Security volunteers make the next step to Iraqi Policemen.

Join us December 13th for a Phone for Fred Party! We get thousands of emails every week from regular folks asking how they can get involved and make a big difference even though they don't live in the early states. Next Thursday, December 13th, we are having a nationwide phone bank for Fred. Hosting a phone bank on the 13th is the best way to make a real difference in the final month going into the Iowa Caucus. Take a group picture of everyone at your party, and if your party makes the most calls we'll make it the feature...

By now I'm sure the majority of you are aware of who most of the 2008 presidential candidates are. I'm also sure that by now you may be just a little bit sick and tired of the rhetoric that some of these folks are spewing forth. Not a day goes by that we aren't bombarded with the media's biased reports of certain candidates, whether good or bad. If you are one of the people who are undecided but want to really learn about a particular candidate, I would invite you to take a look at former Sen. Fred Thompson. When...

Welcome to our Phone for Fred online phone bank! Person to person contact is the most effective way to make a difference in an election. We created the Phone for Fred program for all of you Friends of Fred who want to volunteer and do more for Fred! We need your help in the early primary states. Our Phone for Fred online phone bank makes it easy for you to make a difference! Fred only needs a small commitment of time and you will soon see that your phone calls and person to person contact will help Fred win! Pick...

Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson isn't faring particularly well in polls of early voting states Iowa and New Hampshire, but his campaign has devised a novel way of using volunteers to help reach voters. Yesterday, the Thompson campaign introduced "Phone for Fred," an online phone bank that allows volunteers nationwide to download names and phone numbers of potential voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida. Supporters are urged to call during evening hours -- on their own dime -- asking voters a series of questions about important issues, such as the economy and illegal immigration, and whether they...

Fred Thompson's campaign named a handful of volunteer grassroots leaders in Miami-Dade to help boost its outreach to Latino voters -- a territory rival Rudy Giuliani is putting great effort in reaching. County leadership positions announced today include co-chairs: Homestead Mayor Lynda Bell and Miami-Dade Commissioners Joe Martinez and Natacha Seijas. The latter two previously endorsed Thompson when he appeared at Miami's Urbeita Oil in October. Other's involved Lois Jones, Chris Miles and Luis Rodriguez.

The State Department expects to announce, perhaps as early as today, that volunteers have filled all 48 open jobs at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad for next year and that it will not order any foreign service officers to work there against their will, officials said yesterday. Volunteers for the last three or four positions are currently being vetted. Once that process is completed, a senior department official said, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will ask personnel officers to assure her that everyone selected "does in fact have the right skill sets" and meets all requirements before an announcement is...

Mitt Romney supporter Paul Weyrich, one of the founders of the Moral Majority, is pretty upset that Fred Thompson got the endorsement from the National Right to Life Committee. He's so mad he's made a spurious charge against the Thompson campaign and the NRLC which is bound to hurt Romney: Fred Thompson's campaign lashed out at Mitt Romney Wednesday after one of Romney's key supporters suggested Thompson's recent endorsement by the anti-abortion National Right to Life Committee was traded for cash. In an article in The Washington Times on Wednesday, Paul Weyrich — the socially conservative co-founder of the Moral...

MC LEAN, Va., Nov. 14 /Standard Newswire/ -- Today the Fred Thompson campaign announced its Students For Fred National and State Leadership Teams. These student volunteers will be actively leading the Fred Thompson grassroots efforts on college campuses across the nation. Matthew Farrar will serve as the Florida Chairman as well as a National Co-Chair of Students for Fred Thompson. A senior political science major at Florida State University, Farrar has previously served on the 2006 Charlie Crist Gubernatorial campaigns and has worked on numerous state races throughout Florida. "Sen. Fred Thompson has made it clear that he is the...

Responding to the National Right to Life Committee's endorsement of Fred Thompson, Paul Weyrich suggested that Thompson's backers greased some palms. "I think in all probability the Thompson people were engaged with the National Right to Life people in financial dealing," Weyrich told the Washington Times. That's a pretty tough charge and almost certainly not what Romney's campaign wanted their big social conservative "get" to suggest (at least not publicly). Sensing opportunity to win more points from their own big "get" (the group's nod) Thompson communications director Todd Harris unloaded: "Gov. Romney is new to the pro-life movement and his...