Did you listen to President Bush's SOTU speech?  How will you invest your 4000 hours of service serving your American neighbors?  He even mentioned how the common American can be very powerful in the prevention of terrorisom WITHOUT using the militia word...

I've already served 3 in the National Guard.

I didn't see it, but does my 10 years of military service count?

To Adam556 and 71DL I'd say you've done your duty and I salute you, but what will you continue to do.  
Not a flame, just a question.

If I understood President Bush correctly, USA Freedomcore will be an extension/enhancement of Americore.  It sounds interesting.  I plan on checking into it.-TR

Ok...Here are some first thoughts on a National Freedom Corps.

All the retired Doctors, Nurses, EMT's and Former members of Americas now dead Civil Defence network, are totaly useless, without funding and training.

What we are really talking about here is rebuilding the Civil Defence Program that we had from the 50's to the mid 80's, with a modern facelift to deal with the changing face of threat.

A Freedom Corp, would have to be funded thru the Office of Homeland Defence.

Some things it could do, would be,

Give grants to law enforcement for reserve officer training programs.

Restart The Radiological Defence Officer Program with Bio Warfare monitoring training thrown in.

Give grants to all 50 states law enforcement training schools to provide disaster training to freedom corp members.

Pay a fuel milage allowance to members attending training or service, more than 30 miles from there home.

Legislation placing Freedom Corp members who are called up for training or service the same civilian job protection afforded to members of the National Guard and Reserves.

Offer university class credits for Freedom Corp training classes.

Issue I.D. Cards that clearly Identify Freedom Corp members and list there training.

Establish a National Freedom Corps headquarters that will track membership, and quordinate training.

If they do all that, I'll believe they are serious, and will join.

If they do not, we will know that the National Freedom Corps was just a political buzz word that made the speech sound good.

Sworn in Jan 18th for 8 year signup in NY Army National Guard Infantry.

Define "reserve officer training."

Does that mean that qualified persons can become reserve officers (including the benifits of LEO status such as CCW), to train regularly and be subject to activation in time of national need?

Heck, I'd think most of us would jump at the opportunity to do this.

6 years AFSOCOM.  Ongoing community services - accident response, neighbourhood watch, police auxiliary, and the like.

If President Bush wants me to sign up for Homeland service - it's too late.  I've been doing that sort of thing for about 20 years now...

FFZ

Well, The reason I posted what would really be required to do this, is that I spent a little time in a bunker underneath my states capitol plotting imaginary nuclear fallout patterns, Way back in the Reagan years.

I thought it was a huge mistake when they let the Civil Defense program go.

15+ years fire/medic, several years auxilliary deputy,

would like to put in an extra 4000 hours at the range...[:)]

I did about 16,000 hours of Army time. That oughta cover it.

I could see doing 4000 hours at the range!

What now?

Why do I have a woried feeling about this new govt. program?

Why don't they just draft us into labor brigades, for the good of the state.

More details, por favor.

Because it is a volunteer group.

This won't increase my taxes will it?

[):)]
NSF

4000 hours?  That's crazier than hell.

Do the math.  It's a couple of years of 40 hour work-weeks.  As I think about it, I recall escapees from Communist countries relating how big socialists are on having the peons "volunteer" to to unpaid labor.  To hell with it.  If they want it done, they can pay to have it done. "The workman is worthy of his hire."

Why don't the politicians volunteer to work for free for the American people-- for a couple of years.

That will NEVER HAPPEN.

"Are you insane, boy?  I can't work for free."

Yes senator, that's what I thought.  

Even if the workers are swindled out of their wages by the motherland, they still have to eat and wear clothes (presumably).  That costs money.

"They might pay them a pittance."  Well, that makes you a badly payed, wage-slave.

Wage-slaves are cheaper to employ than actual slaves.  Slaves are expensive and call for lots of upkeep.  Wage slaves are simply discarded when they wear out.

This afternoon I went to the new web site they created (can't remember the URL).  There was a guide on how to be prepared for an emergency that was available for download, so I downloaded it.  Nowhere in it did it mention that having a firearm might be useful in the event of a civil emergency.

Go figure...

SAB

I did 3 years in the 82nd Airborne way back when.  I assume that counts.

In the interim, I'm also an EMT even though I don't do it for a living so I'd be more than happy to help out in a national emergency.  But I don't think I'd "volunteer" for any kind of a structured service since I've done my time.