My local NPR station plays a simulcast of The News Hour with Jim Lehrer on PBS each day. I was driving home early from work (thank you Good Friday!) and caught the tail end of Mr. Lehrer discussing the news of the week with New York Times columnist David Brooks and syndicated columnist Mark Shields. They analyzed the several of the big news stories of the week including Senator Barack Obama’s speech on race, the faltering economy and of course, the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War. The segment ended with their reflections on the war and how it has affected them personally and how they think it has affected the psyche of our country. My ears really perked up when Mr. Brooks mentioned national service:
MARK SHIELDS: We know, Jim, we went to war against a country that had never attacked us, that never threatened us, on the bogus claim that that country had weapons of mass destruction which were a threat to us. And it was not a moral war, and it was not a just war. It was a war in which the United States sullied, stained and repealed one of the great American values, that is that, in wartime, war demands equality of sacrifice.
All the sacrifice in this war has been borne by the 1 percent of Americans who are in uniform and their families. The rest of us have been quietly by, especially those of us who opposed the war, and been moral defectors.
We haven’t protested the fact that this is a war that our children and grandchildren will pay for. We haven’t even — we’ve blithely accepted tax cuts, and no draft, and no burden, paid no price, bore no burden, and accepted leadership that demanded nothing of us, and we’ve demanded nothing of them.
JIM LEHRER: David?
DAVID BROOKS: Well, I do think that desire to sacrifice is hanging out there. It’s still an unmet need in the body politic. There are still thousands of young people, people of all ages, who want to do some sort of service.
And for the next president, that will be something to pick up, not to draft them. We’re not going to have a draft. But to increase national service is something McCain has talked about, Obama, Clinton. They’ve all talked about it. And I think it will emotionally help heal some of the unwanted desire to actually rally together after 9/11.
I was glad to hear both Mark Shields and David Brooks articulate that “desire to sacrifice” exists throughout the country as a result of the war (and many of the other issues we face). Mark Shields’ comment that “war demands equality of sacrifice” was particularly poignant to me as I drove home overlooking the ocean, waiting for the sunset to come, not too many cares beyond my own personal needs to deal with. In the face of the Iraq war, I do not feel as though I have participated equally with the soldiers. Citizens desperately want to participate in the process of solving problems that we face collectively. I remember the feeling of unity in the face of the tragedy of 9/11, an ethereal sense of hope that many put to action by joining the military, becoming police officers or firemen, or simply looking to their communities to serve in different ways. People just wanted to help each other. The Academy movement is the beacon of that desire. The Academy will not only turn out the much needed civilian service leadership corps, it will inspire each community to use the “desire to sacrifice” to move our country towards strength and unity no matter the circumstances we face.
William responded on 28 Mar 2008 at 6:17 pm #
Yes but who is sacrificing?
We have trillions in national debt and our president reduces taxes further, exploding the deficit.
How can we afford a public service academy unless we first eliminate the budget deficit? And pay off the Iraq war spending?
It is highly irresponsible to promote yet another federal program (e.g. a public service academy) when we have such a high deficit. Who will be paying for your public service academy? My grandchildren? I say get your hands out of my grandchildrens’ pockets. Given the billions available from private philanthropy I say fund the academy with private donations, not with my grandchildren’s tax dollars.
Justine Hebron responded on 07 Apr 2008 at 4:31 am #
Thanks for your comment. To answer your question, most citizens are not sacrificing anything, yet were are all being victimized by the current fiscal policies. I think the idea of funding the Academy to train a responsible, focused, proactive corp of leaders is the best way to spend our collective tax dollars, your grandchildren’s included. Yes, the deficits must be addressed, and our recent past tells us that we can have policies that allow for growth and savings. Perhaps if the taxes were coming from the private companies instead of them having the option to shelter the money in philanthropies of their choosing, we would have a proper revenue stream into government coffers. This is an investment in the success of our country, not an earmark for a chosen few.