Obama: service to country is today patriotism

«Through service, I found a community that embraced me, citizenship that was meaningful, the direction I’d been seeking». Would you call this patriotism?

For Sen. Barack Obama, the answer is “yes”. To win over voters in Republican areas, and to defend his love for the country, he is turning to his own experience after college as a community organizer explaining that patriotism, today, means to be part of the change, serving your contry.

On July 2, exhorting Americans «to step into the strong current of history and volunteer for service to their country» Obama promised to expand opportunities for those accepting his challenge expanding the national service plan he had first detailed in December.

The plan would cost an estimated $3.5 billion annually and would increase AmeriCorps members by 250,000, double the Peace Corps by 2011, create an Energy Corps for renewable-energy and environmental projects, and expand the Foreign Service. Additionally, a Social Investment Fund Network would support the nonprofit world, and veterans would be tapped to help other veterans find jobs.


To watch Obama’s speech on patriotism
http://www.barackobama.com/tv/

To know more
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/service