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How to behave as a nation? Andy Rooney’s asking.
Andy Rooney is asking, where’s the leadership that once righteously involved us in the world with words like, “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” Here’s an answer for Andy.
Americans are puzzled over why so many people in the world hate us. We seem so nice to ourselves. They do hate us though. We know that and we're trying to protect ourselves with more weapons.
We have to do it I suppose, but it might be better if we figured out how to behave as a nation in a way that wouldn't make so many people in the world want to kill us.
Andy Rooney 9-10-06 60 Minutes
Five years ago, mostly Saudi born terrorists, trained in Sudan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, killed three thousand Americans.
Are we winning hearts and minds in those nations? Well, polls show over 80% of the people in those nations hate our policies.
Obviously, Rambo didn’t win hearts and minds, except maybe in a couch potato’s self-perceived video image.
What if, instead of macho movies, we covered the world with our best resources? Can-do, nation-building Yanks?
What is our tally sheet for sending real teams, rather than film crews, to win hearts and minds? Since its 1961 inception, Peace Corp Volunteers who have served in:
Pakistan = 462 from 1961-67.
Afghanistan = 1,739 from 1962-69.
Sudan = 16 from 1984-86.
Habitat Global Village Homes built since its 1976 inception in:
Pakistan = 0
Afghanistan = 0
Sudan = 0
Imagine if:
• In your God’s playful creativity, decades ago he birthed you in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Sudan, rather than in your lucky neighborhood.
• Over those decades, 100,000 Americans, rather than 2,217, had built better homes for you and your neighbors, helped diversify crop production, taught in schools, grew micro businesses, and addressed medical needs.
• The world’s overwhelming military power had a program that flexed that American behavior. Would you have admired America?
In 2005, thirteen “Knucklehead” New York paramedics responded to the Pakistan earthquake by voluntarily going to give aid and comfort. As one could clearly see, and they humbly said in a 60 Minutes segment, “These people will never forget us.”
Today, implementing Peoples Lobby’s citizen-initiated American World Service Corps (AWSC) proposed congressional legislation creates that smart behavior that dramatically improves the world.
How?
If enacted in the next Congress, each year for the next seven years approximately 140,000 Americans would voluntarily choose to serve in their choice of the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Habitat for Humanity, Head Start, Doctors Without Borders, Red Cross, International Rescue Committee, OxFam, Mercy Corps, State Conservation Corps, etc. By the seventh year one million American World Service Corps members of all ages, or less than 1% of those aged 20-60+, would annually serve for a year or two at home or abroad. For details http://www.WorldServiceCorps.us
If during this campaign season, you push candidates for state and congressional offices to take a stand on Peoples Lobby’s AWSC Congressional Proposals, and vote accordingly, America will again lead the world. The ideal consequence? Other nations will implement their own World Service Corps, so that international teams that build nations can reduce the need for those that bomb them.
Walking a mile in another’s shoes helps nations understand and live Greek slave Aesop’s words, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
The AWSC is a cost effective program that the world, our nation, and our military, as General Zinni points out in Battle for Peace, must quickly implement. Delaying its implementation runs too high a gamble that World War III will be fought from extremists’ caves and the super-rich’s high tech bunkers, while more and more of the world struggles to survive amidst the deadly diseases of ignorance and WMDs.
Imagine if for the past thirty years a million Americans annually serving under the AWSC’s umbrella exemplified our nation’s behavior. All those educated kids, built homes, and cared for sick would not let terror camps sprout up in their healthy land. And all those experienced volunteers would have made America’s world policies smarter.
The world can’t wait for us to behave in the productive, weaponless American World Service Corps way.
We have to do it I suppose, but it might be better if we figured out how to behave as a nation in a way that wouldn't make so many people in the world want to kill us.
Andy Rooney 9-10-06 60 Minutes
Five years ago, mostly Saudi born terrorists, trained in Sudan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, killed three thousand Americans.
Are we winning hearts and minds in those nations? Well, polls show over 80% of the people in those nations hate our policies.
Obviously, Rambo didn’t win hearts and minds, except maybe in a couch potato’s self-perceived video image.
What if, instead of macho movies, we covered the world with our best resources? Can-do, nation-building Yanks?
What is our tally sheet for sending real teams, rather than film crews, to win hearts and minds? Since its 1961 inception, Peace Corp Volunteers who have served in:
Pakistan = 462 from 1961-67.
Afghanistan = 1,739 from 1962-69.
Sudan = 16 from 1984-86.
Habitat Global Village Homes built since its 1976 inception in:
Pakistan = 0
Afghanistan = 0
Sudan = 0
Imagine if:
• In your God’s playful creativity, decades ago he birthed you in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Sudan, rather than in your lucky neighborhood.
• Over those decades, 100,000 Americans, rather than 2,217, had built better homes for you and your neighbors, helped diversify crop production, taught in schools, grew micro businesses, and addressed medical needs.
• The world’s overwhelming military power had a program that flexed that American behavior. Would you have admired America?
In 2005, thirteen “Knucklehead” New York paramedics responded to the Pakistan earthquake by voluntarily going to give aid and comfort. As one could clearly see, and they humbly said in a 60 Minutes segment, “These people will never forget us.”
Today, implementing Peoples Lobby’s citizen-initiated American World Service Corps (AWSC) proposed congressional legislation creates that smart behavior that dramatically improves the world.
How?
If enacted in the next Congress, each year for the next seven years approximately 140,000 Americans would voluntarily choose to serve in their choice of the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Habitat for Humanity, Head Start, Doctors Without Borders, Red Cross, International Rescue Committee, OxFam, Mercy Corps, State Conservation Corps, etc. By the seventh year one million American World Service Corps members of all ages, or less than 1% of those aged 20-60+, would annually serve for a year or two at home or abroad. For details http://www.WorldServiceCorps.us
If during this campaign season, you push candidates for state and congressional offices to take a stand on Peoples Lobby’s AWSC Congressional Proposals, and vote accordingly, America will again lead the world. The ideal consequence? Other nations will implement their own World Service Corps, so that international teams that build nations can reduce the need for those that bomb them.
Walking a mile in another’s shoes helps nations understand and live Greek slave Aesop’s words, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
The AWSC is a cost effective program that the world, our nation, and our military, as General Zinni points out in Battle for Peace, must quickly implement. Delaying its implementation runs too high a gamble that World War III will be fought from extremists’ caves and the super-rich’s high tech bunkers, while more and more of the world struggles to survive amidst the deadly diseases of ignorance and WMDs.
Imagine if for the past thirty years a million Americans annually serving under the AWSC’s umbrella exemplified our nation’s behavior. All those educated kids, built homes, and cared for sick would not let terror camps sprout up in their healthy land. And all those experienced volunteers would have made America’s world policies smarter.
The world can’t wait for us to behave in the productive, weaponless American World Service Corps way.
For more information:
http://www.worldservicecorps.us
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