Few know what the President will do with tomorrow's policy issues. However, his ghostly Presidential chronicler can give you a good idea of where his policies are heading. He tells us the President wants another much bigger army to help win the terror wars, build America's economy, and make the world safer. Is he right? Will the American World Service Corps lead other nations to build similar armies?

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After placing his briefcase on the floor near the coach in the Oval Office, the President's ghost historian clicked on his tape recorder"

"Mr. President, you are not just devising a strategy to bring peace and sanity to 28 million Afghanis, are you?"

"No,” he replied staring out through the Oval Office's glass doors.

"It's not just a strategy for 210 million Afghans and Pakistanis, is it?"

"No."

"How much bigger are you thinking your strategy must be?"

"To the east and the west of the five ‘stans' lies South and East Africa, the Middle East, Indonesia" teaming with about 1 billion Muslims,” the President replies as he looks beyond the Marine guard standing outside his doors.

"Are you contemplating sending enough soldiers to control 1 billion Muslims?"

"No" for sure we'd lose that kind of war, our economy, and our world stature. It would end the American ideal."

"What then are you contemplating or, as your critics are now saying, ‘What are you dithering about?'"

"Dithering... hum" I'm dithering over how to win billions of hearts and minds, while losing the fewest soldiers and civilians. Dithering about how to win at 21st century warfare."

"Drawn any conclusions yet?"

“Sure. Better information, more certain targets, more drones, more special forces... Our field strategy must show the world that we know that we can't kill our way to victory. In the process, we have to walk and pave roads that lead to peace, which is victory.”

"How do you do that when your supply lines are 12,000 miles away, your economy is tanking, your people are tiring of warring, your troops are stretched thin, and it's difficult to know who your enemies are?"

The president turns, looks at me, and asks, "Do you think this is another Vietnam quagmire?"

"Halberstam picked the right word. It was a quagmire. Torching a lot of little innocent brown people, losing almost 60,000 American lives, dumping $500 billion, so we could trade with a dangerous, falling little Vietnam domino 30 years later.”

"I asked if you thought we are doing that again," repeated the President.

"In recent history, how often have nations traveled thousands of miles from home to win a war in someone else's backyard? I think, Mr. President, that without a dramatically different plan and some luck, this war will look a lot like Vietnam."

"Radically different is what I'm thinking about. I'm thinking about backing up our special forces, our drones, our technology, with another big army."

"How big will this army be?"

"After several years of building it, it'll be 1 million strong."

"Mr. Pres., to raise that size army you'll need a draft. Don't you think that will raise quite a political ruckus?"

"I don't think a draft will be needed to build this army.”

“How do you figure, Mr. President?”

“There is a pent-up desire to serve in America. There is a need for jobs. We just need to ask Americans to serve, incentivize their service, and verify that their service will win hearts and minds and make America and the world stronger.”

"Mr. President, don't you think getting Americans to build a new army to go to war almost a decade after the purported attackers have disappeared will not be an easy task, especially when they're tired of war. Tired of trying to build someone else's nation?”

“Yes, this is why Americans will respond to this 21st century army.”

“So, explain this envisioned army to me, Mr. President.”

“It was introduced to me during the campaign by a California citizens group called People's Lobby.”

“Ah, reverting to community organizers for some answers, are you?”

A slight smile crosses the President's face as he says, “Some good things can come from community organizers, you know.”

“Community organizers from hip California are proposing an army?'

“They are called People's Lobby. They've drafted legislation that they are calling on Congress to introduce and enact what they call the American World Service Corps. I like the name.

”They propose building it over seven years. By the seventh year one million Americans, aged 18 through 70+, are serving in their choice of Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Doctors sans Borders, Red Cross, International Rescue Committee, Head Start, Habitat, Oxfam, Mercy Corps, state civilian conservation corps and other smaller, local do-good nonprofits. Then their draft legislation calls for keeping it at 1 million a year for 20 years, before sun setting is considered. That allows America to field a robust, peaceful, productive nation building army for a generation. It's one of the new armies the 21st century, 7 billion people, and the earth needs.”

“Did you say 'one of the new armies'?"

"Yes... Imagine, if we gear up and start fielding this AWSC. Imagine if we challenge or inspire China, Russia, Venezuela, Israel, Palestine, Iran, etc., to build their own World Service Corps and serve alongside or with us. Imagine the military power that spends more on arms than all the other nations combined suddenly fielding an army of do-gooders. Imagine that military power pushing all the nations of the world to do the same, to change direction, so we can use these new 21st century armies to battle climate change, poverty, and ignorance together peacefully.”

"A bit Camelot-ish isn't it, Mr. President?”

The President looks at me, “Sure. But tell me, if you took this home and explained it to your wife and children, if you explain it to your neighbors and to your fellow writers, if you talk about it on your radio interviews, how many who hear it would fight against having me implement something like this?”

"Not many, Mr. President. In fact, most of us parents would prefer our children do that kind of nation building service rather than the military. My daughter might try serving with someone like Doctors without Borders for a year or two to see if she really is cut out for budget busting medical school.

And maybe you and your wife might take a year or two off to help somewhere and collect material for your next book while doing so."

"Maybe, Mr. President, but before you launch this great public relations team, don't you have to have to figure out how to fund 21 million Americans serving over 27 years? How to keep them safe? And..."

"Whoa. Wait a minute. Don't be painting this as a mere public relations gambit. These AWSC volunteers will be working hard every day, doing something constructive, learning while doing, and working alongside other nations' volunteers. We had the CCC, WPA, and an integrated military serving with other nations during the era when we fought a depression and world war and that produced the Greatest Generation. This Corps can build the next Greatest Generation right when the earth needs it most.

"As to funding it, their AWSC website has some outside of the box proposals, like using a spreadsheet listing the Forbes 400 Richest American billionaires, our richest athletes, and our richest entertainers; and publicly listing their voluntary donations escrowed to underwrite AWSC costs. Those donations would reduce Uncle Sam's $700 billion cost to field 21 million Americans for 27 years. Donating to peaceful efforts can be good for the businesses of the super-rich too.

“And the public would probably appreciate those donors a bit more than those who don't who don't contribute 1-2% of their wealth to fund an AWSC, don't you think? Maybe Congress would use some of People's Lobby's other taxing ideas to make up the shortfall, like assessing an import levy on those developed nations with which we run a significant trade deficit.

“Do you think those ideas are worth throwing around in Congress and in public discussion?”

"Yes, sir.”

"As to the safety of having so many Americans serve... Well, it's a more dangerous world today, but we must involve ourselves soon in making it more sane and safe. If not now, when... It won't get safer without dramatic involvement by Americans. We've been spending between $700,000 to $1 million per soldier per year, trying to keep them and others safe. This AWSC should cost about $35 to 40,000 per volunteer per year. We won't be putting them directly into fields of combat, but we would hope those organizations they serve with would deal with the poverty, ignorance, and climate changes that are breeding grounds for terrorists all around today's military battlegrounds.

“Anyway, with the economic situation facing our country, it's likely that the majority would choose to serve at home, maybe in the hills of Appalachia. Maybe in hurting cities like Detroit and Cleveland. Maybe in those cities that face earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Their works and modest earnings will recirculate primarily into our economy. And their grand learnings will pay America back 100 fold in years to come.”

“So, this is your dual purpose army. It'll deal with Al Queda and its offshoots, as well as our sputtering economy and climate deterioration?”

“In addition, it will move Americans from TV's pillowed couches to fields of healthy service and action. Having Americans directly involved in ameliorating problems at home or abroad will make America wiser and more perceptive. It'll keep us focused on what's important and keep us from stumbling into future costly, bloody public policy mistakes.”

“Are you referring to any recent public policy mistakes?”

“Recent and long past too. Pick a handful of countries from any troubled spot in the world and you can find a human policy problem – or answer. Take Iran, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Sudan. Since 1961 when JFK started the Peace Corps, only about 4,000 PCVs have served in those countries. Hardly any have served in those countries over the last three decades.

“Yet we've sent billions in arms and hundreds of thousands of troops during that period. That equation has never worked for the nation implementing it or for the world it implements it upon. That equation has bloodied our and their people. It has weakened our and the world's economy. If we continue that equation, it will produce bleak, bloodied history.”

“So, you are setting out to build this robust 21st century army, because you want us and the world to ‘Learn from history, lest we be doomed to repeat it?”

The President's “Yeph"” was cut short with a door knock and entry by his aide reminding him that our 20 minutes were ending and his next appointment was coming up.

The President nodded and continued, “Can you imagine how much safer, saner, and less bloody recent history would have been had we built this army 30-40 years ago? Twenty-one centuries have gone by and nations still don't build these kinds of armies. We've grown from gladiators dying in coliseums to refereed football games. It's time we started fielding a new, less deadly army.

“We can't keep throwing our troops into bloody coliseums. We can't just have those not fighting cheer from coliseum seats or pray on Sundays and at funerals. We've got to get armies of good people involved in hard, sweaty, peaceful work that lays the foundations for miracles.”

“Thank you, Mr. President.”

Authors Website: http://peopleslobby.us/

Authors Bio:

Dwayne served in the Peace Corps in the slums of Mumbai, India, worked several Habitat Projects, and was on the start-up team of the California Conservation Corps. He has a Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University, has been a builder, teacher, political organizer, small businessman, affordable housing developer, and a rock-piler at Rubel's Castle. Some pics and stories at http://peopleslobby.us/more-projects/rubelia.

Some story tidbits about his recent well-regarded book about Rubel's Castle are available at http://peopleslobby.us/more-projects/rubelia.

In 2013 Rubelia was designated a National Historic Monument, right up there with Hearst Castle. CBS clip: Rubel's Castle is on verge of listing on National Registry http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/08/07/rubel-castle-in-glendora-on-the-verge-of-getting-national-historic-recognition/

Dwayne is presently Executive Director of People's Lobby Inc (PLI, 501c4)and People's Lobby's Education Foundation (PLEF, 501c3). You can read PLI's American World Service Corps Congressional Proposal (AWSC) at
http://peopleslobby.us/awsc-congressional-proposal

Rebuilding People'Lobby web site is available at http://peopleslobby.us/

Congresswoman Woolsey (D, CA) offered to introduce it in the 111th Congress, then retracted. Please contact your Congressional reps and ask them to become an original sponsor or cosponsor. The AWSC citizen-initiated congressional proposals could be, with you pushing your representatives, among the most significant legislation passed and implemented in decades. Imagine having 21 million Americans cost effectively doing good at home or abroad over the next 27 years.

In December 2009 Ralph Nader choose People's Lobby's book, "Ordinary People Doing the Extraordinary, The Story of Ed & Joyce Koupal's People's Lobby" as one of the Ten Best Books to Read for 2009. You can purchase the book from PeoplesLobby.us or learn more at http://peopleslobby.us/more-projects/books.

"This country runs on laws. If you want to change the country, write its laws," People's Lobby's founders Ed and Joyce Koupal used to say. If you want to enlighten public policy, involve millions of Americans in addressing public needs, prepare for climate weirding, etc., help make it happen. The AWSC addresses with people action many of our most pressing and costly needs. To sign the reopened American World Service Corps petition/letter, which contacts Congress for you: Paste http://www.change.org/petitions/view/field_21_million_american_world_service_corps_volunteers_over_the_next_27_years
Please help make the AWSC happen. To learn more about People's Lobby, visit the web site at www.Peopleslobby.us.

Recent books both available on line and from publishers: Every Town Needs a Castle (Prelude to next book, Every Country Needs a World Service Corps)
http://peopleslobby.us/more-projects/rubelia


Ordinary People Doing the Extraordinary (Nader's 2009 TopTen Books to Read List)
http://peopleslobby.us/archives/736
Library: http://peopleslobby.us/organizations/peoples-lobby/library