The Crazies Continue To Emerge

From the AP:

A Republican congressman from Georgia said Monday he fears that President-elect Obama will establish a Gestapo-like security force to impose a Marxist dictatorship.

"It may sound a bit crazy and off base, but the thing is, he's the one who proposed this national security force," Rep. Paul Broun said of Obama in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. "I'm just trying to bring attention to the fact that we may - may not, I hope not - but we may have a problem with that type of philosophy of radical socialism or Marxism."

Naw, that doesn't sound crazy at all. Until you go find the speech President-Elect Obama actually gave. The AP points out that Braun cited a speech by Obama from July. You can watch it here. In the speech (the prepared text is here) Obama described, among other things, the benefits of public service. He said:

That is why I'm determined to reach out - not just to Democrats, but to Independents and Republicans who want to move in a new direction. And that is why I won't just ask for your vote as a candidate - I will ask for your service and your active citizenship when I am President of the United States.

This will not be a call issued in one speech or one program - this will be a central cause of my presidency. We will ask Americans to serve. We will create new opportunities for Americans to serve. And we will direct that service to our most pressing national challenges.

There is no challenge greater than the defense of our nation and our values. The men and women of our military - from Fort Carson to Peterson Air Force base, from the Air Force Academy to the ROTC students here on campus - have signed up at a time when our troops face an ever-increasing load. Fighting a resurgent Taliban. Targeting al Qaeda. Persevering in the deserts and cities of Iraq. Training foreign militaries. Delivering humanitarian relief. In this young century, our military has answered when called, even as that call has come too often. Through their commitment, their capability, and their courage they have done us all proud.

But we need to ease the burden on our troops, while meeting the challenges of the 21st century. That's why I will call on a new generation of Americans to join our military, and complete the effort to increase our ground forces by 65,000 soldiers and 27,000 Marines.

Now watch closely and remember the first sentence of that last paragraph. There's a burden on our troops, he said. We have to ease that burden, he said. Into the prepared text right after proposing an expansion of our diplomatic corp, Obama added this (the text can be found here):

We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.

THAT is what the wingnuts are spinning into a new "Gestapo-like security force to impose a Marxist dictatorship." THAT's what Congressman Paul Braun turned into:

"That's exactly what Hitler did in Nazi Germany and it's exactly what the Soviet Union did," Broun said. "When he's proposing to have a national security force that's answering to him, that is as strong as the U.S. military, he's showing me signs of being Marxist."

So in a speech where Obama looks to increase AmeriCorps and public service overall, increase the nation's support of our veterans, increase the foreign service and double the size of the Peace Corps it's not at all crazy to see how he's proposing a new Gestapo-like security force.

Nope, not crazy at all.

How long till the crazies start talking about The New World Order and The Unmarked Silent Helicopters and the UN Troops Stationed In The Secret Bases Across The Country threatening our precious national sovereignty?