Obama on Civilian Security

This clip is disturbing for a number of reasons. One is that it appears Obama is proposing yet another government program. Two, one might infer that Senator Obama is unawares that the US already has voluntary civilian security organizations we variously call the US Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, the Coast Guard, the National Guard, and even local police officers. Three, it could be interpreted as a promise of jobs for many individuals. Fourth, the prospect of 'civilian' enforcers is a chilling prospect reminiscent of Cuba and other totalitarian regimes. Is this program intended to enforce internal compliance with Obama's views?



UPDATE: The Captain's Journal has some questions:

1. How will this Civilian National Security Force (hereafter CNSF) be just as powerful as men with guns, artillery, ordnance, war ships and aircraft?
   
2. What will make the CNSF “just as strong” as the U.S. Marine Corps?
   
3. How will this CNSF implement national security policy?
   
4. Since the 2009 budget includes just over half a trillion dollars for defense spending (The Captain’s Journal supports this, and calls for even more), and since it is judged that this CNSF be “just as well funded” as the military, where will this half a trillion dollars come from?
   
5. Finally, if he didn’t really mean that this CNSF would be the beneficiary of half a trillion dollars (to do with we don’t know what), then why did he say so?
   

Excellent questions. I'm not holding my breath that anyone will bother to ask these questions of Obama or that Obama would answer them if they were asked.