Former President Bill Clinton said Wednesday night it is more important than ever for citizens to serve the public good in whatever way they can after the Islamic State group's attack on Paris last week.
He told a crowd at a Michigan State University public service forum that the job of those not in the U.S. military is to "make something good happen." He said national borders look "more like nets than walls" and people make decisions every day that either "bring us together or tear us apart."
"By doing nothing, we're contributing to the latter outcome. People feel unseen, unheard. They wind up screaming, they become vulnerable in this case to the extremist siren songs of ISIS, and you know what happens," Clinton said.
"We are condemned to share the future with our neighbors around the corner, in the Upper Peninsula, across the country and around the world," Clinton said. "We cannot change that."
He is the first recipient of the Spartan Statesmanship Award for Distinguished Public Service, which was created along with the forum by former Michigan Gov. Jim Blanchard and his wife, Janet, through a $1 million donation to the university. The school is joining the Clinton Global Initiative University and offering a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation.
Clinton spoke little of the 2016 presidential race but joked he cannot say whatever he wants in speeches anymore since his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, is running.
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