OT: Semper Fi

Fact: The City Council of Berleley did nothing illegal. Fact: The federal government wants to punish the City of Berleley because they don't like what they did. Fact: The federal government cannot legally withhold funding from Berkeley because they don't like what they did. Fact: The Semper Fi Act of 2008 is a bill that was drafted for only one purpose - so the federal government can punish cities by withholding federal funding whenever they feel like it. Fact: This is what the feds want to cut $2 million in school and transportation funding over: (PDF document)

The text "direct the City Manager to send letters to the Marine Corps Recruiting Station at 64 Shattuck Avenue and to General James T. Conway, Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, advising them that the Marine recruiting office is not welcome in our city, and if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome intruders" of the above document was rescinded by: (PDF document) The details of the parking permit for Code Pink: (PDF document) Where's that link to the Semper Fi Act of 2008?

But was ethically WRONG for a city council do what they did.

Which is not illegal so you should have no problem with it.

They most certainly can because the funds are intended for something Berkley has stated they will not support.

Too bad. Money is for specific purposes. Out Gov. should do what it takes to protect the publics money. Berkley has no use for such funs if they do not believe in the purpose of those funds.

Thats not why the money was allocated to Berkley in the first place.

Read it! It's absurd to provide a tax payer funded parking spot on a regular basis for a private protest group. It's also absurd to waive the noise ordinances for a select group. Especially since the waiver doesn't stipulate to what extent. No mention of any dB levels not to be exceeded. They have full waiver.

What really strikes me as a little odd is all this indignation at Berkeley when none was voiced when the Marines screwed their troops by messing up with MARP's. Now that undoubtedly caused a loss of life, but nobody is bitching about it. Some might want to get their priorities in order imho.

Roy

Here's link.

Yes, it is sad to see our local governments adopting the federal government's low standard of ethics.

EVERYONE should have a problem with this. The federal government should not be allowed to manipulate or interfere with local government without cause. Retaliation based on emotions isn't good enough. The City of Berkeley already rescinded their statement. The feds are threatening to withhold $2 million if they don't apologize. Do you think this is the way the country should run? Do you think this is acceptable?

What were the funds intended for? Fox News said it was for school lunches and ferry service. If you don't mind can you link to your source?

I did read it. The tax payers that funded the parking spot also support "Code Pink" so I don't see where that is an issue. It's tax payer's money being spent on what the tax payers want. The parking spot and noise waiver were approved by vote at a council meeting. Spending city money on what the taxpayers actually want may be unusual, but not absurd.

I don't agree with what the City of Berkeley is doing but I support their right to do it. The Berkeley City Council isn't doing this for you or me, they are doing it for the citizens of Berkeley. They are doing what /they/ think is right for /them/. When the federal government manipulates our local governments we may as well get rid of all of our local governments. There is no point to having local representation and policies if the federal government can manipulate them at will.

They had cause. Theres a reason why the Gov. gives them those funds. It's an incentive to uphold certain policies. Berkley decided they did not wish to do that. So they lose those funds.

Yes I do. Berkley should not set policies based on emotions of this nature. There is no law that says the Feds MUST give the funds. It is a gift. They do not deserve such a gift.

Tax payers funds should not go to any such private group. No funds go to any counter group. Tax payer funds should not take sides.

BZZZT! Sorry Mr. Khrushchev. Wrong Answer. Would you like to try "???" for

2,000 rubles?

If it is an unwarranted "gift" it should have not been granted in the first place. If the funds were appropriated for one reason they cannot withdraw them for any other reason. If it was unappropriated funds the rat-bastards that gave it away to begin with should face charges. I don't see any hearings on the federal agenda for that. Senator DeMint? Are you there???

But isn't it strange there are lobbyists that have reserved parking spots at capitol hill?

Damn news server. That should have read "KGB" in Russian. It just isn't the same saying "K", "upside L", "6". Dammit.

it is how these folks are expressing their views. the code pink folks are totally off the chain. to punish the marine recruiters and their potential recruits by physically accosting them is wrong. it is also o.k. for local governments to go against the feds but if they don't want to allow the feds to operate in their community they should be willing to abstaine from federal funding.

I served 20 years in the US Navy defending

you express your opinions in the press and at the voting booth. you don't abuse others in the process. if you don't like the war then vote for obama. its pretty simple. acting like a jack ass in front of the news cameras is muck less impressive to me.

well fox is my personal national news forum. after i read their take i checked out a few other national news outlets. you will notice i threw in a link to a local news media outlet also. after the fiasco with dan rather making up news at cbs and walter croncite personally losing the vietnam war in the press i don't trust them at all. can't give any credince to ted turners communist news network either. especially since he gutted all violence from bugs bunny.

yes, i know who rupert murdoch is. i don't think he has anything to do with the town of berzerkly though. i am surprised you didn't really jump on my link to the american center for law and justice. now that is about as fundamentalist and right wing as they come. or maybe next time i'll skip all the mainstream media and go right to the 700 club. michael

Voicing a political opinion is one thing, they are actively denying a Marine presence. The city itself has no business voicing a political opinion anyway, they should be conducting city business on the taxpayers dime.

now look at one of the projects funding they are threatening to pull from berkely. 273,000 dollars to provide gourmet lunches to the local school districts. they are not wanting to pull their healthy lunch as the kids need but gourmet lunches cooked by chefs.

now you try googling Chez Panisse. michael

The City of Berkeley is cooperating with Code Pink but they aren't denying a Marine presence. They didn't throw them out or even try to. They simply made a statement that the recruiters weren't welcome. This is all about the feds getting their feelings hurt by a letter that was drafted telling the Marines their opinion. I don't believe the letter was ever sent.

Thanks for the link, Michael. I was actually asking Mike Simmons for it but that's OK.

It makes you wonder how they got that money in the first place. This kind of spending needs to be managed better. I agree that there are far more deserving programs but you can't justify giving it to them for one reason and then take it away for another reason. It doesn't change the original "need" the funding was based on. Federal funds aren't dished out like gifts as some people here must think. They have to be justified and approved. If the feds are now saying they /didn't/ have a valid need for the money there should be an investigation to find out who approved it, and action taken. Maybe they should take that person's paycheck and send it to the Marines, too.

I'm not familiar with American Center for Law and Justice but... This is what they say about themselves: The ACLJ is specifically dedicated to the ideal that religious freedom and freedom of speech are inalienable, God-given rights. The Center's purpose is to educate, promulgate, conciliate, and where necessary, litigate, to ensure that those rights are protected under the law.

I don't agree with that at all. The law should not protect any rights given by any spiritual beings. The law should protect our right to choose our own religion and worship, but it should never protect any imaginary rights granted by imaginary gods.

probably some of that money that they call "pork barrel" funding. the entire gourmet lunch program idea has kinda flippped me out even more than the berkely city council opinion. just guessing but some local dimwit, who is related to or a friend of the chez panez folks, worked on the local congress persons campain and lobbied for some money to fund a program for "school lunches". michael

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of *Nature's God* entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their *Creator* with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

while i don't think you should be forced to believe in God or not, our forefathers obviously believed in a diety called God that was the creator. what the law should protect is each of our rights to believe in our own way. the ACLJ does not attempt to force anyone to believe in any particular way. all they do is protect a particular group of believers rights to freedom of religion as granted in our declaration of independence and constitution.

what is funny is that some days they are litigating against the ACLU and some days they are partnered with them. what we have seemed to have lost in this country is that my rights as a believer are no more or less important from the governments standpoint as that of a pagan. equal rights not only for non believers, but believers as well. i am betting that we agree on that.

michael

Yes, we agree on that. I am a "believer" but not in the same way as you. I do not follow the teachings of any named religion. I believe there are supernatural entities that we do not understand. I believe we are not capable of understanding them. I don't believe anyone who claims to understand them.

Now check this out, here is a letter a businessman wrote to the Mayor of Berkeley.

Is this a great country or what?

Dear Mayor Bates,

In that you and your city have chosen to gravely insult the brave men and women, who have indeed bought you that right with their blood, I am informing you that my company will no longer do business with any of our current suppliers located in the Berkeley,California metro area.

In that my company is in international resort real estate development, and do business with and am associated with, developers and investors worldwide, I am informing all of my contacts, associates and patrons that we will no longer do any business of any sort with anyone living in the Berkeley area.

In that we/MDG Resorts are currently building a state of the art mega-yacht marina, all of the suppliers of Marina equipment, all owners of Yachts , all suppliers of Yacht materials & supplies, all yacht brokers and all tangential yacht business purveyors will likewise be informed that we will not do any business whatsoever with anyone from the Berkeley area.

Likewise all suppliers of building materials, both interior and exterior, currently associated with any of our several resort developments (Brisamar

300+ villas and 200+ condos: Porto Hussong, 500+ condos, 180 slip mega-yacht marina) both of which I might add have international recognition by virtue of glowing reports in Robb Report, Wall Street Journal, Yacht World, Forbes.

I will likewise inform all of our investors, most of whom are very wealthy yacht owners, casino owners, high net worth international businessmen, of our decision to essentially boycott all products and providers located in, or associated with in any way whatsoever,Berkeley, Ca.

Trust me when I say that having been in the real estate development business for over 35 years, our list of contacts and associates is long and very, very impressive. We, and I personally, are going to recommend that they ALL along with us boycott your city, its purveyors, suppliers, and businesses and CHARITIES of every kind.

You have every right to choose to take the obnoxious anti-military stance you have taken, and as stated, that right was bought for you with the blood of better men than you.

I too have every right to do all that I can to insure that your city suffers consequences arising from that obnoxious, sickening stance.

Cordially,

Brian G Dennard

Principal

Director Meridian Development Group, LLC

619 807 2444

Cool.. voting with the checkbook is pretty effective..

mac

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