Folks, A piece of news crossed my desk today that has me utterly stunned. The city council of Berkeley California has issued a letter to the United States Marine Corp that their local recruitment center is no longer welcome in their city.
Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, said "The Marines don't belong here, they shouldn't have come here, and they should leave" . I am appalled by such a statement coming from a branch of government who's very existence is allowed due to the protection of these brave men and women.
If the city of Berkeley does not want the protection provided by our military then they should also opt out any federal funding also. If they are unwilling to pay their own way and protect themselves then they owe the Marine Corps and the American people a great big apology.
A group of people operating under the name "code pink" are doing everything in their power to stop the Marines from operating their recruitment center. You want to see something appalling? Check out this video:
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My opinion is that the Marines need to send a detachment of Force Recon soldiers to protect the free ingress and regress from their offices. If the local police will not enforce the law and protect the rights of our armed forces then I believe the military has the right to take care of themselves. If I was trying to enter that building and some of those peace freaks tried to block my way they would learn the meaning of getting walked over.
For more on this story try these links:
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Senators Isakson, Chambliss and Broun have sponsored a bill to take away federal funding from the City of Berkely. There is a petition sponsored by the American Center for Law and Justice that supports the Semper Fi Act of
2008. To add your name to this petition follow the link at the bottom of this article.
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This deal has my blood boiling. If this was happening in my town those "code pink" protestors would have to walk through a wall of my friends and I to get to the door of the Marine Corps recruitment center. If this upsets you just half as much as it does me then please join the ACLJ by signing onto the petition. Michael
Berkley city council caused a large backlash against them. The council has since rescinded their letter and simply stated they are against the war. But what they said is already done. They stated point blank that they support anyone thwarting the military's attempts to recruit. An Ohio city mayor is in trouble for telling the Marines they are not welcome to train in his city. He also was forced to apologize.
A forced apology is not an apology at all. An apology needs to be an admission of wrong, that is "I was wrong, I'm sorry". Not "Hey, they twisted my arm, so I guess I'm sorry..."
| >>> An | >>>Ohio city mayor is in trouble for telling the Marines they are not | >>>welcome to train in his city. He also was forced to apologize. | >>
| >> A forced apology is not an apology at all. An apology needs to be an | >> admission of wrong, that is "I was wrong, I'm sorry". Not "Hey, they | >> twisted my arm, so I guess I'm sorry..." | | As a jarhead, I too was outraged, but soon enough Berkely will learn that | you don't f*ck with the Marines... | | Semper Fi! | | Mike |
Mike, as an old retired artilleryman I'm so damned mad over this crap that all I want to do is to dump about 35 years and go out and charge these nitwits and traitors. I hope the Marines can hold out and the federal government will change the funding for ALL municipalities that refute ANY branch of the service. It is becoming a trend in this country and is beginning to remind me of what it was like back in the 60's when we cam back from Nam. If there was a better place to head to, I'd be going that direction. Too old for this crap. Semper Fi man!
Berkeley did not apologize. They only decided to not send their resolution to the Marines. One councilwoman pretty much said they (the council) was too stupid cause they didn't know what the hell they were doing.
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Last I heard, plans are continuing forward with some plan to discontinue Federal funds heading to Berkeley (AKA Berzerkeley). I would support that.
I very much dislike driving through Berzerkeley, hate doing any kind of business there and avoid it as much as I can. Today was miserable food at Hs Lordships.
i am glad ya'll are seeing my OP for what it is. i participate in one other usenet group and the liberal/pacifists are nutting up. this has nothing to do with the war or whether or not you support the war in the middle east. it is all about paying respect to the military people that defend our country. the marine corp does not create policy, they just go where they are ordered. they deserve a lot of respect. if these people want to protest let them go march back and forth in front of the capital building or the whitehouse. michael
There should have been more of a backlash when they excluded the military as a whole from career days at all their public schools. That opened the door for all the rest of this crap. They should be denied all Federal funding.
I'm stunned too. If you support cutting federal funding to a city because their residents are voicing their opinions about the current administration through their local government you should be ashamed of yourselves. You don't have to agree with "Code Pink". You can hate them all you want. I don't agree with them either but if you take away their rights you are giving away your own rights too. I served 20 years in the US Navy defending the rights and freedom of our people. All of our people. Even the ones that I don't agree with. The federal government deciding to cut funding to the city of Berkeley because they don't like them voicing their political position is wrong on so many levels it's mind boggling. The City Council of Berkeley should be applauded for going "on the record" and giving their citizens a voice. My position isn't defending "Code Pink", it's defending our civil liberties. The replies that I have read here are sickening. Get your heads out of your collective asses and wake up. There's so much more to this issue than the people of Berkeley wanting recruiters out.
Michael, linking to a Fox News political article doesn't exactly promote a sense of credibility. If you don't know who Rupert Murdoch is you should find out.
How "specifically" are they voicing their discontent with the current administration by trying to boot the Marines out.... hmmmmm???... (this oughta be good)
You
Code Pink can do any damned thing they want. They are a private organization that to the best of my knowledge gets no Federal funding whatsoever, nor is the Federal government trying to infringe their freedom of speech in any way. Berkeley however by "reserving" parking in front of the Marine recruiters office for the Code Pink demostration seems to me to be taking sides in this issue.
I served 20 years in the US Navy defending
I'm sure that the Fed's have NO problem with the idiots voicing their opinion about the war, the Marines. whatever.... when their words become "action" however, that it another story and the Fed's are justified in cutting off every damned dime to the idiots.
The City Council of
Does any city in the United States prohibit their citizens from exercising their right to speak? Please name one... (this too oughta be good).... Sooooooo then, if every city gives their citizens the right, why the should Berkeley be singled out for adulation.... hmmmmmmmm?
My position isn't defending "Code Pink", it's defending
Following one's own advice at times is helpful...
There's so much more to
Ken, this story has been widely reported by other news org's such as CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, AP, Reuters, etc.... are they too in the radical right's hip pocket???? Hmmmmmm?
Ain't nothing new about Bizerkly... They're a "Nuclear free" zone, whatever the hell that is, were openly, officially against the Vietnam war and have some of the (IMHO) anti-smoking laws I've ever seen..
Same shit, different day... Can't have Columbus Day in Bizerkly.. They want it to be "indigenous native" day... Never expect rational decisions from irrational people..
(Berkeley) Mayor Bates said on Feb. 1. "I am a retired U.S. Army Captain and I respect the choice of those who are serving our country. "However, this community strongly opposes the war in Iraq and the foreign policy of the current administration." He added: "I understand that there are people across the country that may not agree with this action, but it is the Berkeley City Council's responsibility to represent the will of the people of Berkeley."
Is the reserved code pink free parking spot next to the recruiter's reserved free parking spots? Who pays the rent on the recruiter's office space? Is parking part of that contract or has some federal parking clause been violated? Was there a council meeting and a vote to decide if there should be reserved spots? Until I know those answers I won't say who's taking any sides.
If code pink's "actions" are illegal, arrest them and charge them with a crime. Why should they be denied due process of the law? If code pink's actions are illegeal there is still no justification for the federal government to withhold funds to the city. Berkeley's citizens are being harassed by the federal government with threats to withhold "$2 million in federal money earmarked for ferry service and school lunches, among other things". That's right, Mike, the feds are threatening to cut off school lunches and transportation funding if the Berkeley City Council doesn't apologize for advising them of their citizen's opinion.
Read it again if you must: On Jan. 29, the city council approved a resolution that included letters to the Marines advising them that their recruiting station is unwelcome in Berkeley.
No, Mike. I'm not talking about the city being commended for letting their individual citizens speak. I'm talking about the City Council being commended for having the courage to speak as representatives of their citizens. The City Counsil has a responsibility first and foremost to it's citizens. The federal government is threatening financial harm to the citizens of Berkeley because their City Council did what they were supposed to do.
If you think I'm full of shit then that's fine with me. I'm not trying to drag down our military. My issue is with our federal government bullying a city council for doing their job. We might not agree with Code Pink or the citizens of Berkeley but I can't stand by and watch the noose tighten any more. The Semper Fi Act of 2008 is just another Patriot Act.
I don't have any issue with news sources that don't have a political agenda of their own. In fact, most of my quotes in this reply came from the Fox News article. How's that for "fair and balanced"?
Here's another chance to be fair, Mike. Why don't you find a link with the text of the Semper Fi Act of 2008 for us. Pick any news source you want, even Fox.
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