Row erupts over Berkeley's anti-Marine stance

[ursi]

Source: Reuters

BERKELEY, California (Reuters) - Officials in the famously liberal California town of Berkeley have stirred a national fuss by telling U.S. Marine Corps recruiters they aren't welcome anymore and by aiding those protesting against them.

That stance is too much for some Republican lawmakers, who are threatening to retaliate by stripping the counter-culture city of about $5.3 million in federal and state dollars.

"If the U.S. Marines are not good enough for Berkeley, neither are taxpayer dollars," Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, said in a statement.

Last week, the Berkeley City Council agreed to send a letter to the Marines stating their recruiters were not welcome in the city and that those who stayed would be considered "uninvited and unwelcome intruders."

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN1058361420080210

[ixion]

1. I'm sure the government will still TAKE their tax dollars, though, eh, Cornyn?

:grr:

[rockymountaindem]

2. Yeah

A Marine friend of mine called them "hippie, commie, left-wing nutjobs.... (who) are going to receive a massive BEATDOWN... Socialist, totalitarian, pot-smoking, gun-control loving Democrats".

He sure ain't impressed.

Edit: Someone gave me a heart! How nice :hug:

[atreides1]

5. Maybe you should remind your Marine friend

That regardless of what he personally feels, his duty is to protect their right to free speech whether he agrees with it or not.

I've always heard the Marine motto is Semper Fidelis, Always Faithful, but I guess it doesn't mean faithful to the US Constitution, does it????

By the way since when do the Marines need politicians to do their fighting for them? Or are they really truly afraid of the people of Berkley California???

[rockymountaindem]

7. I'll just say he's got a lot of anger

and that apparently his unit buddies encourage the hatred of "liberals", however they are defined. I try not to bring it up, though. I don't want any disagreement with this guy, because I went to high school with him and along with a few other people from our tight ol' group, he's like family to me. Besides, I doubt I could make an impact.

[Zorro]

8. The Marines aren't going anywhere

The Berkeley council can huff and puff as much as they want, but the Marines will leave only when they decide to leave.

[sailor65]

10. It's not the Marines getting upset

They aren't the ones behind the complaint.

As far as fighting the people of Berkley, if that becomes necessary, we'll probably give the Marines a break and use the Girl Scouts.

[muntrv]

3. So how does Guy Houston feel about pro-fetus nuts harassing planned parenthood?

[Trajan]

4. I have a feeling Berkeley contributes more than it receives ...

unlike the dilapidated hamlets in backwater Texas ....

Im not fond of the notion of shutting Marines out: Instead, we can rely on Bush and his cronies to fuck up SO badly that recruitment will suffer miserably on it's own ....

They didn't need to do this ... nevertheless: This was 'local control' in action, which apparently infuriates repukes to no end ....

[BayouBengal07]

6. Good. They should have their tax dollars revoked.

That's a stupid trick to pull. And they're interfering with the efforts of a federal program.

[LeftyMom]

12. How precisely are they doing that?

They:

1. Officially declared the recruiting station to be unwelcome, an action with absolutely no force of law behind it (like when Congress passes one of those non-binding resolutions to tell Bush that he's a douchebag that don't actually do anything.)

2. Gave Code Pink a parking permit out front to facilitate protesting. oooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Free speech. On a public sidewalk, no less. Scaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaary

Was it the piece of paper or the parking pass that has jarheads quaking in their boots?

[Throd]

15. The special parking permit part bothers me.

What is to prevent an anti-abortion group from petitioning for the same privilege in front of an abortion clinic? I think a precedent has been set that would allow them such a thing.

If Berkeley wants to go on the record that they regard the USMC as unwelcome, that is their right. But when they pick and choose who gets special first amendment privileges, they have gone too far IMHO.

[EFerrari]

21. Giving that permit to Code Pink is not equal to denying it to someone else.

And knowing the town that I lived in for a decade, they'd do the same for an anti womens health group.

[Throd]

23. No way would they do that!

You honestly don't believe that Berkeley would give a special parking permit to an anti-abortion group to protest in front of a clinic. If you do, I have a bridge for sale.

And yes, giving special privileges to one group in such a case is a denial of rights to others.

[underpants]

17. Who, the State of California or Berkeley specifically

I know that the answer isn't the State of California because we all know that they fund a large part of the Federal government.

[Hope4all]

24. ?

?

[EFerrari]

18. Betchur @ss. We see no need for our kids to be prey

for recruiters who lie their asses off to meet their quota while our kids get dead for no reason.

Stupid? It would be STUPID not to step in. I'll stupid any day against this cr@P.

[gratuitous]

9. Man, I'd always heard Marines were tougher than that

One little vote, and the poor dears are just overcome. My oh my, will someone please fetch the smelling salts? Maybe they'll feel better if they go shoot something and demonstrate for all of us what manly men they are. They should use a really big gun, too.

[Pastiche423]

11. Sounds like these marines

DON'T have really big guns. ;-)

[underpants]

16. Good point n/t

[EFerrari]

19. In fairness, it's not really the Marines but the whores that gain

from recruiting cannon fodder.

Oh -- and the chickenhawks whose only outlet is to pretend to support the Marines.

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. The Marines aren't being rejected, their recruiters are

The right wingers are spinning this one for all it's worth.

[Auggie]

14. I don't understand why they bother to recruit in Berkeley

It doesn't seem to be a place teeming in marine-type material

[EFerrari]

20. There is a lot of poverty in and around Berkeley.

There are a lot of kids who don't have "better" choices.

[Oeditpus Rex]

22. Looks like the council's gonna cave

(02-12) 23:23 PST Berkeley -- After a day of enraged confrontation outside Berkeley City Hall between anti-war and pro-military demonstrators, the City Council appeared ready late Tuesday night to rescind its controversial decision to tell the U.S. Marines they are "unwelcome intruders" for operating a downtown recruiting center.

A majority of the nine-member council also leaned toward issuing a statement declaring that it is opposed to the war in Iraq but supports U.S. troops.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/13/MNLSV163R.DTL



Btw, did any of you catch the KRON news Tuesday evening? They devoted the better part of this story to a woman whose son is on his third Iraq tour, "protecting our freedom."

Nothing from the other side, of course.