Berkeley to lump recruiting stations with porno shops

[darrels joy]

Move America Forward’s Melanie Morgan sends word of a new petition protesting Berkeley’s discrimination against the Marines. She tells me: “We will be delivering the petition in person to the City of Berkeley at the next regularly scheduled meeting. Thanks for helping to spread the story of the outrageous conduct and slander against our troops.” The petition is http://petition.moveamericaforward.org/Berkeley2008.asp The text:

To: The City Council, Mayor and City Manager of Berkeley, California

We, the undersigned, do register our complete outrage with the City of Berkeley for the recent resolutions that criticized our Marines, as part of an effort to harass the Marine Recruiting Center and chase all vestiges of the United States military outside of the city of Berkeley, California.

We take particular umbrage with the instructions given to the City Manager of Berkeley to tell the United States Marines that they are, “uninvited and unwelcome intruders.”

It is shameful for you to attack our military men and women who nobly and bravely serve this nation to protect our security and defend our freedoms and liberties. Those liberties include the right to Freedom of Speech, which you seem to believe should not be afforded to the members of the United States Marine Corps and service personnel in other branches of the Armed Forces.

I call upon you to immediately revoke the resolutions passed that defamed and insulted our U.S. Marines and issue a public apology to this nation, and in particular, the honorable and heroic men and women of the United States military.

[darrels joy]

If you’re not yet motivated to speak up about this madness, here’s the text of the Berkeley city council agenda with the “Peace and Justice Commission’s” recommendation that led to the resolution giving Code Pink special parking privileges and a free sound permit to protest at the Marine recruitment center:


From: Peace and Justice Commission
Recommendation:


1. Direct the City Attorney to investigate and report back to Council within 60 days on City options for enforcing Chapter 13.28 of the Berkeley Municipal Code, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, with respect to military recruiting offices in Berkeley.


2. 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;


3. Encourage all people to avoid cooperation with the Marine Corps recruiting station, and applaud residents and organizations such as Code Pink, that may volunteer to impede, passively or actively, by nonviolent means, the work of any military recruiting office located in the City of Berkeley.

[darrels joy]

Facing off over Marine Corps
3 war opponents chain selves to door of recruiting station, and right-wing blogosphere goes ballistic


Saturday, February 2, 2008


As the right-wing blogosphere railed and a U.S. senator vowed financial retaliation against the Berkeley City Council for its effort to boot the Marine Corps out of town, three war protesters ratcheted up pressure from the left by chaining themselves Friday to the front door of the downtown Marine recruiting office.

The demonstrators snapped their locks shut at 7 a.m. and spent the next 7 1/2 hours blocking the door, waving and chanting as hundreds of cars driving by honked in support. Finally, at 2:30 p.m., police snipped the chains and arrested them.

Two of the three were cited for blocking a business and released, and the third was booked into jail on an unrelated traffic warrant, police said.
(read the whole aricle here)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl.../BALTUQKOE.DTL

______________________________________________
UC Berkeley student Kyrolos El Giheny, center, talks on his phone after anti-war protesters, clad in orange "prison" jumpsuits, denied him entry into a Marine Corps. recruitment office in Berkeley. Chronicle photo by Paul Chinn

Two men, foreground, try to force their way through anti-war protesters chained together. Chronicle photo by Paul Chinn (notice the woman with a small child sitting on the sidewalk)

Police officers monitored the activity from across the street where anti-war protesters chained themselves together in an attempt to block the entrance to a Marine Corps. recruitment office in Berkeley. Chronicle photo by Paul Chinn

[Packo]

I don't live within 500 miles of that recruiting station.

And that's all I'm gonna say about that.

Pack

[QM3steve]

It sounds like the Berkeley government has a little instigator side to them. To allow the parking for "code pink" in front of the recruiting office, doesn't make the government any better than the people. So, not having an office there, would be a good thing. A bunch of near sighted crybabies that squeak to get in the media...and it works. Berkeley falls in the same category as the Phelps protesters.

[darrels joy]

Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates offered Friday to help the U.S. Marines leave town by negotiating an end to the lease for their recruiting station, even as he backpedaled on a City Council resolution declaring the Corps “uninvited and unwelcome intruders” in the city.

In the face of an onslaught of pro-military criticism from around the country, Bates, a retired Army captain (I looked but couldn't find anything about his military service except After graduation, Bates served in Germany as a Captain in the U.S. Army Reserves, and later worked in real estate.), also issued a statement that said the City Council’s resolution Tuesday night “did not adequately differentiate our respect and support for those serving in the armed forces and our opposition to the Iraq war policy.” He said he would ask the council to modify the resolution at its next meeting, scheduled for Feb. 12.

A Marines spokeswoman said Friday that the Corps has no intention of abandoning its space at 64 Shattuck Square that has been the subject of protests for months.

In an interview Friday, Bates said he has received more than 1,000 e-mails on the resolution, mostly from “the right wing that has really seized up on this and mobilized to pound us.”

[Gunner Carvo]

Vets For Freedom
Vets for Freedom condemns the actions of the Berkeley City Council


Vets for Freedom stands by the comments and actions of Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) regarding the recent actions by the City Council of Berkeley, California. Earlier this week, elected officials in Berkley voted to have a recruiting station of the United States Marine Corps removed from city property, calling the Marines "uninvited and unwelcome intruders." Vets for Freedom welcomes Senator DeMint's proposed legislation that would rescind any federal money recently appropriated for the City of Berkley.

"The man or woman who puts on the uniform of a United States Marine, Soldier, Sailor or Airman swears an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States," said Executive Director of Vets for Freedom, Pete Hegseth. "Clearly, the elected officials of Berkley, California see the Constitution as a mere roadblock in their radical left-wing agenda. What these fanatics fail to realize is that the fantasy world that they live in exists under the very cloak of freedom provided by the sacrifices of the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces."

He continued "The Constitution is not conditional. The blatant favoring of one group's freedoms over another's because of political partisanship is exactly the type of divisive politics that is endangering the success of the missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Global War on Terror. The progress being made would not be possible without the brave soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines that serve in our armed forces. Recruitment is essential to success in the war on terror."

Vets for Freedom is a nonpartisan organization established by combat veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its mission is to educate the American public about the importance of achieving success in these conflicts by applying our first-hand knowledge to issues of American military strategy. For more information, please visit www.vetsforfreedom.org.

[QM3steve]

Quote "The initiative lists complaints against the military including the invasion of Iraq, abuses at Abu Ghraib, discrimination based on sexual orientation and recruiters who mislead potential recruits about benefits and duties."

One of the things people have been protesting, is the invasion of Iraq. The recruitment had absolutely nothing to do with the invasion. War protesters forget this and the military men and women pay the protest price. When they sign up and raise their right hand and swear, they have already been told they may not come back some day. They chose to enlist. After that, they are told what to do. Support the men and women, whether you are against the invasion or not.

If I recall correctly, the people involved in the Abu Ghraib were dealt with accordingly. This was an isolated incident and each incident is handled individually. The four who were involved in the Abu Ghraib case have been charged according to the part they played in the abuse.

Lastly, in the article, there is no supporting evidence of, "recruiters who mislead potential recruits about benefits and duties." This is simply a statement that was thrown out there and added to the list.

[Jerry D]

I think the Code Pink private parking spot in front of the Marine Core Office should get a Disabled M1A2 Tank with the gears locked and its weight(69.54 tons) should embed it into the asphalt then put a 140 db(i.e. Jet engine at 100% or loud Gun fire) car alarm on it in case some city tow truck attempts to tow it off LOL

[darrels joy]

Regular Meeting Agenda January 29, 2008

Click on the linked agenda item titles below for background materials/reports. Adopted Resolutions and Ordinances (second reading) are available via Records Online (http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/clerk/recsonline/default.html) as soon as they are finalized.

http://berkeley.granicus.com/MediaPl...publish_id=444