Berkeley to Marines: You're 'not welcome in our city'

Berkeley to Marines: You're 'not welcome in our city'

www.cnn.com

(CNN) -- Berkeley, the famously liberal college town in California, has taken aim at Marine recruiters, saying they are "not welcome in our city."

Republican lawmakers in Washington fired back this week, threatening to take back more than $2 million of federal funding to the city as well as money designated for the University of California-Berkeley, the campus that became a haven of protests during the Vietnam War.

The battle erupted after the Berkeley City Council approved a measure last week urging the Marine recruiters to leave their downtown office.

"If recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome intruders," the item says.

It goes on to say the council applauds residents and organizations that "volunteer to impede, passively or actively, by nonviolent means, the work of any military recruiting office located in the City of Berkeley."

(visit the link for the full news article)

See, this is the problem with federal funding of Universities. Seems like their "Free Speech" is going to "COST" them $2 million. I'd like to see all of these Universities become as independent as possible, so that they can say and do what they want without political pressure.

www.cnn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by Quazga


It's not really a problem with the schools being federal is it? More a question of fighting back at those who are using the federals system as a means of blackmail if they should encounter any free thinking liberals that can see the point in not supporting a nations bloodsucking military.

Sad how a country can become so dependent on a large army

The idiots at Berkley could have avoided the whole issue if they would have turned down the Marines request to place a recruiting station there.

Instead they choose to let the Marines set up there and now they want to change their minds about it?


If these peace organizations are so much behind getting rid of the Marines, why aren't they offering to give Berkley the money that it might loose due to their protest?

Can't these hippies come up with a couple milliion from all of their followers?

Opps, looks like some are backpeddling on their hate speech:

www.sfgate.com.../c/a/2008/02/05/BAHVUS06B.DTL


This reminds of a '60's political cartoon of a hippie couple:

"Let's go down and pick up our food stamps, slide on over and get the welfare check, stop at the soup kitchen for a free lunch, and then meet up at city hall to protest the system."


[edit on 8-2-2008 by jerico65]

Originally posted by COOL HAND
Instead they choose to let the Marines set up there and now they want to change their minds about it?

Well, if it was their "choice" to begin with, then they have every right to "choose" to change their mind.

Originally posted by jerico65
"Let's go down and pick up our food stamps, slide on over and get the welfare check, stop at the soup kitchen for a free lunch, and then meet up at city hall to protest the system."
[edit on 8-2-2008 by jerico65]

That is the absolute BEST thing I have read on here all day.

That is the EXACT thing that is wrong with our country isn't it?

As far as I am concerned that story about the hippies at UCB was an uninvited thought...so how do I ask the thought to leave?

Some much for the hippie wannabes to protest, such little time ( and public assistance ) for them.

Dorian Soran

Originally posted by Griff
Well, if it was their "choice" to begin with, then they have every right to "choose" to change their mind.

Not if there is a contract involved.

Unless contracts in CA are written with opinions in mind.

They now get to choose if they want federal money or not.

Perhaps that is the problem? They can't handle all of these decisions at Berkley.

[edit on 8/2/08 by COOL HAND]

Now, I can agree Cool Hand if there was a contract. Is there one? Who signed it? How long does it cover? Etc.

I think the federal government is right in this case. While no one should force Berkley to maintain or welcome recruiting stations, I also don't think the rest of the country should feel obligated to subsidize them.

In fact, its more than a little bit hypocritical. Its like saying you hate a dead family member because you thought he was greedy, but go to court to fight for a piece of that $20 million estate of his when your name is left off the will.

[edit on 8-2-2008 by vor78]

Originally posted by Griff
Now, I can agree Cool Hand if there was a contract. Is there one? Who signed it? How long does it cover? Etc.

There would have to be, since the Marines leased the office space.

I haven't seen the contract itself, but maybe someone can dig it up?

Seems to me that the folks in Berkley are not just interested in protesting the Marines, but the entire country:

"Berkeley's declaration, which was introduced by the city's Peace and Justice Commission, accuses the United States of having a history of "launching illegal, immoral and unprovoked wars of aggression and the Bush administration launched the most recent of those wars in Iraq and is threatening the possibility of war in Iran.""

Wow, I wonder if anyone would care if they ceceded from the Union or not?

Here is the link if you don't believe the quote

Here are some links with lots of pictures, videos and information on the topic.

Lots of Photos of the Code Pink Protests:
www.zombietime.com...

Marine Response Posted on their Building:
sayanythingblog.com...

Youtube: Code Pink calls marines war criminals:
www.youtube.com...
I think my favorite line in this video is one woman saying "what the hell were we doing in Hawaii" in response to a Pearl Harbor question. Laughing aside, that video of the Code Pink protesters actually scared me a little bit.

Video of protesters not allowing people to go inside the Marine building and Police saying they do not want to get involved. lol
www.breitbart.tv...


[edit on 8-2-2008 by zerotime]

reply to post by COOL HAND


Recommendation to Berkeley:

secede from the USA
Declare war on the USA
Fire one shot
Surrender
Apply to the USA for foreign aid.

I hear this thing about support the troops but not the war. Instead of taking on the U.S. govt. they taking it on the Marines. Why support the troops when you know they are in the business of killing?

Yet, I am sure they'd welcome some one like amhadeninedjinut to come speak at their college... We have got to get rid of these types of people who live and take advantage of the benefits of living in America, yet, they despise it. They have to go.

[edit on 8-2-2008 by SpeakerofTruth]

reply to post by deltaboy


While we do go to war, the military is more than a giant killing machine. The military involves themself in more humanitarian missions than all the wars it has fought. And that includes missions in the U.S. and abroad.

This people IMO choose the wrong venue to protest. If it is against the war that they are protesting, why go to a recruiter station. People in this country serve out of their own free will and if they are impeding that process they are violating the rights of others.

Originally posted by SpeakerofTruth
Yet, I am sure they'd welcome some one like amhadeninedjinut to come speak at their college...

We have got to get rid of these types of people who live and take advantage of the benefits of living in America, yet, they despise it. They have to go.

This type of response worries me more than the Code Pink protesters. Sure, when I see them protesting I think they are a joke, and when I listen to them speak I think most of them are clueless idiots, but it is still their American right to protest. I worry more about those who want to silence unpopular speech more than I do the small groups of wackos who run around causing a scene. If they think the war is unjust and that the marines are bad guys they have ever right to say so. Other groups can counter debate this groups arguments with their own but no one should have the right to silence this group or force them out of America. America is a country founded on the questioning of government.




[edit on 8-2-2008 by zerotime]

I like the JS Mill quote the marines posted on their door. Solid quote.

The Berkeley mayor is changing his tune.

The mayor of Berkeley, Calif., has issued an apology to servicemen and women serving in Iraq following a flap over a City Council vote that told the U.S Marine recruiting station there it should leave, and if it doesn't, is staying only as "uninvited and unwelcome intruders."

The apology follows the introduction this week of the Semper Fi Act of 2008, pushed by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., that would rescind more than $2 million in federal earmarks destined for Berkeley. DeMint was joined by five other Republican lawmakers in introducing the bill Wednesday after they were angered over the Berkeley City Council's actions.

A companion bill entered in the House has the support of 45 Republicans. No Democrats are supporting either bill.

www.foxnews.com...

Just last week he was supporting Code Pink and giving them free parking across from the recruiting office.

There's nothing like the courage of one's convictions.

He should know that supporting the troops means supporting their mission and it is disingenuous to suggest otherwise.

[edit on 2008/2/8 by GradyPhilpott]