Time for a Boycott!
Feb. 1st, 2008 04:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
The City of Berkeley has gone too fucking far. A USMC Recruiting office opened on Shattuck Avenue in December 2006. It's mission is to attract recent college graduates to serve as officers.
"Code Pink" one of the shriller anti-everything groups in the area, went nuts.
The Berkeley City Council just passed two resolutions: One gave Code Pink a designated parking spot, right in front of the station. The second?
The other resolution more directly criticizes the presence of the center in Berkeley. The city manager was directed to send a letter to the U.S. Marine Corps saying they are "uninvited and unwelcome intruders" in the city.
In addition, the city attorney has been directed to investigate whether the city's anti-discrimination laws can be enforced at the center, based on the military's consideration of sexual orientation in hiring.
The United States Marine Corps. Morons, if the Marines were coming to your town as "unwelcome intruders" y'all would currently be either dead or learning to love life as an EPW. Marine recruiters are complete professionals, and I say this as an old Army grunt!
But things get better.. Betty Olds, member of the Politburo for the PR of Berkeley actually said the following:
"I'm ashamed of my vote," said Councilwoman Betty Olds, who helped approve the parking spot but not the condemnation. "The protesters should have free speech - this is where Free Speech was born, after all - but to tell the Marines they are not welcome is shameful. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't even go for the parking spot."
Free Speech in this country was born at a place called Lexington and Concord. The rights enshrined in the First Amendment were won by force of arms, including those first Marines.
Amazing.
So, until both these resolutions are withdrawn and the City Council of Berkeley issues an apology to the USMC, I will not be spending a freaking dime in that city. That includes companies based in the den of weasels.
Let Bezekely know how you feel about this:
Contact information for the Berkeley City Council
2180 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA 94704
Tel: (510) 981-6900, TDD: (510) 981-6903
Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., E-mail: clerk@ci.berkeley.ca.us
Mayor - Tom Bates
2180 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA 94704
Email: mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us
TEL: (510) 981-7100
FAX: (510) 981-7199
TDD: (510) 981-6903
Office Hours: Mon-Fri 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
You might also contact your national representatives and suggest that if Berkeley hates the federal government so much, they can do without federal money.
To be clear, I support Code Pink's right to be idiots in public. What is appalling is a city government attacking a branch of the military.
"Code Pink" one of the shriller anti-everything groups in the area, went nuts.
The Berkeley City Council just passed two resolutions: One gave Code Pink a designated parking spot, right in front of the station. The second?
The other resolution more directly criticizes the presence of the center in Berkeley. The city manager was directed to send a letter to the U.S. Marine Corps saying they are "uninvited and unwelcome intruders" in the city.
In addition, the city attorney has been directed to investigate whether the city's anti-discrimination laws can be enforced at the center, based on the military's consideration of sexual orientation in hiring.
The United States Marine Corps. Morons, if the Marines were coming to your town as "unwelcome intruders" y'all would currently be either dead or learning to love life as an EPW. Marine recruiters are complete professionals, and I say this as an old Army grunt!
But things get better.. Betty Olds, member of the Politburo for the PR of Berkeley actually said the following:
Free Speech in this country was born at a place called Lexington and Concord. The rights enshrined in the First Amendment were won by force of arms, including those first Marines.
Amazing.
So, until both these resolutions are withdrawn and the City Council of Berkeley issues an apology to the USMC, I will not be spending a freaking dime in that city. That includes companies based in the den of weasels.
Let Bezekely know how you feel about this:
Contact information for the Berkeley City Council
2180 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA 94704
Tel: (510) 981-6900, TDD: (510) 981-6903
Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., E-mail: clerk@ci.berkeley.ca.us
Mayor - Tom Bates
2180 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA 94704
Email: mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us
TEL: (510) 981-7100
FAX: (510) 981-7199
TDD: (510) 981-6903
Office Hours: Mon-Fri 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
You might also contact your national representatives and suggest that if Berkeley hates the federal government so much, they can do without federal money.
To be clear, I support Code Pink's right to be idiots in public. What is appalling is a city government attacking a branch of the military.
no subject
Date: 2 Feb 2008 02:19 (UTC)I think some of what the city of Berkeley is doing is ridiculous; however I'd love to see a city's (or state's) anti-discrimination laws challenge the whole absurdity of the military's current policies on gays. It still upsets me that at a time when we need people to join, we still discriminate. Of course, not having gone into the military action that we have might have helped too.
no subject
Date: 2 Feb 2008 02:48 (UTC)Myself, I don't see this as devaluing the military at all. Let it have access to potential 'employees', at the same rate and in the same way as any other company that might hire right out of highschool.
Back when I was still in HS, they were camped out at tables in the commons at least once a month, for a few days at a time. The same was not true for other businesses, and other job-hire type things were limited in when/where they could be seen.
no subject
Date: 2 Feb 2008 12:09 (UTC)i'm sure you'll correct me if i'm wrong....
Date: 2 Feb 2008 08:13 (UTC)as for the policy on gays et al, that's a function of Congress and the President. the one thing Bill could have done to redeem his sorry self in my eyes would have been to reverse that, but he didn't..... he had 8 years and did shit. i call bullshit.
for the record, & i've got witnesses, i think the whole policy is st00pid.
anyone who wants to serve, should be encouraged to.
Watada, and all the other cowards, should be given a fair trial and either life at hard labor or a firing squad upon conviction. NO ONE made them take the oath and sign the contract: only they allowed themselves to do so, and to lie, either at the beginning or at the end of the process. either way, the only sympathy i have for them is found in the dictionary: it's right between "shit" and "syphilis".
Harmony Church Rules.
Re: i'm sure you'll correct me if i'm wrong....
Date: 2 Feb 2008 12:05 (UTC)Re: i'm sure you'll correct me if i'm wrong....
Date: 2 Feb 2008 19:45 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2 Feb 2008 02:30 (UTC)Maybe they will realize the error of their ways.
It's the mindset of people that are willing to assume responsibility and handle power in an orderly fashion that is an enabler for power...
...and that's what most soldiers have and many of them don't.
that could be ugly.....
Date: 2 Feb 2008 07:33 (UTC)unless i should get excited now? %-)
Re: that could be ugly.....
Date: 2 Feb 2008 13:57 (UTC)...I mean, quick poll:
How many of us vets have a father, uncle, grand-dad or more who are also vets?
Re: that could be ugly.....
Date: 2 Feb 2008 19:47 (UTC)Re: that could be ugly.....
Date: 3 Feb 2008 00:13 (UTC)Should be interesting.
The Morons In Action...
Date: 2 Feb 2008 03:15 (UTC)some of the best summers i ever spent were in Berzerkley....
Date: 2 Feb 2008 07:31 (UTC)to quote a good friend of mine:
"If you're in the Army, it doesn't matter.. you have no soul, being a brainwashed killer. (I was told this by a very earnest young woman in Berkeley the other day. The look on her face when I asked why she was risking life and limb by angering a soulless killer was worth the lecture.)"
Harmony Church Rules!
"unwelcome intruders"?
Date: 2 Feb 2008 08:36 (UTC)personally, being an old Mech/Cav tread head, i'd say it's time for a Thunder Run. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGQxR1FXta8
yeah, i'm sure there's a way to make that a link... but before you dog me, can you generate a 10 digit grid? do you know why you should be able to?
Peace Out!
no subject
Date: 2 Feb 2008 13:23 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2 Feb 2008 18:51 (UTC)In *most* of the US, it's not illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation. And in even more it's legal to discriminate based on gender identity.
http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/objectId/E76BEBE6-E194-46C1-983629F17557E86D/111/259/283/ART/
no subject
Date: 2 Feb 2008 21:37 (UTC)I had no idea America didn't have anti-discrimination laws based on gender identity.
no subject
Date: 3 Feb 2008 01:23 (UTC)no subject
Date: 3 Feb 2008 04:08 (UTC)no subject
Date: 3 Feb 2008 04:14 (UTC)Federal: no protection for homosexual or transgendered
State: 17(?) states have laws that protect gays. far fewer protect TG
city/county: a number, but a rather miniscule fraction of the total
I happen to live in a city that's had antidiscrimination laws for a number of years. Though if you are pre-op TS you still can get in trouble for using the "appropriate" locker room.
I think we have a state-wide law taking effect soon. But we still have a law (amendment to the state constitution, passed by initiative petition and a followup vote) that makes it illegal for gays to marry. Though the courts just cleared a challenge to a new law allowing "domestic partnerships".
no subject
Date: 2 Feb 2008 19:32 (UTC)Stupid policy, considering how it gets ignored when we have massive manpower requirements and enforced again when peace breaks out. Like Red, I say anyone who is physically and mentally able to handle the job should be allowed to serve regardless of race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. This includes allowing women to try for combat arms slots.
no subject
Date: 2 Feb 2008 21:30 (UTC)no subject
Date: 3 Feb 2008 01:20 (UTC)Under Clinton we got "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue" which is a sad joke.
The US military has never been on the cutting edge of social policy. The Army was segregated until 1948, and the only job for blacks in the Navy was mess steward. The USMC simply refused to enlist blacks. Harry Truman changed all that, but we're still sadly behind the times.
another song for ye
Date: 11 Feb 2008 21:30 (UTC)Rodger Young
http://www.west-point.org/greimanj/west_point/songs/RodgerYoung.htm
Semper Fi from an old squid, doggie.
Bert R.
p.s.
I'm on LJ, but I do it so seldom I forgot my frimping password. Waddaya expect from a squid?