Time for a Boycott!

[gridlore]

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So, until both these resolutions are withdrawn and the City Council of Berkeley issues an apology to the USMC, I will not be spending a freaking dime in that city.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.

Comments

[sylvan.livejournal.com]

*Nod* I'm sure you'd be upset to know that activists up here have been trying to keep military recruiters out of the high schools except for a once a semester job faire. Of course this area has really embraced Lt. Aaron Watada and his message.

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.

[caerbannogbunny.livejournal.com]

Feh! In a generation or two when we have a military class and the liberals loose a lot of the access to it due to cultural differences then realize that the people in the federal government and law enforcement tend to come from the "military class"...

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.

The Morons In Action...

[zakueins.livejournal.com]

What's really tragic is that Berkeley is getting really grey these days. Hate going there, when I was younger it was an awesome place-they had just about everything I could ever want there.

some of the best summers i ever spent were in Berzerkley....

[redc1c4.livejournal.com]

back in the late 70's..... but things have changed. thank gawd the Marines haven't. Semper Fi! and what the penguin said. %-)

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"?

[redc1c4.livejournal.com]

how about "Swift Intruders"? if the Marines are coming, this is how they'll be cruising up Shattuck. can you imagine the disturbance in the "force" this would cause? Go Marines! http://www.acu5.navy.mil/

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!

[pompe.livejournal.com]

Does the US military consider sexual orientation when hiring? Isn't that illegal?

another song for ye

[(Anonymous)]

You know it.

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?