Time for a Boycott!

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So, until both these resolutions are withdrawn and the City Council of Berkeley issues an apology to the USMC, I will not be spending a freaking dime in that city.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

Cows, Mr. Rico!

My driving career has been punctuated by encounters with farm animals. Who can forget my tense showdown with the Lesbian Sheep of Gilroy? Or the literary chickens of Redwood Estates?

Today, I was attacked by cows.

A company had piled up an impressive amount of unclaimed Will-Calls of the "Special Manufacture - No Cancellation, No Return" variety. After several calls where it was pointed out that they were going to get charged anyway, they asked that the material be delivered. We couldn't find the address on the computer. Bad sign. Before heading over to Tracy, I called them and got directions that included the number of cattle chutes I would pass.

Riiigghht...

Make it out to Green Acres Electric, get out of the truck to try to contact someone. Once I found the office, and came back outside, my truck was surrounded by cows. At least forty head of cattle, milling around my truck in what I saw as a threatening manner. I glanced at the beautiful mastiff that was the yard dog, and he sent me a look that said "Sheep. Dogs are known for herding sheep. You're on your own, two-legs." The electrician called the cows' legal guardian. She commented that they were curious about newcomers, ans had learned to open the gate! Doesn't anybody else remember Jurassic Park? Today they're opening gates, tomorrow their breaking into Titan silos and launching nukes!

Once the bovine mafia had been cleared back to their entirely unsecured pen, I was told that the pallet actually needed to go to their warehouse. This edifice was described as being "just down the road.. at the first signal, turn left, left for the Star Hotel, and turn into the gravel road."

Fifteen minutes and ten miles later I reach the first signal. Find the warehouse/meth lab. "You want to unload that?" "No, I'm just taking your stuff on a grand tour. Here's your sign..."

Long day. And I don't trust the cows. I'm barricading the doors tonight.