War showdown ready in California city
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  1. #1

    Exclamation War showdown ready in California city

    Protesters Square At Berkeley Marine Vote Site

    POSTED: 8:53 pm PST February 11, 2008
    UPDATED: 7:33 am PST February 12, 2008
    BERKELEY, Calif. -- Hundreds of demonstrators representing both sides of the Iraq War debate squared off in Berkeley early Tuesday, exchanging verbal taunts and angry insults as police stood nearby while the hours counted down to a controversial City Council vote over the future of Marine recruiting in the Bay Area college town. Anti-war and pro-troop encampments began setting up on the front lawn of the old Berkeley City Hall on Monday night where the council was to hold its meeting Tuesday night. Hours before in the pre-dawn darkness, the demonstrators began exchanging angry verbal confrontations. Code Pink organizers called this an emergency action to prepare for what is certain to be a very contentious meeting over the Marines recruiting station on Shattuck Avenue.The city council action calling for the Marines to leave the city has ignited a storm of controversy across the nation. On Monday night, Code Pink leaders said that's exactly what they wanted."We're delighted. We're excited about the whole thing. It just shines a much needed light on the issue of the war," said peace activist and Code Pink cofounder Medea Benjamin.One Berkeley city leader says 24,000 e-mails have poured in to Berkeley City Hall from across the Bay area and the nation addressing the city's resolution targeting the U.S. Marines' recruiting office.One of those angry about the city's action is San Pablo City Councilman Paul Morris. He stopped by to hand deliver a blistering letter to Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates.The letter called the city "a national joke" and read in part: "I am ashamed to call you a neighbor. What you are doing is tantamount to pure and utter anarchy. You are weak to pander to these crazy pink people. When will you all grow up?""The buzz is they're just as angry. this is a terrible example to our youth and a lot of our people that are involved with the city," said Morris.Just one Berkeley council member was available to speak to Monday night. Gordon Wozniak voted against the resolution allowing Code Pink to set up a permanent protest in front of the Marines’ recruiting station. He expressed concern about the issue being closed quickly."I'm worried that the council's not going to resolve this. We're going to do something that's half heartedly that's going to basically make both sides unhappy and this is going to continue." said Wozniak.Berkeley police set up barricades in front of the old council chambers Monday evening. After the recent city hall shootings in a suburb outside St. Louis that killed several city employees, police say they're not taking any chances with public safety."It would be very very challenging for us to try to separate the groups. Certainly, if there's any volatility, if there's anything physical that happens, we are going to manage that," said Berkeley police officer Mary Kusmiss.The Marine Corps says it has no plans on abandoning its recruiting station. Berkeley is still facing the threat of having federal and state funds cut off if it tries to get the Marines out. Medea Benjamin says that threat shouldn't be taken seriously."Then give Berkeley back the $56 million that it will spend this year alone on the war so we can invest it in what we want here, which would be schools and health care and green jobs and solar panels for our homes. That would make us a lot more secure than a war in Iraq," argued Benjamin.
    __________________________________________________ ______________

    Well, this should be interesting. I'm sure neither side will be totally happy but as long as our the Marines are allowed to stay then I'm good.

    We didn't develope a thick skin in Boot for nothing. I know it'll get annoying listening to the mindless drivel of Code Pink but the Marine Corps will march on! Oorah!!



  2. #2
    Marine Free Member jinelson's Avatar
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    We have several members from different States that have traveled there. Happy hunting get some for the rest of us OORAH!!!!


    Jim



  3. #3
    I had another thought on all of this yesterday. What if the Marine Corps League or some other similiar group were to purchase a business location in Berkeley, then "lease" it to the Recruiting Office for say $1.00 a year? The rest of the money could be put together through donations or some such.

    Just a thought, but I wonder if it's feasible?


  4. #4
    When I saw the Pinkies (commies) blocking the recruitment office I was tempted to make the trip to visit my corps buddies. They block me and their testies would swell up nicely.

    The Beserkly City Council is way off cow toeing to the Pinkies, but they have no norm that would help them make a different decision. The old Berkley would not have even considered the outrageous action to allow them this forum.

    Thanks to the faithful who have gathered to express their support.


  5. #5
    yellowwing
    Guest Free Member
    Quote Originally Posted by OB MSG
    I had another thought on all of this yesterday. What if the Marine Corps League or some other similiar group were to purchase a business location in Berkeley, then "lease" it to the Recruiting Office for say $1.00 a year? The rest of the money could be put together through donations or some such.

    Just a thought, but I wonder if it's feasible?
    What about declaring Federal Eminent Domain? That would be cheaper and take the property out of the hands of the Berkeley Council. The Council could save face with their Code Punk constituency.


  6. #6
    Marine Free Member jrhd97's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by yellowwing
    What about declaring Federal Eminent Domain? That would be cheaper and take the property out of the hands of the Berkeley Council. The Council could save face with their Code Punk constituency.
    There you go. Use an unconstitutional act to make a point.


  7. #7
    Ok, we have a plan. Everyone call the Berkley City Offices, (510) 981-6900, at 3:00 PM (PST) and express our outrage at their unpatriotic actions. While they expect Marines and their families to support their freedoms they are not willing to support the Marine Corps in their efforts. The action to let Code Pink interfer with the Marine recruiters was poorly made and should be immediately withdrawn.

    However, as true patriots we do support the freedom of expression by everyone, and we are expressing our dislike directly to the City for their action.

    Sempre Fi



    PS: If there is any flay burning it had damn well been an old flag being given its correct destruction. Otherwise all bets are off.


  8. #8
    Update:

    Showdown looms in 'treasonous' Berkeley


    (CNN) -- Military supporters descended on Berkeley early Tuesday, demanding the famously liberal California college town rescind its vote that says Marine recruiters are "not welcome in this city."

    Military supporters and anti-war demonstrators began gathering in Berkeley early Tuesday.








    The pro-military demonstrators were met by anti-war protesters who had camped out overnight, setting the stage for a dramatic showdown late in the day when the City Council is to discuss whether to revoke its previous vote.
    "Their treasonous action, especially at this time of war right now, is not acceptable," said Mary Pearson, a spokeswoman for the group Move America Forward.
    "It's very, very important for everyone to stand united ... to give our Marines and all of our military the greatest respect and honor that they deserve."
    Before the sun was even up, about 300 demonstrators -- both pro-military and anti-war -- were already standing toe-to-toe in downtown. Many traded jeers and sneers.
    "Code Pink doesn't stand for us," one sign said, held by a man in military fatigues. Signs held by anti-war activists read, "End the War" and "Bring the troops home now."
    The City Council is to meet at 7 p.m. PT on whether to take back its previous measure urging the Marine recruiters to leave town.
    "If recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome intruders," the measure says.
    It went 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."
    Ever since the council measure, protesters with the anti-war group Code Pink have camped outside the Marine recruiting office on Shattuck Avenue, singing peace songs and chanting slogans for an end to the Iraq war. See photos of Code Pink protesters outside Marine office »
    Don't Miss
    Republican lawmakers in Washington fired back last week, threatening to recall 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 bastion of liberalism during the Vietnam War.
    The Marine Corps has said it has no plans to move its office, which is located about a block from the college campus.
    Whether the City Council reverses course remains to be seen.
    Max Anderson, a Vietnam war veteran who serves on the council, said he fully supports the measure to get Marine recruiters out of town -- despite receiving more than 8,000 e-mails, most of them harsh in tone, on the matter.
    "If the aim was to shut us down, get us to back up, get us to eat our words, get us to retreat from our position with the war, they can forget that," he told CNN Monday.
    He said he was recruited by Marines after he graduated from high school in 1963 and was promised that he and his friends would serve together. But once they enlisted, he said, they were separated and shipped off to Vietnam.
    "We're not against the Marines per se," he said. "We're against this war. We're against the mechanisms that support this war and send our young people over there."
    Kriss Worthington, a progressive Berkeley activist and council member for 11 years, believes the council overreached.
    "The inflammatory language in the City Council item is really outrageous -- not just to right-wing people, but to mainstream liberal people and even to some peace activists who have said they're insulted that the city would have such language," Worthington said.



    He said Berkeley owes an apology to the military and to the peace movement "for having such embarrassing language allegedly trying to promote peace."
    "When you make a colossal blunder, you can't just sort of ignore the mistake and go about your way. You have to do something to fix it," Worthington said.

    Last edited by yellowwing; 02-12-08 at 02:35 PM.

  9. #9
    Marine Free Member HOLM's Avatar
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    http://demint.senate.gov/public/inde...e-bdcccad26a06


    the Semper Fi Act of 2008


    http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.05222:



    Semper Fi Act (Introduced in House)

    HR 5222 IH

    110th CONGRESS

    2d Session

    H. R. 5222

    To rescind funds appropriated by the Consolidated Appropriations Act , 2008 , for the City of Berkeley, California, and any entities located in such city, and to provide that such funds shall be transferred to the Operation and Maintenance, Marine Corps account of the Department of Defense for the purposes of recruiting.

    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

    February 6, 2008

    Mr. CAMPBELL of California (for himself, Mr. BOEHNER, Mr. PUTNAM, Mr. CARTER, Mr. HUNTER, Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. SAXTON, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. BURGESS, Mr. KLINE of Minnesota, Mr. POE, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. ROGERS of Michigan, Mr. BROUN of Georgia, Mr. ISSA, Mr. TIAHRT, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Ms. FALLIN, Mr. MCCOTTER, Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. PITTS, Mr. HERGER, Mr. FEENEY, Mr. MCHENRY, Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. WALBERG, Mr. MACK, Mr. CALVERT, Mr. KELLER of Florida, Mr. BOUSTANY, Mr. SULLIVAN, Mrs. SCHMIDT, Mr. BRADY of Texas, Mr. CONAWAY, Mr. GINGREY, Ms. FOXX, Mr. MILLER of Florida, Mr. CANNON, Mr. HALL of Texas, Mr. KING of Iowa, Mr. HENSARLING, Mrs. CAPITO, and Mr. KING of New York) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Appropriations

    A BILL

    To rescind funds appropriated by the Consolidated Appropriations Act , 2008 , for the City of Berkeley, California, and any entities located in such city, and to provide that such funds shall be transferred to the Operation and Maintenance, Marine Corps account of the Department of Defense for the purposes of recruiting.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

    SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the `Semper Fi Act' .

    SEC. 2. RESCISSION AND TRANSFER OF FUNDS.

    (a) Rescission of Certain Earmarks- All of the amounts appropriated by the Consolidated Appropriations Act , 2008 (Public Law 110-161) and the accompanying report for congressional directed spending items for the City of Berkeley, California, or entities located in such city are hereby rescinded.

    (b) Transfer of Funds to Operation and Maintenance, Marine Corps- The amounts rescinded under subsection (a) shall be transferred to the `Operation and Maintenance, Marine Corps' account of the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2008 to be used for recruiting purposes.

    (c) Congressional Directed Spending Item Defined- In this section, the term `congressional directed spending item' has the meaning given such term in paragraph 5(a) of rule XLIV of the Standing Rules of the Senate.


  10. #10
    Hmmmmm...strangley the email for the mayors' office is "no longer valid"...hmmm


  11. #11
    Marine Free Member HOLM's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ironrider
    Hmmmmm...strangley the email for the mayors' office is "no longer valid"...hmmm
    Try the phone number....


    LMAO...

    http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Home.aspx

    The mayors office...


    2180 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA 94704
    TEL: (510) 981-7100, FAX: (
    510) 981-7199, TDD: (510) 981-6903
    Office Hours: Mon-Fri 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Email: mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us



    Or lock up the pinko's line

    (510) 524-2776


  12. #12
    Marine Free Member HOLM's Avatar
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    The videos of all the council meetings are here


    http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Content...y.aspx?id=9868


  13. #13
    Marine Free Member HOLM's Avatar
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    Does anyone have the minutes from the city council meeeting witht he complete text.. LMAO...


    I love the "Disabled Classical Musician" speaking out right after a couple Nam vets....


    and the Former navy "vet" with Honorable discharge that served as an "airman" but she never made it through boot because the Navy lied to her... She did give her full name. I understand that is some kind of crime? Right....


  14. #14
    Marine Free Member gwladgarwr's Avatar
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    Exclamation Not Unconstitutional in the Least

    Quote Originally Posted by jrhd97
    There you go. Use an unconstitutional act to make a point.
    Actually, invoking eminent domain is NOT unconstitutional. Look it up.

    If you're going to bother invoking Charleston Heston and thus inferring some relevance to the Second Amendment, you would already know that the federal government's invoking eminment domain IS constitutional, especially with regard to the the federal government's job, indeed, its responsibility, to "provide for the common defense" as outlined in the Preamble and in the Fifth Amendment which stipulates:

    "No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation."

    When faced with the federal government's right, indeed, its responsbility, to raise and regulate an armed force, the City of Berkeley has ursurped its Constitutional responsibility to abide by the supreme law of the land, namely, the Constitution of the United States of America, in impeding the federal government's duty, as outline in Article I, Section VIII, that stipulates, in part, that the Congress is:

    To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years;

    To provide and maintain a navy;

    To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces;

    To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions;

    To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress.


    It is in this regard that Congress may invoke eminent domain where the council of the City of Berkeley has denied the Congress its duty to regulate and maintain an armed force, that is, accomplishing that goal through operating a recruiting office (the station is an OSO - officer recruiting office - by the way.)

    In short, regardless of what the "popular" belief is in Berkeley, the Congress is well within its constitutional right to seize the property - with just compensation, of course - in order to accomplish its responsibility as outlined in Article I, Section XIII. You're wrong here, jrh.

    However, I think it would make much more of an impact by passing the proposed bill to deny funds to that congressional district that includes Berkeley unless the Berkeley City Council rescinds its "resolution" (for that is all it really is and consists simply of empty rhetoric and hot air) and issues a full, proper, and unqualified apology to the Marine Corps and to all of the other military services. Furthermore, a federal suit should be brought against the City of Berkeley for infringing on the right of the federal government to fulfill its constitutional duty in recruiting potential officer candidates.

    Going further, Mayor Tom Bates should be charged with violations of the Patriot Act in aiding and abetting groups known to have sympathies for and provide material comfort to groups and organizations known to be actively engaged in terrorist activities and who seek the violent overthrow of the United States government.

    Any questions?

    Sgt gw


  15. #15
    yellowwing
    Guest Free Member
    Going further, Mayor Tom Bates should be charged with violations of the Patriot Act in aiding and abetting groups known to have sympathies for and provide material comfort to groups and organizations known to be actively engaged in terrorist activities and who seek the violent overthrow of the United States government.
    That would be too heavy handed and make a martyr out of the tool sack.


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