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Fifth Column
Berkeley council tells Marines to leave
2008-01-31
Hey-hey, ho-ho, the Marines in Berkeley have got to go.

That's the message from the Berkeley City Council, which voted 8-1 Tuesday night to tell the U.S. Marines that its Shattuck Avenue recruiting station "is not welcome in the city, and if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome intruders."

In addition, the council voted to explore enforcing its law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation against the Marines because of the military's don't ask, don't tell policy. And it officially encouraged the women's peace group Code Pink to impede the work of the Marines in the city by protesting in front of the station.

In a separate item, the council voted 8-1 to give Code Pink a designated parking space in front of the recruiting station once a week for six months and a free sound permit for protesting once a week from noon to 4 p.m.

Councilman Gordon Wozniak opposed both items.

The Marines have been in Berkeley for a little more than a year, having moved from Alameda in December of 2006. For about the past four months, Code Pink has been protesting in front of the station. "I believe in the Code Pink cause. The Marines don't belong here, they shouldn't have come here, and they should leave," said Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates after votes were cast.

A Marines representative did not respond to requests for comment.

The resolution telling the Marines they are unwelcome and directing the city attorney to explore issues of sexual orientation discrimination was brought to the council by the city's Peace and Justice commission.
Well sure. Who else?
The recommendation to give Code Pink a parking space for protesting and a free sound permit was brought by council members Linda Maio and Max Anderson.

Code Pink on Wednesday started circulating petitions to put a measure on the November ballot in Berkeley that would make it more difficult to open military recruiting offices near homes, parks, schools, churches libraries or health clinics. The group needs 5,000 signatures to make the ballot.
The Berkeley definition of 'tolerance'.
Even though the council items passed, not everyone is happy with the work of Code Pink. Some employees and owners of businesses near the Marines office have had enough of the group and its protests. "My husband's business is right upstairs, and this (protesting) is bordering on harassment," Dori Schmidt told the council. "I hope this stops."

An employee of a nearby business who asked not to be identified said Wednesday the elderly Code Pink protesters are aggressive, take up parking spaces, block the sidewalk with their yoga moves, smoke in the doorways, and are noisy. "Most of the people around here think they're a joke," the woman said.
'Joke' is a good word. 'Traitors' is another good word.
Wozniak said he was opposed to giving Code Pink a parking space because it favors free speech rights of one group over another. "There's a line between protesting and harassing, and that concerns me," Wozniak said. "It looks like we are showing favoritism. We have to respect the other side, and not abuse their rights. This is not good policy."
Mr. Wozniak sounds like a reasonable man. What's he doing in Berkeley? Don't we have a refugee program for people like him?
Ninety-year-old Fran Rachel, a Code Pink smelly protester who spoke at the council meeting, said the group's request for a parking space and noise permit was especially important because the Marines are recruiting soldiers who may die in an unjust war. "This is very serious," Rachel said. "This isn't a game; it's mass murder. There's a sickness of silence of people not speaking out against the war. We have to do this."

Anderson, a former Marine who said he was "drummed out" of the corps when he took a stand against the Vietnam War, said he'd love to see the Marines high tale it out of town. "We are confronted with an organization that can spend billions of dollars on propaganda," Anderson said. "This is not Okinawa here; we're involved in a naked act of aggression. If we can provide a space for ordinary people to express themselves against this kind of barbarity, then we should be doing it."
Posted by:

#22  #7 proves that a picture really is worth a thousand words--when information is in print only, it can "legitimize" it in a sense, then, well, just go to #7 and it all falls apart. Wonder what these guys would do if the jihadiis came to town with no hinderances, and wanted to stop their exhibitionism Islam style. They'd all be pissing and whining for the "government" (Marines) to save them.
Posted by: ex-lib   2008-01-31 23:29  

#21  All federal funding for everything should be halted to Berkeley. That includes FOOD STAMPS!
Posted by: 3dc   2008-01-31 23:01  

#20  Prior to getting hitched I recall a few hippie chicks that liked us jarheads.........must be all the pent up frustration fom not being around real men on a daily basis.
Posted by: Broadhead6   2008-01-31 21:58  

#19  a "Boycott Berkeley" campaign would be a nice start. Don't visit or buy any products from a Berkeley merchant.
Posted by: Frank G   2008-01-31 19:09  

#18  I don't know, tw; as far as I can tell there are only three requirements - and none of them have to do with taste (human, female and alive.)
Posted by: Glenmore   2008-01-31 19:07  

#17  I think the Marines are just there for the hippie p_ssy, myself...

Surely the Marines have better taste.
Posted by: trailing wife   2008-01-31 18:45  

#16  This just in from the USMC: "Tough shit. Let's see you faggots move us."
Posted by: mojo   2008-01-31 17:18  

#15  Dear Berkeley City Council,

Do you notice how much America cares about the 'unfortunate' people of New Orleans today? Yeah, they had the MSM pining for awhile and expended a lot of time cooking up ways to 'Blame Bush'. However, the rest of America has moved on. Meanwhile a lot of former New Orleans residents are still trying to stick their community back together. Doesn't look good. They burned up a lot of 'support' by their stupid tricks act the months following nature's last visit. When that Big One(tm) hits your part of the Bay, we'll be holding parties, celebrating. Two years later the only thing we'll be concerned with is if the state or federal government has finished returning the area back to its 'original state'. You know the organic type of stuff you're into. Because, we all know that we shouldn't allow construction in such stress environments. Oh, and we're serious. Cause you know any real relief has to be approved by our Congresscritters, who want to be reelected. I'm not sure you can get enough votes in house, let alone the Senate for relief funds. Just consider it our way of flipping the finger back :)
Posted by: Procopius2k   2008-01-31 16:48  

#14  As Eugene Volokh notes,

"Oddly enough, in pretty much every city I've lived, I've been "uninvited" by the city council or any other organization representing the city. Nor would I have felt I was doing something rude or otherwise bad if the city council has announced that I was "unwelcome."

"On the other hand, being labeled as "intruder" would have troubled me, because it seems to assert some sort of property rights on the city council's part. If a host declares me an intruder in his house, or a business on its property, I would have to leave. But here the Marines, I take it, are on private property that the commercial landlord has voluntarily rented to them. A little arrogant for the city council to decide who's an intruder as to all the private property in the city, no?
Posted by: Steve White   2008-01-31 16:22  

#13  Someday will come the Big Earthquake. When it happens, I hope the military demands that the Berkeley City Council meets to rescind the ordinance before they move in with all their uninvited and unwanted food and water and bulldozers and helicopters n shit. They should wait for as long as necessary for this to be done in order not to offend the sensibilities of Berkeley's city government.
Either that, or Berkeley city government can hand out picks and shovels to all the Code Pinkers and medical marijuana patients that they seem to have a preponderance of and tell em to start digging. Man.
At least they won't lack for manpower...excuse me, "humanpower".
Posted by: tu3031   2008-01-31 16:02  

#12  What if the DoD announced that the military will not protect Berkeley from attack from foreign powers? They might enjoy living under some of the governments they support.
Posted by: Formerly Dan   2008-01-31 15:37  

#11  Fran Rachel,

Your old. Real old. Can you hurry it up? You don't need to get any older. Nobody will miss you.
Posted by: Young American   2008-01-31 14:51  

#10  CODE PINK vs. THE MARINES
Berkeley, October 7, 2007

An Open Letter to Code Pink
Marine Captain Richard Lund United States Marine CorpsÂ’ officer selection officer for the northern Bay Area.
Posted by: DepotGuy   2008-01-31 13:34  

#9  Link in #7 extremely NSFW. Good to see Inflatable Scrotum Man is still in fine form (yep, NSFW)
Posted by: ed   2008-01-31 13:28  

#8  Berkeley needs some synergy. Then again, testing that new rail gun could be used to force synergy on the queers and commie pinkos most abundant within Bezrkely. Would anybody really care ?
Posted by: wxjames   2008-01-31 12:56  

#7   A typical Berkeley day!
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC   2008-01-31 12:54  

#6  I believe the way to handle cities like Berkeley is to declare them whale sanctuaries, then bulldoze any and all structures. OTOH, it may be sufficient just blow up anything with the word "organic" on it.
Posted by: ed   2008-01-31 12:34  

#5  Well, it certainly looks like the council had a busy day yesterday. Let's all point and laugh...

Berkeley council passes medical marijuana measure

The Berkeley City Council unanimously passed a plan this week to help get medical marijuana to patients if the Drug Enforcement Administration raids and shuts down any of the city-permitted dispensaries.

The resolution passed Tuesday night declares Berkeley a sanctuary for medical marijuana users and distributors and commits the city to "uphold patients' rights to safe access to medical marijuana" should the DEA move on one of two dispensaries in town.

What that means is up to debate at the moment, but the city would at least help a new distributor get started or help one restart after a DEA raid, council members and activists said. The DEA has shut down five medical marijuana dispensaries in the Bay Area in the past year.

Tuesday night's item originally called for the city to get into the business of selling marijuana itself if the DEA clamped down, but that language was watered down after objections were raised from Berkeley police and the city manager.

Pat Crossman, 77, who uses medical marijuana for disintegrating disk disease and arthritis, urged the council to pass the resolution. "I'm a senior citizen, and I would be very upset if the feds came in and busted us and frightened us and stopped what (the distributors) are trying to do here," Crossman said.

I think the Marines are just there for the hippie p_ssy, myself...
Posted by: tu3031   2008-01-31 12:23  

#4  Hey, wait a second...I thought smoking in broccolli was considered assault - Marines, defend yourselves!
Posted by: swksvolFF   2008-01-31 12:13  

#3  An employee of a nearby business who asked not to be identified said Wednesday the elderly Code Pink protesters are aggressive, take up parking spaces, block the sidewalk with their yoga moves, smoke in the doorways, and are noisy.

They look like a threat to me. Better call in an airstrike. Start at city hall and work your way in...
Posted by: tu3031   2008-01-31 12:10  

#2  If they don't like the Marines' policy towards sexual orientation, they should talk to their congress critter, since Congress wrote the law.
We need the equivalent of the Solomon Amendment for cities that pull crap like this. If they don't want recruiters in town, fine. However, they forfeit ALL federal money. And if a natural disaster strikes, the federal government will not help, since they are not welcome.
Posted by: Rambler   2008-01-31 12:05  

#1  ahem, that is 'High-Tail it out of town.' Could never be a writer in Dodge City.

This is not Okinawa here; we're involved in a naked act of aggression.
Yes we are; Okinawa had Pearl Harbor.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2008-01-31 11:56  

00:00