Berkeley council tells Marines to leave

Hey-hey, ho-ho, the Marines in Berkeley have got to go.

That's the message from the Berkeley City Council, which voted 6-3 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 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.

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.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_8120 ... ck_check=1

Disgusting, but how many recruits do they get in Berkeley anyway?

Damn Lippy Hiberals (Self coined word) Sickening is what this is. They should not get federal money if they do not want to be American than they should not get American money. Than see how quickly they build a recruitment center for the USMC after that.

Or at least the Marines shouldn't defend them when they get invaded...

Just watched a news story about this and saw a nice big "codepink" banner. What a shock. Well it is California so I am not surprised.

Amazing....these people are so far removed from society its unreal...

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Originally Posted by T-Bird76

Amazing....these people are so far removed from society its unreal...

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that's Berkeley for you...


in all honesty, i don't see a reason to get worked up over crap like this. some parts of this country are just like that...

There's an article on FoxNews saying that a Senator is pushing to have their federal funding pulled....which is GREAT.

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Originally Posted by Phil D.

There's an article on FoxNews saying that a Senator is pushing to have their federal funding pulled....which is GREAT.

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It would be great...I doubt it will be that simple though.

I hope the Marines use their sidearms to silence the crowd :mrgreen:

[youtubetp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPkk1OHaiWg[/youtube

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Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates offered Friday to help the U.S. Marines leave town by negotiating an end to the lease for their recruiting station, even as he backpedaled on a City Council resolution declaring the Corps “uninvited and unwelcome intruders” in the city.

In the face of an onslaught of pro-military criticism from around the country, Bates, a retired Army captain, also issued a statement that said the City Council’s resolution Tuesday night “did not adequately differentiate our respect and support for those serving in the armed forces and our opposition to the Iraq war policy.” He said he would ask the council to modify the resolution at its next meeting, scheduled for Feb. 12.

A Marines spokeswoman said Friday that the Corps has no intention of abandoning its space at 64 Shattuck Square that has been the subject of protests for months.

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[quote=Midnight Mike]I hope the Marines use their sidearms to silence the crowd :mrgreen:

[youtubetp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPkk1OHaiWg[/youtubequote]

LOL!

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Originally Posted by Midnight Mike

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In the face of an onslaught of pro-military criticism from around the country, Bates, a retired Army captain, also issued a statement that said the City Council’s resolution Tuesday night “did not adequately differentiate our respect and support for those serving in the armed forces and our opposition to the Iraq war policy.” He said he would ask the council to modify the resolution at its next meeting, scheduled for Feb. 12.

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what a load of crap!!

Watch the video, you will be a little shocked........ & sign the petition http://moveamericaforward.org/

[youtubetp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCXqYvJ0DaA[/youtube

I heard the latest is Berkly has backed off.

I like this quote from one of the YouTube comments:

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If the Marines don't belong in Berkely, Berkley dosent belong in America.

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These people are completely crazy... There are no words to describe them.

Berkeley City Council to Revisit Vote Against Marine Recruiting Station

BERKELEY, Calif. — Two weeks after the Berkeley City Council called U.S. Marine Corps recruiters "uninvited and unwelcome intruders," the council is expected to reconsider its anti-Marine stance Tuesday night.

Large crowds from the left and right are mobilizing for the meeting. The anti-war feminist group Code Pink began a 24-hour "peace-in" Monday night, and the pro-war group Move America Forward planned a day-long demonstration outside City Hall.

The Rev. Fred Phelps, the anti-gay activist and founder of the Westboro Baptist Church, will be there as well, demonstrating against both the Marines and Code Pink. Members of the Westboro Baptist Church routinely picket at the funerals of American soldiers killed in action.

Code Pink activist Zanne Joi said her group is "supporting the troops by being against war and against recruiting."

"It’s because we care about these people that we are standing up against the war machine," Joi said.

On Jan. 29, the city council approved a resolution that included letters to the Marines advising them that their recruiting station is unwelcome in Berkeley. It also called for an investigation into whether the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy for homosexuals violated city anti-discrimination policy.

That decision sparked a nationwide outrage, calls to withhold government funding for the city, and an apology and clarification from Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates.

On Tuesday, the council will hear from Laurie Capitelli and Betty Olds, two council members who are sponsoring a revised resolution that will ask the city not to send a letter to the Marine Corps saying it's unwelcome in Berkeley.

The resolution would reiterate the city's opposition to the Iraq war, while clarifying Berkeley's support of the nation's military servicemembers.

In a joint press statement, Capitelli and Olds said: “We failed to make it clear that while we continue to oppose what we consider an unethical and illegal war in Iraq, at the same time we respect and honor all the brave men and women who are serving or have served in the military … We have erred by not adequately differentiating between the war and the warriors.”

Capitelli and Olds also said in the press statement: “The recommendation to inform the Marine Corps recruiting office that they are not welcome in our city, was insulting, hurtful and wrong.”

The council's initial Marine Corps motions prompted a backlash from lawmakers in California's capital, Sacramento, and Washington. There have been calls to withhold state and federal funds — including $2 million in federal money earmarked for ferry service and school lunches, among other things — as well as an apology from Berkeley's mayor.

"Let me be absolutely clear that this is not about the men and women who are serving our country in our armed forces," Mayor Bates said on Feb. 1. "I am a retired U.S. Army Captain and I respect the choice of those who are serving our country.

"However, this community strongly opposes the war in Iraq and the foreign policy of the current administration."

He added: "I understand that there are people across the country that may not agree with this action, but it is the Berkeley City Council's responsibility to represent the will of the people of Berkeley."

That argument didn't fly with California Assemblyman Guy Houston, a Republican, who asked last week that $3.3 million in state transportation funds be suspended until the council rescinds its resolution.

"The Marines, and all of our branches of the military, deserve the honor of our elected officials, not their scorn," Houston said.

At Tuesday night's council meeting, Berkeley politicians will also consider measures that would condemn the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border as well as a request to Canadian leaders to grant sanctuary for U.S. war resisters.



http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,330419,00.html