It was fun reading this little article about a showdown between a “gathering of eagles” type group led by local radio personality Melanie Morgan and Medea Benjamin’s Code Pink loons in beautiful downtown Berkeley:

Dozens of flag-waving military supporters squared off boisterously with peace activists Wednesday in the first major showdown over a U.S. Marine Corps recruiting station that until recently had been operating below the radar in downtown Berkeley.

Demonstrators led by conservative radio talk-show host Melanie Morgan shouted down members of Code Pink, a group created by Bay Area women, and other peace and social justice groups. The two sides stood on Shattuck Avenue near Addison Street just outside the recruiting station, which was closed Wednesday.

Shortly before noon, there was some pushing and shoving between at least two people, which prompted Berkeley police Sgt. Randy Files to bellow at the anti-war protesters to “move back,” forcing them to gather across the street.

Good guys win again, right? So far so good – but then comes this:

But David Santos, 15, of Oakland, said the conservative element was on the wrong side of the issue.

“They represent the social base that’s giving rise to this imperialistic war. Their so-called patriotic attitude,” he said, “just shows their blatant disregard for humanity and what the flag stands for. The very fact that they’re holding it up is enough for us to be out here.”

Which sort of speech tumbling from the lips of a 15-year old says something, I think, about the quality of public education these days, but that’s not the worst of it:

Graves yelled at another protester, Pablo Paredes, 26, of Oakland and mocked him for his long hair. “Are you a soldier? They wouldn’t let you looking like that,” he said.

Paredes said later that he had served five years in the Navy and that people of color like himself bore the brunt of military service.

“I think the color of my skin shouldn’t make me be on the front line,” Paredes said, adding that he left the Navy because he refused orders and opposed the war in Iraq.

No you don’t Pablo. You don’t get to flash the race card after having volunteered to serve your country. Nor do you get to seize the moral high ground: After having enjoyed peacetime service in Japan you deliberately missed ship’s movement and shirked your duty to avoid a very minimal risk in sailing to the Arabian Gulf. You don’t get to claim front line service when you bailed on your shipmates and forced someone else to cover your watch, to take your spot on the line. You don’t get to pander and trot out tired lies. You don’t get to be the hero – you passed on that chance.

And you didn’t leave the Navy. We kicked your chump ass out.

Coward. Oath breaker. Buddy f*cker.