Demonstrating an ongoing capacity to dismay, if not surprise, the elected representatives of the City of Berkeley have put their heads together for yet another of their quotidian displays of assininity:
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.”
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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.
Back at HQMC, the Commandant’s staff briefly held a watercooler discussion on whether it was the Berkeley City Council that is staying in America as uninvited and unwelcome intruders before swiftly moving on to paid work.
And speaking of paid work, it isn’t fair to smear the entire citizenry of a city with the dubious doings of their soft-headed elected representatives, so I won’t. I will point out – once again – that we in the military are paid to defend the rights of these kinds of folks to free speech, free association and representative democracy, among other rights and privileges, enumerated and otherwise.
Everyone else we do for free.
But I will also note that this sort of language makes it difficult to understand the City Council’s point of view: Is the military is made up of under-privileged economic refugees who didn’t study hard at Pasadena City College and therefore got stuck in Irak? Or is it instead made up entirely of Myrmidon killbots trembling with bloodlust on the Dear Leader’s leash?
Much like the esteemed commenter the other day – apparently the military are only to do what they are paid to do but, much like children, aren’t meant to be either seen or heard. Do your thing but don’t let us see you doing it, that’s much too uncomfortable . It’s just … yucky.
And by the by, just remember to keep your mouth shut. After all, it’s not like you’re entitled to any of the rights which you fight for on my behalf.
Illiterate AND killbots, clearly. One of the leaf-eaters in question soiled our site the other day, as usual had nothing of value to offer.
When do we stop? When do we somehow redraw the lines and let Kalifornia go it’s separate way?
In my opninion, military recruiting stations, like a McDonalds, a Dunkin Donuts, or what have you… are placed where they are, by the powers that be , to create the best possable environment for future success.
That said, and I ‘m not for a moment questioning the Marines absolute right to place a recruiting station any place they wish to … I’m just questioning the thought process that went into the decision to expend scarce resources in this manner in such an inhospitiable place … if it was to gain some momentary publicity by sticking a thumb in the collective eye of the useless hippie S**t-Bags who infest the City then it worked…but did it succed in it’s primary mission of recruiting future Marines …anyone know ? Best
ASM826 – Don’t lump all of Kalifornians in with the kooks in and around the Bay Area and LA. Most is conservative flyover country, mountains-lakes-streams-farms-etc, and the like filled with hunter-fisher-farmers types… good stock. Not populated enough to drive the polls to the right, but, populated non the less with folks just like in your neck o the woods (assuming you come from a conservative part of the country – wherever that is). My Mom was born and raised in SF and my Dad in Oakland, both fled the liberal parts soon as they could, and I’m sure I could prolly find a post or two of yours in the past that might just paint you as a bit more liberal minded than they are. We conservative minded types here in the Golden State are a minority worthy of your empathy, as we have been invaded by libs from a far off land! Send help and reinforcements, don’t draw us out of the picture with partisan gerrymanderin’! Besides, we give good cheese!
Point is, don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.
Everyone has a right to be stupid, but these people are abusing the privelege.
Treason. They should be arrested.
In 1965 yours truly was a Naval Aviation Recruiter in the Bay area. That meant visiting the colleges such as UC, Berkeley, San Jose State, and San Francisco State, to mention the most radical.
We were regularly insulted, picketed, had our literature burned, and even spat upon. Yeah, we should have gotten combat pay for going into those dens of leftism. Not quite as scary as triple A over Vinh, but scary, nonetheless.
Why did we go there when so many of the denizens did not want us there?
Because the few, the proud, the men of vision that existed on those campuses ended up being some of our best recruits into Naval Air.
Berkeley has been a universe of its own since the 60s. It attracts lefties like flies to honey. I say good, at least we know where they are. And I don’t have to live there.
“…we in the military are paid to defend the rights of these kinds of folks to free speech, free association and representative democracy, among other rights and privileges, enumerated and otherwise.
Everyone else we do for free.”
Yep, even the dipshifts get defended from real evil, whether they like it or not.
Especially when not
Don’t hold your breath on this, but I want to see what happens . . .
Alright Lee, I stand corrected.
Man, what a downer.
As a Marine, I enjoyed being a Myrmidon killbot trembling with bloodlust on the Dear Leader’s leash.
I mean, who wouldn’t?
Interesting post S/Eater – I’ll bet it did bear fruit – in my experience it’s surprising how many kids from those places think differently than their supposed moonbat parents – another intelligent design argument.
TomG, Hopefully your optimistic assessment is correct…but was it all worth it ? Best
Uncle Fester, I thank you for a good belly laugh this morning.
Semper Fi.