Talk about ungrateful... or maybe just friggin' retarded.

http://www.dailycal.org/article/100049/initiative_targets_military_recruitment

Hmmmm.... guess Berkeley can do without federal funding. Hope the taxpayers there appreciate the efforts of their local government.

It is about time for the federal government to slap down Berkely. All federal funds should be witheld until those idiots come to their senses.

there's no shortage of stupid.:rolleyes:

It is about time for the federal government to slap down Berkely. All federal funds should be witheld until those idiots come to their senses.

I understand your frustration, and I think most of their reasons are silly...except one.

Just for the sake of discussion, why should a community, or say a state, who has laws barring discrimination in hiring on the basis of sexual orientation, allow the federal government to set up businesses that do?

Stupid people: Too many to count, too few wolves to eat them.

Vile,

While I think discrimination is reprehensible I do not think it should be illegal any more than I think other reprehensible things should be illegal. If I am the employer I should be able to hire or not hire whom I wish. It may not be nice but I don't think people should be forced to hire someone they don't wish to hire.

I also strongly doubt that Code Pink cares a whit about the don't ask, don't tell policy of the armed forces. They are just anti-military.

Just for the sake of discussion, why should a community, or say a state, who has laws barring discrimination in hiring on the basis of sexual orientation, allow the federal government to set up businesses that do?

I question the extent to which a local government has the power to allow or disallow the federal government to do anything.

. . . PhoeBe sorgen . . .

I think if I knew this person, I'd feel compelled to capitalize her name like everyone else, just to irritate her.

U.S. Senator Wants to Revoke Funding From City of Berkeley, Calif., for Vote to Boot Marines (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,327466,00.html)



WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., says the City of Berkeley, Calif., no longer deserves federal money.
DeMint was angered after learning that the Berkeley City Council voted this week to tell the U.S. Marine Corps to remove its recruiting station from the city's downtown.
"This is a slap in the face to all brave service men and women and their families," DeMint said in a prepared statement. "The First Amendment gives the City of Berkeley the right to be idiotic, but from now on they should do it with their own money."
"If the city can’t show respect for the Marines that have fought, bled and died for their freedom, Berkeley should not be receiving special taxpayer-funded handouts," he added.
In the meantime, a senior Marine official tells FOX News that the Marine office in Berkeley isn't going anywhere.
"We understand things are different there, but some people just don't get it. This is a part of the military machine that gives them the right to do what they do, but what they are doing is extreme," the official said.
DeMint said he will draft legislation to rescind any earmarks dedicated for the City of Berkeley in the recently passed appropriations bill — which his office tallied to value about $2.1 million. He said that any money taken back would be transferred to the Marines.
DeMint's office provided a preliminary list of items that would be subject to his proposal:
— $975,000 for the University of California at Berkeley, for the Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service, which may include establishing an endowment, and for cataloguing the papers of Congressman Robert Matsui.
— $750,000 for the Berkeley/Albana ferry service.
— $243,000 for the Chez Panisse Foundation, for a school lunch initiative to integrate lessons about wellness, sustainability and nutrition into the academic curriculum.
— $94,000 for a Berkeley public safety interoperability program.
— $87,000 for the Berkeley Unified School District, nutrition education program.
The Marine official, speaking with FOX News on Friday, said Marine Commandant Gen. James Conway scoffed at the news, but there are no plans for to protest the City Council's decisions. There are definitely no plans to move the recruiting station either.
"To actually put something into law that encourages the disruption of a federal office is ridiculous. They are not going to kick a federal office out of its rightful place there, and this is not going to discourage those young patriots who want to be Marines," the official said.
The Berkeley City Council this week voted to tell the Marines their downtown recruiting station is not welcome and "if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome guests," according to The Associated Press.
The council also voted to explore whether a city anti-discrimination law applies to the Marines, with a focus on the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy that prevents open homosexuality in the military.
The council also voted to give the antiwar group Code Pink a parking space in front of the recruiting office once a week for six months, as well as a protest permit.
The Marine recruiting office in Berkeley has been open for about one year, but has been the subject of recent protests by Code Pink members.

:drinktoth

Maybe the jarheads should park a tank out front for six months.

I wonder what those Code Pink phonies would do if they were attacked? Probably run to the marines for protection. Since they are so anti-anything that smacks of the military they should be offered no protection by any government agency when they are protesting. The authorities should just stand by and allow the Hell's Angels to spend a half hour with them. They would be Code Black and Blue instead of Code Pink.

While cruising the New Posts, I was struck by the odd contrasts presented by Frogger's comments in the How Do You Convert People? thread and by the things he's been saying here. I mean, the following sounds positive and friendly and good...

...it is better to spend time with fellow worshipers, supporting each other and gathering strength in faith from each other.


People are converted more by how you act than by what you say. Be attentive, kind, inviting ...

But this:

I wonder what those Code Pink phonies would do if they were attacked? Probably run to the marines for protection. Since they are so anti-anything that smacks of the military they should be offered no protection by any government agency when they are protesting. The authorities should just stand by and allow the Hell's Angels to spend a half hour with them. They would be Code Black and Blue instead of Code Pink.


http://www.discussanything.com/forums/images/smilies/eek7.gif

Talk about ungrateful... or maybe just friggin' retarded.

http://www.dailycal.org/article/100049/initiative_targets_military_recruitment hey leave Beserkeley alone!!!

I question the extent to which a local government has the power to allow or disallow the federal government to do anything

U.S. Constitution
Amendment 10 - Powers of the States and People

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

...which I would assume works both ways. Therefore the federal government could legally cut any or all funding to the district that it chooses to.

I'm not trying to convert you, Frannie. I am simply voicing my frustration with groups such as Code Pink that use the protection afforded by our military and law enforcement agencies to protest against them. I have less than no use for such groups.

If the people of Berkeley want the recruiters out then it's their right to get them out. I don't see why the government would see this as a reason to take away the funding to their public schools, etc.

U.S. Constitution

That means the federal government can't tell the locals what to do if it's not a federal responsibility. It doesn't say the locals can tell the feds what to do. The federal government may have left the police power to the state and local governments, but that doesn't mean the Berkeley police can arrest the President.

That means the federal government can't tell the locals what to do if it's not a federal responsibility. It doesn't say the locals can tell the feds what to do. The federal government may have left the police power to the state and local governments, but that doesn't mean the Berkeley police can arrest the President.
The national military is a federal responsibility. Does that mean that the local government can "thumb" their nose at the recruiters? It's a subject of debate I suppose.

What I do not understand is why Code Pink sees that it is wrong for people to join the military, and protest and try to inhibit this option. Is it not a free choice for these guys/gals to do what they deem a good career option? Is this no different that a community that would protest and undermine a drive to recruit people to become nurses and teachers? I think this group and community has some damn severe personal freedom issues.

OP, I don't think it's that they disapprove of people joining the military... I think it's that they disapprove of some of the military's recruiting tactics.

No DF... they disapprove of everything related to the war (and everyone that takes part in it... even the ones that choose the military as a career).

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/02/02/berkeley-mayor-to-marines-end-the-occupation-of-our-city-marines-to-berkeley-mayor-get-bent/

The mayor is a retired army captain ... stellar career he must have had.

DF,

Just which recruiting tactics do the people of Berkely find so odious?

Code Pink is not demanding a change to recruiting tactics. It is demanding that there be no recruiting offices in Berkely.

I think the federal government is entirely within its rights to withold funding from Berkely. They have witheld funding from other municipalities in the past. What makes Berkely so special?

What makes Berkely so special?

Have you ever been to Berkeley? If you'd spent any amount of time there (or in the Bay Area in general), you'd know the foolishness of this question.* Berkeley is a land unto itself.

:p





* I lived within 20 miles of Berkeley for 15 years, and spent one horrific year working in the Berkeley City Clerk's office; I know whereof I speak. They're all nuckin' futs.

A photo essay on the protests in Beserkeley..

http://www.zombietime.com/berkeley_marine_corps_2-1-2008/

OP, I don't think it's that they disapprove of people joining the military... I think it's that they disapprove of some of the military's recruiting tactics.Given that they view the military the way they view porn, I'm inclined to think that they have a pretty low opinion of the military.

Porn is bad? Since when? I thought they were all "free love" hippie nuts out there? :lolhit:

Porn is bad? Since when? I thought they were all "free love" hippie nuts out there?
The problem is all the radical feminists who think that porn = exploitation. So, in short, they want to sacrifice their right to free expression for the "right" not to be offended, or as they call it, "exploited". Sex-negative feminists are bitches of the highest magnitude.

The problem is all the radical feminists who think that porn = exploitation. So, in short, they want to sacrifice their right to free expression for the "right" not to be offended, or as they call it, "exploited". Sex-negative feminists are bitches of the highest magnitude.
Aha! Now I understand. Goddamn feminists... One of my least favorite groups of people... Here's how I think of it: all women are feminists in the most basic meaning of the word, but the ones who call themselves feminists are quite different - more radical, and yes, "bitches of the highest magnitude". :p

Have you ever been to Berkeley? If you'd spent any amount of time there (or in the Bay Area in general), you'd know the foolishness of this question.* Berkeley is a land unto itself.

:p





* I lived within 20 miles of Berkeley for 15 years, and spent one horrific year working in the Berkeley City Clerk's office; I know whereof I speak. They're all nuckin' futs.


The fact that they're nuckin' futs gives them no more right to try to ban federal recruiting offices than it would their equally fuckin' nuts counterparts in Provincetown, Cherry Grove or Key West.

The fact that they're nuckin' futs gives them no more right to try to ban federal recruiting offices than it would their equally fuckin' nuts counterparts in Provincetown, Cherry Grove or Key West.
Are states sovereign entities, Frogger? Yes or no. I don't want a recruiting office in my apartment, and I'm sure my landlord doesn't either. A state-run educational institution should be allowed the same right to tell the federal government to fuck off when it comes to their land.

Fine, Nappy, and the federal government should have an equal right to tell the municipaity, not the state but the municipality that they will not be given federal funds.

Fine, Nappy, and the federal government should have an equal right to tell the municipaity, not the state but the municipality that they will not be given federal funds.
For executing their property rights? Nowhere does it say in educational charters that they have to make available institution land for federal use.

For executing their property rights? Nowhere does it say in educational charters that they have to make available institution land for federal use.
you're right, but there's no law that says the Feds have to fund them either.:)

you're right, but there's no law that says the Feds have to fund them either.:)
The feds don't. Educational subsidies are provided by the state.

* I lived within 20 miles of Berkeley for 15 years, and spent one horrific year working in the Berkeley City Clerk's office; I know whereof I speak. They're all nuckin' futs.

Stories. I demand stories.

The feds don't. Educational subsidies are provided by the state.
there are Federal Grants and what not.

The feds don't. Educational subsidies are provided by the state.


Napsterbater.

Not so. Much of the funding of educational systems comes from the federal government. I know because I was involved in applying for federal grants.

Grants aren't funding. Grants are federal monies provided for specific purposes desired by the federal government. Sometimes the grants cross over into the realm of funding as general use money, but it would make little sense to refuse the awarding of most grants due to such a political issue, as the accomplishment of the goals set out by offering the grants would suffer in the process. And in the case of the former, it's money most schools, particularly Berkeley, could do without.

Stories. I demand stories.

Where to start? :D

My first week on the job, this was the big news in the City Council/City Clerk's offices:

Berkeley Declares Itself Pro-Tinky Winky (http://www.datalounge.com/cgi-bin/iowa/english/newsarchive/article/3958.html)

02/23/1999

Declaration by city council puts irreverent twist on important political issues, says sponsor of resolution.

BERKELEY, Ca. -- The Associated Press reports the city of Berkeley, a decades-long epicenter for radical political thought and action, is expected on Tuesday to adopt a resolution that throws its considerable ideological weight behind Tinky Winky, the recently controversial Teletubby denounced by Jerry Falwell as a gay role model.

"We take umbrage at the threat to personal style and choices implicit in Mr. Falwell's designation of Tinky Winky as an inappropriate role model," declares the resolution which is expected to pass by a unanimous vote of the City Council Tuesday night. "Long live Tinky Winky and long live freedom from self-righteousness!"

Councilwoman Polly Armstrong, principal sponsor of the resolution, said she wanted to make a lighthearted point in a city known for taking stands on everything from nuclear proliferation (Berkeley is a nuclear weapon-free zone) to support for self-determination in Tibet.

"We jump on every good cause in Berkeley and I thought what fun to do one we could laugh at. Of course there is a very serious subtext to the humor and that is that when you see bigotry and self-righteousness out there you really need to stand up to it even when it's absurd," Armstrong told the news agency.

The president of Itsy Bitsy Entertainment, which licenses the Teletubbies in the United States, indicated, however, that the politicization of the pre-school children's character had gone far enough. Kenn Viselman told the news agency that while he appreciates the show of support from the city of Berkeley, he thinks its time the Teletubbies were given back to their audience.

"He's not gay. He's not straight. He's just a character in a children's series," Viselman said. "I think that we should just let the Teletubbies go and play in Teletubbyland and not try to define them."

This was followed by a resolution to officially refer to pet owners as "pet owners/guardians," and to replace any use of the former term in all City documents. This required that I go through all the old municipal codes and resolutions, remove pages with the offensive term and reprint them using the proper term instead, then reinsert the pages into their proper places. A FINE use of taxpayer funds!

Not long after that, we limited the daily visits of a moderately functional kook who came in to the Clerk's office to request copies of all sorts of strange and diverse city documents from decades past, telling him he was only allowed three document searches per week. So he started hanging out in the City Council offices and the Mayor's office to complain that the City Clerk wasn't complying with his requests. Eventually, he was banned from the building. (As was his mother years earlier, from whom he evidently inherited this "job" upon her death.)

It went downhill from there. ;)

The protestors in Berkely are breaking the law by keeping people out of the recruiting station and the local police are allowing them to break the law. Those wanting to get in and being kept out by those lefty yahoos should just toss the asshole aside.


http://www.breitbart.tv/html/41464.html

Councilwoman Polly Armstrong, principal sponsor of the resolution, said she wanted to make a lighthearted point in a city known for taking stands on everything from nuclear proliferation (Berkeley is a nuclear weapon-free zone) to support for self-determination in Tibet.

I think I have the solution to this impasse. Time for the military to start parking nuclear weapons in Berkeley.

Time for a squadron of marines to try to enter the building. Let's see those demonstrators stop them.

Time for a squadron of marines to try to enter the building. Let's see those demonstrators stop them.
I don't even know what these yahoos are protesting, but if the military attacked civilian citizens, I would get a gun and start fighting. No, I wouldn't be shooting at the protesting yahoos.

They wouldn't be attacking citizens. They would be defending themselves against people who were physically preventing them from entering a building they had every right to enter.

Why the fuck should anyone allow another to physically restrain them from entering a building they have every right to enter?

They wouldn't be attacking citizens. They would be defending themselves against people who were physically preventing them from entering a building they had every right to enter.

Why the fuck should anyone allow another to physically restrain them from entering a building they have every right to enter?
I don't believe anyone should, and I missed the part where they were physically restraining people. That's not right.

Borg,

I posted the URL for a video showing the protestors doing exactly that.

It seems the mayor and city council of Berkely are big and brave in insulting the marines until money is involved but have no convictions when the going gets a bit rough. Threaten them with a loss of funds and they fold like a broken beach chair.

Berkeley Mayor Apologizes To Marines Over Recruiting Center Flap

POSTED: 10:08 am PST February 7, 2008
UPDATED: 10:32 am PST February 7, 2008


BERKELEY, Calif. -- As six Republican senators devised a plan to yank $2.3 million in federal funding for Berkeley programs, the mayor of the famously liberal city apologized Wednesday for his hard stance against a Marine recruiting center.

Two City Council members vowed to soften his stance as well.


At their Tuesday council meeting, leaders will discuss scrapping a letter that might be perceived as targeting the center or the Marines.

"Subtly stated in the resolution is perhaps an impugning of the soldiers fighting for us in Iraq and other places," Berkeley City Councilman Laurie Capitelli. "And that was never the intention but that really needs to be cleared up. As I walked to my car that night I realized I regretted it and I had made a mistake."


The letter said that the recruiting center was not welcome on Shattuck Avenue and that the Marines were uninvited and unwelcome intruders. The letter was originally approved in January and has not been sent. Councilmembers have said they would replace the "intruder item" with words expressing their support for the troops but not the war in Iraq.

The Republican plan would give the funds, intended for a school lunch program, UC Berkeley and ferry service, to the Marines instead.

"Patriotic American taxpayers won't sit quietly while Berkeley insults our brave Marines," said one of the senators.

The recruiting center opened about a year ago and quickly became a target of anti-war protesters including the group Code Pink.

Last week the council passed resolutions giving Code Pink a place to park out front. Some have said that meant the city giving was giving the group a place to continuously protest the Marines.

Others on the council seemed quite firm on their stance, NBC11's Christie Smith reported.

Sen. Barbara Boxer and Rep. Barbara Lee said they plan to fight the Republican bill.


Code Pink members said they plan to be at the council meeting on Tuesday but they'll have some company from groups who support the war and support the troops as well.

http://www.nbc11.com/news/15245031/detail.html?dl=headlineclick