Innocent Military Gets the Blame

FOXNews.com - Berkeley to Marine Corps: You're Not Welcome - Local News News Articles National News US News: "

BERKELEY, Calif. — Local officials in this liberal city say it's time for the U.S. Marines to move out.
The City Council has 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.'
The measure passed this week by a vote of 8-1.
The council also voted to explore enforcing a city anti-discrimination law, focusing on the military's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy.
In a separate item, the council voted, also 8-1, to give protest group Code Pink a parking space in front of the recruiting office once a week for six months and a free sound permit for protesting once a week.
Marine Capt. Richard Lund of the recruiting office declined comment on the council action.
The recruiting office opened in Berkeley about a year ago, operating quietly until about four months ago when Code Pink began regular sidewalk protests.
'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."

I'm glad blogger let me add all of this article.
I didn't want to get any of this wrong.....what the hell is up with Berkeley??? They do realize that joining the Marines or any of the Armed Forces is totally voluntary don't they?

This Mayor needs to be recalled by the people! Okay maybe not--I hate recalls when there isn't any thing illegal going on....but something has to be done.
For one year there has not been an issue with the station--until the group 'Code Pink' started protesting, so instead of getting rid of the protestors the council gives them a permanent parking pass infront of the recruiting station (which never caused any troubles) and told the recruiters they will have to leave?!

What are they thinking with? It definately wasn't an ounce of common sense. Of course Berkeley has always been nutty....

I think the military should strike back and fight it to the Supreme Court and while its tied up in the courts make the office staff BIGGER.

I think the federal government should look pull out the old dusty law that gives them the right to be on college campuses and apply it to the city too--the one tied to federal funds.

HOW DARE Berkeley prevent citizens from signing up for the military if they choose to do so-----that's UNCONSTITUTIONAL!!

FOLLOW UP: Code Pink rally

Okay so I was looking at the live video cam of the Code Pink rally with the witches ... you know the big news story going around.

They have all of 13 people there from my count ... but its hard to tell how many are actually there to protest and how many are news people looking for a goofy storyline.

and just like that its down to 7 actual protesters (must be lunch break) ... there's one with a cowboy hat, one wearing a bridal gown (what the heck?) and sitting on top a car that's been draped in pink, one that looks like a very bad drag-queen, one person has a broom and every time a woman walks by who isn't a Code Pink protester he sweeps in front of them (he doesn't do it to the guys though I've noticed) -- he's using a regular broom too instead of a besom so I'm not sure if he's part of the protest or one of the shop owners (most witches I know would use a besom, although I prefer my corn broom)

Also looks like they have a size 33 cauldron out there full of wood.

Wonder if they have a burning permit??

Anyways ... I wonder why they have the wood in the cauldron? The cauldron represents the Goddess aspect of any ritual - the last thing any witch would do is set that large of a fire within the cauldron; sure you might burn the occasional paper in there but nothing huge nor anything that is going to keep going.

I'm beginning to think that the 'witches' they have are either Fluffy Bunnies (I hate the term but it sounds accurate in this case) or they are dabbling into it themselves without knowing what exactly they are doing --- yikes! That's scary.

How are they getting away with this?? They have written all over the sidewalk, put what looks like rows of shoes in front of the entry to the recruiting office, and are leaning posters up against the building! What the heck????

There is a guy in camo taking pictures of everything, and everyone, and the protesters seem way too happy to have it done. Even getting shots of what is in the inside of the gals trunk while she is standing there allowing him to do it -- I'm sure there will be a few shots of the liscense plate too.

Code Pink 'going to the dark side'

That's the way the reporter for FoxNews opened her story this morning.

To top it off some official put out a statement where he is quoted as saying he wished they would just get on their brooms and fly away.

Then on Fox's website they had this story:

FOXNews.com - Code Pink Protesters Try Witchcraft at Anti-Marine Rallies - Local News News Articles National News US News: "The women's anti-war group has told ralliers to come equipped with spells and pointy hats Friday for 'Witches, clowns and sirens day,' the last of the group's weeklong homage to Mother's Day."

how BIGOTED, and CONDESENDING can they get? I didn't know that FoxNews was owed or affilitated with TBN.

Pointy hats? Flying Brooms?

Yet they will complain when other countries or groups make stereotypical statements about Christians, Americans, Gays, Jews, or even statements based on race.

So why are witches/pagans/heathens/etc. fair game?

Seems to me, what good for the goose is sauce for the gander!!

BREAKING NEWS: Police Surround Washington DC Hotel

Washington DC under siege by protesters surrounding the Ritz-Carlson ... the police have the doors & gates blocked to keep the protestors outside, where the police think they will storm the hotel!

Arrests have been made already ... amongst them AFL/CIO & SCIU officials -- but the reporter wasn't clear whether it was the police that arrested them, or if it was the protestors who seem to be making some - or trying to make some - citizen arrests on the Health execs (more on this farther down)

Protestors & police are both trying to keep the media back -- the police I think in hopes that the media will go away and the crowd will disperse since most just want to be on tv ... the protestors because the media will catch (a) the true size of the crowd [like they did the 'million man march'] and (b) it will catch the questionable activities [such as at the RNC convention in St.Paul]

so what is going on inside?

AHIB (American Health Insurance Providers) is meeting inside.
also inside are: health care providers, health care lobbyists, Wal-Mart senior people for health care, corporation ce's for health care

What are they doing in there?

They are trying to enjoy a luncheon. and yes they can hear the protests but they are continuing on with what they are doing .... the protestors aren't stopping them. but I have not heard about what they talking about - whether it is what to do if the bill passes or how to prevent it from passing.

So when did this all start?

They were wilded up by Howard Dean at the very beginning at the main meeting place (Dupont Circle) this morning -- yeah you remember that Democratic Presidential candidate by his scream at a rally.

Dean also came right out and said that this bill should be pushed thru by Reconciliation - if you haven't heard a definition of this yet, it basically means that the Senate ignores the rules set forth by our Forefathers and pushes the bill thru with only 51 votes instead of the constituionally required 2/3 majority. It is a senatorial act that is supposed to be only reserved for measures to balance the budget, not pass law.

So who is in the crowd?

They are from a group called "Health Care for America Now" and from the main Unions which Obama has been kissing-ass with .... AFL/CIO & SCIU ... as well as several regular people who have been drawn in. There are protestors there dressed completely in pink, so I'm thinking they are from Code Pink [that nutty group that was protesting in front of the recruiting offices in Berkeley and were granted a perminant parking space in front of the building & allowed to use blow horns]

What do they want (besides the obvious Health care reform)?

well they have 'warrants' that they want to serve on the executives of these health insurance agencies for "crimes against health care" .... yeah -- can someone tell them that when they pull boneheaded moves like this The People stop listening and write them off as nut-cases???

So there are protest signs -- what do some of them say?

• "Another _American ???? _ Public Option" {the 'American" and another illegible word were hand scrolled, on an otherwise professionally printed sign, upon a white strip which was obviously glued to the sign -- have to wonder what it was originally meant for, but at least they are practicing recycling, right?}
• "Thank You" ... I'm not joking, one person had a big blue placard that simply said thank you on it.
• "Reform Now ... Insure People. Not Profits" being held up by hand, no stick
• "Listen To Us NOT ...." big red sign, cut off by angle of shot ... can't tell you who they aren't supposed to listen to.

Reported by commentator signs:

• "Another Person for Public Option"
• "I Kill For Profits" guy dressed supposedly like an executive
• SCIU signs
• "Congress Listen To Us"
• "Corporate Lobbyists Win, We Lose"

Fox News caught one rather large woman on tape (someone should tell her that under the Obama bill, she would be penalized for her weight and recieve less coverage than anyone else) who was just coming to the protest ... she arrived with a group of those people - all wearing dark blue shirts with a logo across the front ... it was hard to read but it said 'reform ... care .... now" I think ....

but what drew my attention to her wasn't her size ... nor the difficulty she had taking steps which was obviously not made easier by her weight ....

it was her back pack -- which had yellow caution tape of some sort stick out its top and hung down her back. Yeah .... wonder what that is for? If any of you have ever gone into a hardware store you know this stuff is sold by the roll and that it comes in many colors and with different sayings ... I have no idea what this one says on it -- but it is obvious that she got this tape second-hand and that it wasn't still on the roll.

So where do they go from here after the luncheon?

No one seems to know ... they are thinking that when the media leaves the crowd will simply disperse and not be heard from for the rest of the day until the next big get-together.

The Marines win another one (??)

Actually to tell the truth, I'm not sure how much of a victory it is....from what I've read in the story "Marines Can Stay In Berkeley, without apology from City Council" the less I think so---I think the city council just showed their chicken-shitness.

Here's some excerpts that burn my biscuits:

...a motion to formally apologize failed.
Instead the City Council with a 7-2 vote at 1 a.m. sought to clarify one of its Jan. 29 Marines motions with new language that recognizes "the recruiters' right to locate in our city and the right of others to protest or support their presence."
The new statement also said the council opposes "the recruitment of our young people into this war."

WHAT??? Who are they to put in that kind of wording? They are making a pure political view which quelches anyone opposing view! Now isn't that what they accuse Bush of doing? The hypocrits. They make a very misleading, purposefully misleading, statement. The station is not recruiting people into the war....they are offering enlistment into the armed services==if the war ended tomorrow the new recruits would still be in the Marines.

....he council let stand four other items it passed at its previous meeting, including one encouraging "all people to avoid cooperation with the Marine Corps recruiting station,"...

How can they do this? If this were a regular business in the city limits they would have a lawsuit on their hands for interference with lawful commerce--what the hell are they thinking???

...another asking the city attorney to investigate whether the recruiting station is breaking the city's law against discrimination based on sexual orientation....

I don't know how they can be discriminating against gays if they aren't asking people if they are gay, don't care if they are gay, and (as far as I know) is no longer a reason for being expelled from the Marines. You don't think there are gay marines??? Oh Please!!! If anything I think the Berkeley City Council is discriminating against the gays by thinking they are so thin-skinned that they can't handle having a Marine Recruiting station in the city limits. Hell some of their gay residence are probably enjoying seeing the marines come & go from the building as several of the ladies in the city. Leave them their 'eye candy'!

....and two items giving the peace group Code Pink a free weekly parking space and sound permit to protest at the Shattuck Avenue recruiting station once a week...

Of course they are....this way they can stradle both sides of the fence. I still say that if this were an abortion clinic instead of a Recruiting station this would never be allowed!

...Berkeley High School student Lily Wynkoop, 14, told the council she would like to see the recruiters leave town. The recruiting office is a few blocks from the high school....

Okay, first. this child is only 14 yrs old---everything she says needs to be taken with a grain of salt, she is simply repeating what she has heard & been told....at 14 yrs. she is not imancipated, and she is not in the demographics of the recruiters.
but wait...it gets better:

..."We should feel safe on our own school grounds," Wynkoop said. "But when (the Marines) come around, that's not the environment we get. To those who say Berkeley is un-American, we say we love America, but we hate war."....

Okay.... I would feel a whole lot safer having a Marine on campus than having a bunch of protesters! She makes it sound as if the Marine's are running around in full combat gear.
If a guy comes on to campus with intent to hurt--you will want a Marine who can take him down in a blink of an eye....not the protestor who will try to reason with him.
Think about this....when the 'war' started this child was about 10 yrs old.
Someone really needs to teach these kids the difference between "war" and "service"...also....what does this kid know of "war"?

And then there was the single token quote from the other side in the article:

..."My son gave up his life for this country, for you me and everyone in this room," Lee said. "I'm appalled at what the City Council has done. You tell us (the Marines) are not welcome in your city, that's appalling. You have offended us deeply. They are not murderers, and you owe them an apology."...

Mrs. Lee....I thank you for your and your son's sacrifice....and thank you for speaking for us on this side of the issue.

I will continue to search the web for more 'pro-Marine' stories...I haven't visited drudgereport yet so I'm sure there are some out there.

At least I hope there are.

Our past is thier Present ....

Kenya mob burns 15 women to death over witchcraft:

"...The gang of about 100 people moved from house to house late Tuesday, tied up their victims and set them ablaze, the official said. Ngunyi added that the mob also torched 50 houses in Nyakeo village, located some 300 kilometres (180 miles) northwest of the capital Nairobi.

The region, populated mainly by the Kisii tribe, has been dubbed Kenya's 'sorcery belt' due to mob attacks on women suspected of witchcraft.

Efforts by the authorities to clamp down on vigilante and mob justice have been unsuccessful.
Dozens of suspected people were killed in western Kenya in the 1990s, amid allegations of sorcery.

Several cases were also reported in recent months in neighbouring Tanzania, forcing President Jakaya Kikwete to order special protection for albino, who were being murdered and mutilated for good luck by witch-doctors."

The story did not say what it was these women supposably did to be accused of being witches.

But let me get this straight -- this country KNOWS this is going on and does nothing to stop it? Where is 'Code Pink' to protest this one? Why aren't they demonstrating outside the Kenyan embassies the same way they are the marine offices??

Where is the outrage that is there for the Arab nations who dress their women from head-to-toe? Where?

Oh that's okay ... they are just witches (well accused witches). We learned from our past on this matter so why can't we pass on our lessons??

Oh wait.

No we haven't.

Blog: Pink Slime

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Part 1: School lunch Opt Out


Part 2: Grocery Stores Head For The Hills


Part 3: Production plants To (Temporarily) Shut Down


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