Berkeley Vs. America, Again — and Americans Strike Back

This blog has previously covered San Fransisco’s and Berkeley’s “special” relationship with the American military, as well as the signs that many Americans have had just about enough of their deliberate obstruction of filming of Marines ads, trying to drive out the Blue Angels, last year’s killing of the JROTC program in San Fransisco, how San Fransisco makes no secret of the fact that they hate American troops, and the latest from Berkeley where Code Pink were given special dispensations by the council in order to shut down the United States Marine Corps Recruiting Station there.

As Angus Dei posted earlier this month, that last move was just one too many, spurring many backlashes including Republican Senator DeMint’s call to pull the plug on Berkeley’s Federal funding. Today in CNSNews, Michelle Malkin gives an excellent summary of Berkeley’s actions thus far, and the impact that Americans who are not going to put up with these kinds of intolerant, illiberal, un-American power trips any more are having already:

Berkeley Vs. America, Again
By Michelle Malkin
CNSNews.com Commentary
February 06, 2008

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The troop-bashers in Berkeley are at it once more. But this time, the rest of America lashed back. Message to the Left Coast: It’s not the 1960s anymore.

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On Jan. 29, the Berkeley city council passed several measures targeting the lone Marine recruitment office in town. The anti-war harridans at Code Pink have been picketing the center for months. Last fall, they defaced the building by slapping a sign that read “assasination” (sic) in the military office window. Instead of rising to defend the recruiters’ property rights, the city council and mayor voted to sabotage them further. They granted Code Pink special parking privileges directly in front of the Marines’ workplace to facilitate their protests — and also offered them a free sound permit for six months.

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In the home of the free speech movement, the peace and love mob abused the power of government to help drive the Marines out of the city. They proceeded with zoning changes to treat recruiting centers like porn shops. They encouraged residents to continue to impede the recruiters’ work. Never mind federal law making it a crime to willfully obstruct the recruiting or enlistment service of the United States. If that weren’t blood-boiling enough, the Berkeleyites put the troops under further siege by voting to send a letter to the U.S. Marine Corps calling them “uninvited and unwelcome intruders.”

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Video of the council meeting showed city officials trashing the Marines as “the president’s own gangsters” and “trained killers” who are known for “death and destruction … and maiming.” One of the council members complained that our men and women in uniform were responsible for “horrible karma.” Mayor Tom Bates offered to “help” the Marines evacuate.

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But, of course, they continue to argue shamelessly that they’re not against the troops. Just against President Bush’s policies.

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Only one council member, Gordon Wozniak, opposed the Code Pink measure — pointing out that the council was bending the rules, intentionally setting up a confrontation between the group and the recruitment office, and “showing favoritism.” He was outnumbered, 8-to-1.

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Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin and her minions gloated over the vote and turned up at the recruitment center to rub salt in the wound: “We are the defenders of democracy, the upholders of the Constitution. If it weren’t for people like the people in Berkeley, standing up for what they believe, we’d be living under Hitler.”

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Her thugs defaced the recruitment center again — his time with a banner of bloody handprints stretched across the window as recruiters tried to do their jobs.

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In another decade, Berkeley would have gotten away with this intolerant, illiberal, un-American power trip. But in the age of the Internet, talk radio and YouTube, word of the siege at Berkeley spread like lightning. And citizens across the country weren’t willing to look the other way.

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The San Francisco-based Move America Forward, led by talk show host/conservative activist Melanie Morgan, launched an online petition protesting the city council measures. Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina moved to strip Berkeley of pork barrel spending worth $2 million.

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The American Legion mobilized as well. National Commander Marty Conatser lambasted the votes: “The American Legion not only strongly condemns this action by the City Council but also believes that a sincere apology is in order to all Marines, past and present. … What these recruiters do is essential to our national security. Without recruiters we have no military. And I don’t think we can count on the flower children from Berkeley to protect this nation when it comes under attack. They have to remember that Marines are not the enemy; the terrorists are.”

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After feeling the heat, not just from veterans, military families and troop supporters outside of Berkeley but also from their own embarrassed citizens, the council is waving a partial white flag: Two council members will move to rescind the obnoxious letter and Code Pink privileges next week. It seems a little light bulb went off in Councilwoman Betty Olds’ head: “I think we shouldn’t be seen across the country as hating the Marines.”

Too late. The city’s “horrible karma” is on full display. Sit back and watch Berkeley be Berkeley? No more.

They are just now starting to realise that they “shouldn’t be seen across the country as hating the Marines”? Well, that’s a start anyway. But it’s up to everyone who gives a damn about America’s military to make sure that every time a city like San Fransisco or Berkeley goes off on another anti-military crusade, their shameful actions are publicised far and wide. Can they really be shamed into doing the right thing? Probably not. But I reckon it’s still worth a go.

San Fransisco-based Move America Forward has been doing a lot of the heavy lifting in trying to fight anti-military actions like those in Berkeley and San Francisco, and they have a fantastic website. Go there and see what you can do to help. And if you want to pick up a “Code Pink Are the Real Traitors” shirt, visit The Campaign Store.

And to show America’s serving and returned troops that you support them, check out the links on this, this and this page here, courtesy of various Tizona bloggers.

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UPDATE:  RebeccaH notes that Michelle Malkin has helpfully provided names, numbers and addresses (incl. email) for the Berkeley City Council members & Mayor.

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