February 13, 2008

Berkeley City Council Rescinds Resolution. Will Congress?

In the shadow of a Congressional call to withhold federal funds and thousands of demonstrators, the Berkeley City Council voted early this morning to rescind a resolution that said that Marine recruiters who chose to remain in the city would do so as “uninvited and unwelcome intruders,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

While the council’s new resolution recognizes “the recruiters’ right to locate in our city and the right of others to protest or support their presence,” the group voted against formally apologizing for the January resolution that garnered so much attention.

However, that has not satisfied Rep. John B.T. Campbell, a Republican of California, who introduced last week the so-called Semper Fi Act, HR 5222, which would redirect to the Marine Corps any money in the 2008 omnibus spending bill earmarked for the city of Berkeley or the University of California campus there.

In a statement this morning, Representative Campbell said, “Last night, the Berkeley City Council met once again and decided to rescind the letter to the Marine Corps. This is an ineffective attempt at appeasing the situation, and I have no intention of rescinding the Semper Fi Act.” He added, “Even with this toothless change, the Berkeley City Council continues to indicate that they have a disdain for and lack of appreciation for the Marine Corps, and the service they provide to the country.”

As of yesterday, Representative Campbell’s bill had 71 House cosponsors. A companion bill in the Senate, S 2596, was introduced by Sen. Jim W. DeMint, a Republican of South Carolina. It had 10 cosponsors as of yesterday. —JJ Hermes

Comments

1. This is a lot of posturing on both sides. I’m sure the bill will fail, and neither side did themselves any favors.

   — Al    Feb 13, 04:14 PM    #

2. I trust that the bills do not fail as I believe that most Americans are tired of this anti military attitude coming out of the Bay area.

   — Ross    Feb 13, 04:31 PM    #

3. Given the long history of the Berkeley city council doing really dumb (as well as pointless) things, I see over-reaction in even the most extreme of the right-wing extremists in Congress. When it comes to the far left and right wings, one sees the stupidity equally distributed. There’s a good deal of meanness as well.
   Perhaps, as an alternative, Mr. Campbell could introduce a bill of attainder aimed at a public crucifixion of Medea Benjamin. I’m tired of seeing her face on television, anyway.

   — Lawrence S. Lerner    Feb 13, 04:43 PM    #

4. I find it hard to believe a city council would have considered such a matter. UC is more than happy to accept defense funding for their sponsored projects, and Berekley is more than happy to accept an industry into its community that performs work for the DOD.

   Yes, Marine Corp work is a dirty job but someone has to do.

   Remember Col Jessup in “A few good men,”

   “IN this world there are walls and those walls must be guarded by men with guns. PARPHRASED..Who’s gonna do it, Code Pink or the Berekley Town Council?

   The people of Berekley can sleep soundly tonight knowing the Marines are standing ready to do voilence on their behalf.—apologies to the originator of the quote.

   — seth    Feb 13, 04:48 PM    #

5. Being against the War in Iraq is one thing (most people are). However, being opposed to the U.S. military is another. These wack jobs in the Bay area need to take a reality pill.

   — Stephen    Feb 13, 05:54 PM    #

6. i am proud of all the berkeley high school students who showed up in the hundreds yesterday to protest u.s. war mongoring and recruitment aimed at sending young lives off to kill and die in wars that benefit the rich .these courageous young ppl displayed just how much disdain they have for imperialist invasion by enduring attacks culminating in punches to their young faces by fists of red,(mostly white) and blue right wing zealots “bootstomping” for the corporate class.and i am just as proud of the berkeley city council for initiating this essential debate over the validity of this war for profit and outright greed. as i listenened last night to the many “rally round the flag” (flaggots) types hogging the microphone and demanding the council rescind it’s marine recruitment resolution on the basis it has and will further harm buisnesses,i came up with an an idea ..maybe the city of berkeley should have a non-profit buisness only policy that requires dues from each to avoid the economic stranglehold any small jealous bourgeois venture capitalist might have on the political direction of the city merely because they are “greenback fundamentalists” that value money more than human life.believe me, to avoid the devastation of war and oppression, im confidant that many good people would shop at a store like that! (30)

   — reverend    Feb 13, 06:50 PM    #

7. The Berkerely area like many other liberal college environs is simply out of touch with most of America. I don’t think we have to tolerate such nonsense on a perpetual basis. Enough is enough and the Bill to redirect their Federal funding makes a lot of sense. There’s no vindictiveness here; simply sharp disagreement and an attempt to balance the actions of too many idiots in the Bay area.

   I wish we could do more because too much tolerance is costing us dearly.

   — Etta    Feb 13, 06:54 PM    #

8. The best thing that can happen is for the Federal Government to cut Berkley (City and Campus) off on its own.
   Fifty years of Berkley moaning and complaining while contributing very little to the nation is enough. No one cares anymore if they all leave for anywhere but the USA.

   — MME    Feb 13, 07:22 PM    #

9. Congratulations to the people of Berkeley and their government for standing up to an oppressive and out of touch military and government.

   For standing up to all the “Americans” who shamelessly promote military and war at the bidding of corporate masters.

   If only more “Americans” would stand up to illegitimate government and military, then they would deserve to be called Americans.

   Get the recruiters of the industry-military-government lucrative alliance out of our communities, away from our young people !

   — Joseph Drapac    Feb 13, 08:46 PM    #

10. Semper Fi Act, HR 5222 should be passed to cut tax payer funds. In the name of democracy, they are abusing the rights of others. Only in America this could happen. If they don’t like it in America, they should go to Iran, Pakistan or Soviet Union.

    — kvc    Feb 13, 10:28 PM    #

11. Americans are sick and tired of paying taxes. Grover Nordquist said he wanted government small enough to drown in a bathtub. If he gets his way, the U.S. Marines will be ancient history. Blackwater is the future. Semper Fi!

    — entrepreneur    Feb 13, 11:32 PM    #

12. Certainly, the Berkeley City Council has its moments of weirdness. But can’t Campbell tell the difference between the City of Berkeley and the University of California? UC Berkeley had nothing to do with this resolution, but I gather that the “Berkeley” in the institution’s name was enough to invoke guilt by association. Since there are people in the rest of the country who equate California with Berkeley, how about just cutting off all earmarks to California to make the point? (Oh, that’s right, Campbell’s own constituents….)

    — Bob M.    Feb 14, 08:05 AM    #

13. Marine recruiters have no place on a university campus. Period.

    — Donald Winters    Feb 14, 10:02 AM    #

14. Congress can cut off all aide to Berkeley. It is one of the top WORLD UNIVERSITIES. UC Berkeley will be better off NOT TAKING any FEDERAL AIDE/FUNDS. Then the military and defense contractors will have no right to access the scientific breakthroughs made at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Livermore Labs! The Senator has done UC Berkeley a blessing. When the people of the WORLD who have directly benefitted from the many scientific breakthroughs made at UC Berkeley Labs and Lawrence Livermore Labs hear that they need money, the money will roll in from PRIVATE sources, WITH NO STRINGS ATTACHED. The government’s strings will be released and then Berkeley will be able to not only innovate and discover, but start to produce and sell new pharmaceuticals, computer chips, computer memory, … From the sale of their work and products, which will be privately funded, they will surpass Microsoft, Intel, Motorola, SGI, Apple easily. In the past when they were funded by the government, they were not allowed to compete commerically. Now they will be able to. The Windfall with be great for UC Berkeley and it should very soon pass all of the Ivy League and top private universities in endowment and IP value. So thanks again sentator, you thought you would hurt UC Berkeley and God turned it around and will BLESS Berkeley beyond its and anyone else’s wildest imaginations!!

    — KJJ    Feb 14, 11:19 AM    #

15. It’s called democracy. The Berkeley City Council had every right to use the powers granted to it under the law to make life difficult for the Marine Corps; the Congress has every right to use the powers granted to it under the law to make life difficult for the Berkeley City Council. While the rest of us might wish that both had exercised some elementary common sense at the outset, this sort of self-correcting mechanism—stupidity neutralised by counter-stupidity—is probably how the system is supposed to work.

    — Gustave    Feb 14, 11:49 AM    #

16. The thing is, many of these young college students would be safer in the Marine Corps than they would be on the streets of their own home towns, and they would probably find more opportunity there, too. The Marine Corps probably doesn’t really need the Berkley campus, but many of the kids on the campus may very well need the Corps.

    — Tracy G.    Feb 14, 12:45 PM    #

17. Just to clarify, the recruitment office is not even on Cal’s campus, and from my understanding, they are there to try to woo officers (educated adults/ college grads, even law school students), not fresh recruits from Berkeley High. I’m not happy with the Marines having a recruitment center in Berkeley, but there are a lot of misconceptions on both sides about what’s really going on.
    There’d be probably almost as much uproar had they set up a center in Oakland, just a few miles away— then they’d get in trouble for trying to disproportionately court people of color.

    — Jennifer    Feb 14, 01:48 PM    #

18. I just can’t believe that the idiots on that council didn’t see the reprocussions that would obviously occur. Personally I have no desire to join the military, but someone might. Maybe they see this as their ‘golden opportunity’ and you are denying their ability to get in the door. They didn’t actually ‘Rescind’ their resolution so much as slightly tone it down.

    Time to yank their earmarks, even the ones to the university. In this case, this democrat fully sides with the republicans.

    — Melvin    Feb 14, 08:03 PM    #

19. Beyond words, the original resolution is the most desplicable, hate filled and insiduously anti-military provocative official public stance that I have ever witnessed. Notwithstanding their recent attempt at “damage control”, there is no denying their true feelings. Memories of Hanoi Jane’s equally offensive words during my Vietnam days were at least from a private (?) citizen. This community does not deserve the protection or freedom afforded it by the blood of my fallen and living fellow veterans.

    — John    Feb 15, 04:45 PM    #

20. To preclude innocuous replies from the highly educated and sophisticated folks in the Berkeley area concerning a couple of misspelled words in my earlier comments, I would like to offer a corrected version as follows:

    Beyond words, the original resolution is the most despicable, hate filled and insidiously anti-military provocative official public stance that I have ever witnessed. Notwithstanding their recent attempt at “damage control”, there is no denying their true feelings. Memories of Hanoi Jane’s equally offensive words during my Vietnam days were at least from a private (?) citizen. This community does not deserve the protection or freedom afforded it by the blood of my fallen and living fellow veterans.
    — John Feb 15, 04:43 PM #

    — John    Feb 15, 08:03 PM    #

21. Put a wall aroud Berkley lest the germs get out.

    — Frank Galmish    Feb 21, 03:10 PM    #

22. The code freaks in the bay area are the ones brain washing our youth with an anti-american sentiment. It is their own blurred sense of reality that is driving their madness. Are they that blissfully unaware? They need to keep sipping their ventes at Starbucks and complaining about life, while the rest of us actually contribute something positive to the greatest country in the world. IQ test results just in….. Code Pink is now tied with Team Zombie!

    — lp    Feb 22, 02:28 AM    #

23. The Berkley City Council paints the military with a broad brush. Lets use the same broad brush and say that it was politicians who sent our troops into Iraq. So why aren’t the council members, who are politicians, sending letters to the Democratic and Republic offices in Berkley telling them they aren’t welcome. Maybe birds of a feather ……..

    — Walt    Mar 9, 12:01 AM    #

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