Berkeley’s Black Eye
AS IF you didn’t already know, America is engaged in a heavily unpopular war. For every voting adult in our country, there is a different opinion regarding what should happen with our troops on the ground. While we enjoy a hearty Sunday brunch with friends and family, brave men and women are putting their lives on the line. Whether you wholeheartedly support the war in Iraq or staunchly oppose the mission, one thing is for certain. As Americans, we should support our troops with all of our might, and elected officials should set the standard for that support.
I say all of this because of a shocking article that I read yesterday; it stated, “Berkeley to Marines: You’re ‘not welcome in our city.’” According to the article, the city council of Berkeley, California, passed a measure urging Military recruiters to abandon their downtown office-the place where patriotic men and women go to register to serve their country. The measure went on to say that if the recruiters choose to stay, “they do so as uninvited and unwelcome intruders.” As if their actions were not offensive enough, the council’s measure “applauds residents and organizations that ‘volunteer to impede, passively or actively, by nonviolent means, the work of any military recruiting office located in the City of Berkeley.’”
Such impeding “volunteers” include the group Code Pink, an anti-war organization bent on “[taking] back control of the military,” as one supporter put it. As the San Francisco Chronicle reports, “Code Pink members [were] given a special parking spot outside by the council…” Their bodies chained to the recruitment center’s doors, protesters blocked the entrance in an effort to keep young Americans from registering. They carried signs reading, “Join the Marines. Travel to Exotic Lands. Meet Exciting Unusual People-And Kill Them.” Why would anyone, especially elected government officials, choose to support such an unworthy, unpatriotic group of people? Why would anyone choose to dishonor America’s courageous service men and women?
Of course, they are free to do this as promised by the First Amendment. Ironically, though, is it not the men and women who fight to protect their First Amendment rights that Code Pink and the Berkeley City Council are trying to oust from their city? I hope the residents of the city are outraged. I hope that when the council members are up for re-election, residents choose to oust them from their city. I hope that most Americans still support those who fight to protect us and our freedom.
We should never neglect to show our soldiers how proud we are of them. Though we may not support their reason for fighting, we should always champion their willingness to do so. Next time you see a military personnel member, take time to thank him or her for what he or she does. Show them that you still support them.
A bill is currently before Congress that would repeal over $2 million in earmarks destined for the city of Berkeley. Senator John Cornyn of Texas, a sponsor of the bill, stated, “The Berkeley City Council insulted our troops and offended people across the country. If the U.S. Marines are not good enough for Berkeley, neither are taxpayer dollars Congress would have sent there this year. That city closed its doors on the same individuals taking bullets on the front lines while fighting for the safety and freedom of families in Berkeley and throughout America.” Contact your senator and ask him to vote to rescind earmarks designated for the city of Berkeley.
Take a stand for those who, every day, take a stand for us.
paul Said,
February 11, 2008 @ 6:36 pm
Amen! These citizens volunteer! to join the military and go fight in this war. This war is a necessary evil. They volunteer because they know if they don’t go fight them over there, we all will be fighting for our lives over here as they would invade our land. How dare this city run the recruiters off! I hope the bill you referenced, rescinding the $2m in earmarks, passes. I will be contacting my senator and representative and urging them to pass this bill. The recruitment process is still voluntary; how dare they try to stop it. I enjoy my freedoms; maybe they need to be reminded of theirs in Berkeley. Taking away the money may be just the ticket to get their attention.
ithink Said,
February 11, 2008 @ 9:39 pm
@ Paul: Why would you say that this war is a “necessary evil”? Please explain why you think it is necessary.
I also disagree with the philosophy that if we “don’t go fight them over there, we all will be fighting for our lives over here…” With that mindset, we will be fighting foreign wars indefinately. Politcally, we can’t pull out–I believe that we must finish what we have begun; however, we can’t continue to spend billions of dollars (that we don’t have) fighting Bush’s war. There is a fine line as to what America’s plan should be in Iraq, and I’m unsure as to what that is.
lhuff Said,
February 12, 2008 @ 7:01 am
Wow–superb piece. It reminds me of Vietnam–of how many Americans protested the troops when they returned–spitting on them, throwing things at them, and yelling obscenities and calling them traitors. Some even traveled abroad (Jane Fonda, I think, was one!) to join in with our wartime enemies to denounce America’s actions!
Good work!
peelingthelayers Said,
February 12, 2008 @ 8:16 am
who is the strange little man on your home page?
paul Said,
February 12, 2008 @ 6:04 pm
A necessary evil is something that may not be good or pleasant but still has to be done. That is what this war, or any war, is. They attacked us on our soil and killed thousands of innocent Americans; have you forgotten that? Should we sit idly by and allow more and more groups who hate America attack us? You may not have had a family member killed in the attacks so maybe you don’t take it seriously, but I did have and, therefore, I do. If we do not go and fight them there we will be essentially opening ourselves up for more attacks. I, for one, do not wish to live in more fear than we already do - afraid of attacks or even being shot while walking down the street. It is America’s war, not Bush’s. The simple fact that he is the President doesn’t make it his war. If Clinton had still been in office when the attacks occurred would it be dubbed Clinton’s war? You may not be, but I am grateful for the men and women who volunteer to keep us safe and fight this war which had to be fought. I do not take it for granted and I do not desire for my hometown or even my backyard to be a battlefield. Thank god there are more people who understand the severity of this situation and are willing to go over there to put their lives on the line to protect us, our soil, and our freedoms. That’s what I mean. You say, “There is a fine line as to what America’s plan should be in Iraq, and I’m unsure as to what that is.” To make that statement, in the rest of your post you seem extremely positive that it should end now. I don’t desire that kind of danger in America. The men and women who serve are volunteers and do so willingly because they, too, know of the danger and see the results of their good work first-hand even when it may not be reported to the American public.
ithink Said,
February 12, 2008 @ 7:06 pm
Thank you for your continued posts on my blog. I value readers’ comments and opinions and look forward to our discussions. As for my memory of September 11, 2001, it is quite good—I remember it well. Are there any Americans who didn’t take it seriously? As for “[sitting] idly by,” America doesn’t have to be fitting (literally) in Iraq to be fighting terrorism.
Responsibility lies with our President. If Bill Clinton (and his aides) would have been the ones who “made 935 false statements in [the] run-up to war,” then sure, we would call it “Clinton’s war.”
Your suggestion that I am not “grateful for the men and women who volunteer to keep us safe and fight this war…” is totally illogical. Did I not just write a post concerning that exact issue? One must not agree with the reason our troops are fighting; they should, however, “champion” their willingness to do so. Much progress has been made in Iraq, I agree. W we cannot police the world. We cannot spend billions of dollars that we don’t have to fund the war. We cannot stay there forever.
My view is not political—not Democrat or Republican, not left or right—but that of a concerned citizen. One Republican suggests we might be in Iraq for hundreds of years. I sure hope we aren’t. One Democrat suggests that we beginning pulling out now. I sure hope we don’t. We are between a rock and a hard place.
flowergazer Said,
February 13, 2008 @ 8:01 am
I had no idea about Berkley. It makes me so angry to hear that things like that are happening, but it does not surprize me. War is never a good thing–that’s a fact that sometimes we look over when we’re looking at a war from a political stand point. War is -always- horrible. But if we do not fight, we will become victims. The men and women who defend our country understand this. They know that even if they don’t agree with the war, that is important to defend our country sometimes on principle alone. And that is admirable. People should remember that if we didn’t have men and women volunteering, then there would be a draft and THEY would be the ones on the front lines. And they certainly don’t want that.
This war has become more of a political issue and less of an actual issue of lives, that the government has resorted to pointing fingers and throwing trantrums. Yes, President Bush has made mistakes in his time as President–mistakes that we should be aware of citizens. But these mistakes do not by any stretch of the imagination make the War in Iraq of any less value or consequence. To pull out now would be a huge mistake–and those so determined to brush things under the rug refuse to look at that fact. However, iThink is correct when he says that we cannot keep spending money that we don’t have. We have to step back from political parties and look at this issue with a critical and discerning eye.
It’s unclear what we should do. On the one hand, Iraq is unstable and unstable government leads to it becoming a threat–on the other, we don’t have the means to save the world over night or the reasources to carry it out over hundreds of years without help.
Being unsure of a matter doesn’t not make it any less important to you. The fact that iThink can step back and say that he is unsure means that he is looking on both sides enough to know that it is a complex issue that is not black and white. The only thing we should be certain of is that our troops are laying down their lives for us, for democracy, and for our right to speak freely about this. And no one should make light of that.
paul Said,
February 14, 2008 @ 9:06 pm
My regrets if I have offended you by sharing a view other than your own. I realize you may not like to have someone post who doesn’t fully agree and support your stance; your responses appear to be pretty defensive. However, it can be advantageous to engage in debate and hear other viewpoints. Thus, I post. And, by the way, I don’t necessarily disagree; I do, however, desire to share other views with sincere respect to your post.
To clarify, I do think it was necessary that we attacked them. We had to defend our land and rectify the attacks that were made on us. Whether it should still be going on or should continue “for 100 years” I don’t know, either. I do not desire for it to go that long. I believe that the work that is in operation now should continue and efforts should be put forth to secure that area and get the Iraqi people to be able to handle it themselves. No, we can’t stay there forever; I agree with that statement. I do get defensive when I sense that the war - and, therefore, the reason for the war - is being attacked and accusations made suggesting it was a bad idea as I did lose a family member in the attacks on the WTC in NYC. If that was not your intent then my apologies are submitted.
Your original post was in regards to the despicable acts taking place in Berkeley and I think everyone who has posted here (except possibly the post regarding the strange little man) is in agreement that their acts there are an embarrassment to the American public. I sure hope that our military personnel do not think that is representative of the feelings of the general public.
One last note - we, the general public, do not know what the leaders of our great nation know. The President, military leaders, Cabinet, and others are given classified and confidential information regarding all kinds of happenings around the world. It isn’t reported in the media because it cannot be. That is said here to say that we (the general public) cannot say the war should stop or continue or change because we don’t know what they know. We don’t know how many plots have been foiled, uncovered, and stopped before they occurred. If we say it isn’t happening we are naive. Sadly lives are lost in war. That is something I wish could change but, unfortunately, it cannot.
Daniel R. Said,
February 15, 2008 @ 2:00 pm
First of all, Berkeley, California, has been a hotbed for (left leaning) political activism for decades — this should come as no surprise.
Let it also be known that disagreeing with the institution, government or otherwise, is not necessarily unpatriotic. I believe the War on Terrorism to be misguided, unnecessary, and outright deplorable — please note that in no way did I mention the soldiers themselves, just their commanders. However, contrary to your views, I consider myself patriotic and a proud citizen of this land.
ithink Said,
February 15, 2008 @ 3:30 pm
Dan:
I am somewhat aware of the situation in Berkeley–they are as liberal as they come.
I would never question your patriotism because you never spoke out against our fighting men and women. However, the actions taken by the Berkeley City Council were direct aims at the Marines–very unpatriotic.
Of course, as I mention in my blog post, as guaranteed by the Constitution, citizens can commit such unpatriotic acts as has happened in Berkeley.
The LA Times, one of the most liberal news papers in the country, even agreed! Thanks for commenting, Dan!
iThink
Dbr Said,
February 18, 2008 @ 10:43 am
First of all, the Berkeley actions were, to me, patriotic. Think about it: where in this Godforsaken nation of apathetic cretins do we see such concern for the wellfare of the nation?! The residents of Berkeley are, if anything, true patriots. They, pursuant to the law, stand and deliver on their beliefs, not syncophantically laud the war.