Berkeley: Congressman Campbell (CA) acts to rescind federal $$ in USMC case

Congressman John Campbell (CA-48) has been lining up co-sponsors for his "Semper Fi Act." The “Semper Fi Act” rescinds all of the funding contained in the Omnibus Appropriations Act for the City of Berkeley, CA, and transfers those funds to the Marines. This is in response to Berkeley ’s City Council recent vote to tell the Marines to close their recruiting station in the city. With this vote, they told the Marines recruiting office is not welcome in our city, and if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome intruder.

During the meeting, the City Council also voted 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. According to the City Council agenda, they "encourage all people to avoid cooperation with the Marine Corps recruiting station, and applaud residents and organizations such as Code Pink, that may volunteer to impede, passively or actively, by nonviolent means, the work of any military recruiting office located in the City of Berkeley ."

Co-sponsors lined up so far are: Duncan Hunter (CA);John Carter (TX); Joe Wilson (SC); Doug Lamborn (CO); Michael Burgess (TX); John Kline (MN); Ted Poe (TX); Dana Rohrabacher (CA); Mike Rogers (MI); Paul Broun (GA); Darrell Issa (CA); Todd Tiahrt (KS); Jim Saxton (NJ); Dan Burton (IN); Mary Fallin (OK); Thaddeus McCotter (MI); Louis Gohmert (TX); Joe Pitts (PA); Wally Herger (CA) Tom Feeney (FL); Patrick McHenry (NC); Trent Franks (AZ).

Berkeley pro-troops rally needs you

There has been more fallout in Berkeley, California, after the City Council passed a resolution that called our troops "unwelcome intruders" and called upon residents to not cooperate with any military recruiting center in the city.

Anti-military protestors, feeling emboldened by the city's blessing, chained themselves in front of the Marine Recruiting Center and prevented people from entering the facility. The police stood by and did nothing - telling people that they were "trying to remain neutral."

See the video for yourself - HERE.

Photograph from San Francisco Chronicle.

Thousands of you have responded to our call to action and registered your protests with the city via emails, phone calls and petitions.

Now, as Michelle Malkin reports, city council members are indicating that they may rescind the resolution at their next City Council meeting that takes place this Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 7:00 PM.

Move America Forward has already announced our plans for a giant rally outside the City Council chambers at the February 12th Council Meeting. We need people there by 5:00 PM for the council meeting start time of 7:00 PM.

However, since the news media will likely be camped out throughout the day, we will have staff arriving in the morning, and are asking as many supporters as possible to join us for at least part of the day - so there are bodies there for the cameras. Our first Move America Forward staff members will arrive at 5:00 AM (yes, in the morning) - this is when the early morning news programs begin airing in San Francisco.

The City Council Chambers are located at 2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. It's right by Martin Luther King, Jr. Park. Here is a map of the location.

PROTEST OF BERKELEY CITY COUNCIL
* TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2008
* 2134 MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. WAY - BERKELEY, CA
* Council Meeting Begins at 7:00 PM (We are asking people to be there early - if possible, start arriving by 5:00 PM)

** Also... If you can, please join us for our "picketing" of the City Council Chambers. We will be out there at 2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way beginning at 5:00 AM for the morning news. We will have a presence all throughout the day - the next newscasts are at 12:00 Noon, so we'll want a good size presence there as well. **

--From Move America Forward

The insanity continues....

Berkeley, CA, is well remembered as an anti-war community in the 1960s. Now, 40 years later, it has proven its anti-war reputation is well deserved. One wonders how many of those "Code Pink" anti-war protesters at the Marine recruiting station are leftovers from the hippie years.

After Berkeley City Council passed their anti-military provisions last week, Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) proposed legislation to end all earmarks and federal funding to the Berkeley area. In a press release on Thursday he said:

“This is a slap in the face to all brave service men and women and their families. 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. I am currently drafting legislation to ensure that American taxpayers aren’t forced to pay for this insult by rescinding all of the earmarks for Berkeley in the Omnibus Appropriations bill, and to transfer the funds to the Marine Corps.” That totals $2.1 million that would be saved if not sent to Berkeley ... money that would go to the Marine Corps.

The insanity continued as three Code Pink anti-war protesters padlocked themselves to the Marine recruiting station door Friday for over seven hours, blocking the door for anyone who wanted to enter. Arrested by police, they defiantly announced they would continue to protest. Mary Ann Thomas, 64, said they had made a great statement by blocking the door. Let's see ... Ms. Thomas would have been in her 20s in the 1960s at the height of the anti-Vietnam era....

There were those who wanted to go inside the recruitment station but were shouted at and turned away by the protesters blocking the door:

Heated words were exchanged whenever people tried to enter or leave the office, but the protest was peaceful.

"You guys are just cannon fodder!" the chained protesters shouted at three teenage boys who walked past the office and said they wanted to go inside. "They want to train you to kill babies!" The teenagers turned around and left.

At one point, UC Berkeley student Kyrolos El Giheny walked up to the front door and tried to go inside to talk to Lund about a possible Marine career. He was unable to get past the chained protesters.

"They told me, 'No business as usual today,' " El Giheny said. "It's kind of nutty. It's really an infringement on my rights."

The city of Berkeley has heard from conservatives nationwide protesting their treatment of the Marines. City Council removed their contact information from their website because they had received so many phone calls. If you contact anyone on this list please be polite.

Members of the Berkeley City Council
www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil
(510) 981-6900

Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C.
demint.senate.gov/public
(202) 224-6121

Code Pink
www.codepink4peace.org/article.php?list=type&type=3
(415) 575-5555

Marine Corps Headquarters in Virginia
www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/homepage?readform
(703) 614-1492

Marines attacked in Berkeley, CA ... called "unwelcome intruders"

The City of Berkeley, California has passed two resolutions attacking the United States Marine Corps, calling the Marines, “uninvited and unwelcome intruders in the city.”

The Berkeley City Council voted to condemn the Marines on Tuesday night, January 29, 2008, as part of a campaign by anti-war activists to shut down a U.S. Marine Recruiting Center located in the city of Berkeley.

The votes by the Berkeley City Council were immediately condemned by Move America Forward, the nation’s largest grassroots pro-troop organization.

“It is disgraceful that in the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement, anti-military activists would attempt to silence the same military men and women who serve this country and give their lives to protect the free speech rights of all Americans, including these ungrateful and despicable people on the Berkeley City Council,” said Melanie Morgan, Chairman of Move America Forward.

The actions by the Berkeley City Council followed continuous protests by Code Pink and other anti-military organizations that vandalized and defaced the U.S. Marine Recruiting Center in September 2007.

One of the two resolutions passed by the Berkeley City Council last night granted a parking spot in front of the Marine Recruiting Center to be used by anti-military activists to harass Marine recruiters. The anti-military activists would not need to apply for a sound permit for the next six months – allowing them free reign to disrupt the day-to-day operations by the Marines.

Move America Forward organized a counter-protest in support of the Marines last October that attracted over 400 pro-troop supporters who stood in solidarity of the Marine Recruiting Center.

“We have hundreds of thousands of military men and women serving honorably overseas to protect our freedoms. Imagine how they feel when they go to turn on the news and see that they are being stabbed in the back by shameful people here at home, it’s disgraceful!” said Catherine Moy, Executive Director of Move America Forward.

--Press release from Move America Forward

Patriots stand down Code Pink's anti-America attacks on Berkeley Marine recruiting station

What a difference from the Vietnam days when America left our troops to fend for themselves against rampant anti-war protesters ... from Gathering of Eagles NY State Coordinator Dan Maloney

Patriots Rule Berkeley!

There was a tremendously successful pro-troops rally yesterday in the heart of moonbat la-la-land, Berkeley, California. Hundreds turned out to answer the call from Melanie Morgan of Move America Forward, Michelle Malkin and the Gathering of Eagles to protect the Marine Recruiting Station from the ravages of the Code Pink faction of the neo-commie horde led by none other than that paragon of anti-Americanism, Medea Benjamin.

Once more patriots ruled the day!

Check out all the links for stories, pictures and video:

Move America Forward
Michelle Malkin
Pipeline News
SFGate.com

God Bless America!

Dan Maloney
New York State Coordinator
Gathering of Eagles

Code Pink vandalizes Marine Recruiting Center ... this is how they support our troops?

From MoveAmericaForward ... I will be there in spirit to support these brave Americans going up against anti-America Code Pink:

The de-facing of the Marine Recruiting Center in Berkeley by left-wing Code Pink Activists: This follows a wave of anti-military actions in the Bay Area you might have heard about (the most recent was when Oakland International Airport officials classified a planeload of Marines returning from Iraq as "cargo" and would not let the Marines de-plane in the passenger terminal because of their disdain for the military).

As Melanie Morgan writes about in her weekly column, a giant pro-military/pro-troop demonstration & rally is taking place Wednesday in front of the Marine Recruiting Center in Berkeley. Unlike the 1960s, this time there are patriotic responses against the shameful people who are attacking our military personnel as if they were somehow the enemy of this Nation.

Call To Action:
Code Pink has vandalized the Marine Recruiting Center in Berkeley, California and is harrassing the landlord to cancel the lease for the 'illegal, immoral, unjust' war machine--calling our military men and women "TRAITORS."

We will rally to support our troops and denounce efforts by Code Pink and others to "chase" the military out of Northern California. We make our stand at the Marine Recruiting Center in Berkeley which has just been defaced by anti-war protestors.

We are calling on YOU the patriotic mainstream of this nation to join with us and counter their effort with a pro-troop show of support for our military men and women! Bring your American flags and signs supporting our troops and our veterans!

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17TH - 12:00 NOON PACIFIC
United States Marine Corps RecruitingCenter
64 Shattuck Square
Berkeley, CA 94704
Located at Shattuck Square (Intersection of University Avenue and Shattuck)
Berkeley, California

Word of this upcoming event is spreading:

* Gathering of Eagles Onboard
* Human Events Report
* Newsblaze Report
* A Soldiers Perspective
* Lighthouse Patriot Journal
* Wake Up America Blog
* Zombie Time Blog
* Family Security Matters
* Winter's Soldiers Story
* Melanie Morgan's Website
* Michelle Malkin Driving Patriotic Response
* Free Republic Thread
* USA Partisan Blog
* WorldNetDaily Report
* Saber Point Blog
* White Rose Adventures Blog
* Media Mythbuster Blog
* Debbi's Dribble
* KSFO Radio

Let's have a great showing by bringing out hundreds of patriotic Americans with American flags who will stand in solidarity with our brave and noble military men and women. We cannot sit back and let protestors like those above silence our troops or harass our military. It is the men and women in uniform who have served this nation that give those Code Pink protestors the rights they have to assemble and speak freely. They do not even realize that they are attacking that which gives them freedom, security and liberty.

We will speak out on behalf of our troops and our veterans, and with your support on October 17th we can show America that we will never allow our military to be defamed and dishonored ever again. That sort of thing regrettably happened in the 1960's, but we know better, and we won't let it happen again!