[Rhodes22-list] Marines & Berkeley - More Political Scu
Foy, Warren
Warren.Foy at masonandhanger.com
Sat Feb 2 20:54:43 EST 2008
Did anyone see the bit on CBS News (yes, so-called leftist media) about
Marine Sgt. Carmelo Rodriguez? Reference CBS's web site.
As a civilian engineer that works primarily in support of Army, Navy and
Marine and Air Force personnel nation wide, I find this story atrocious.
The American government, the DoD, and all American people need to
support all of our troops.
While free speech it is the right of every American, every American,
prior to criticizing our military, needs to consider what our troops do
to protect us before criticizing any of them (I'll not consider Dick
Cheney, W. or Don Rumsfeld in this opinion).
Warren (while not a Rhodes22 owner, still a member of the community)
P.S. Ed. A.A. vs A.A.A.D.D. - No, Celebrate Recovery!
-----Original Message-----
From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Herb Parsons
Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2008 8:04 PM
To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Marines & Berkeley - More Political Scu
No, it's NOT "her right". It's her right to protest. It's not her right
to trespass. It's not her right to chain herself to someone else's
property. That's the problem, when someone takes their "right" and
extends it because they think their cause is somehow more important than
the rights of others.
Sorry John, she's every bit the despot that those military of "many
places", she simply has less power. She IS asserting her will on
another, in violation of their rights, by force.
john Belanger wrote:
> herb,
> thats ok. we always go in and out by the garage. how long do you
want to stay and what's your drink of choice? i hope you are wrong about
how the police would react to a leftist organization being harrassed. in
many places in the world, the military would have surrounded the area,
hauled the protesters away, never to return, or to turn up in a mass
grave. the point i'm trying to make is that all americans have the right
to protest against those things they feel are not right. ....and the
world looks at incidents like this in america, and wishes they could
protest against things in their country without someone coming in the
middle of the night. now,ok, i just saw the video of the leader of pink.
she's wrong in my opinion but i still think its her right. as i said.
recruitment will rise in reaction to this incident.
> john b
> Herb Parsons <hparsons at parsonsys.com> wrote:
> Protesting??? You call that protesting? Hey John, I disagree with
YOUR
> views, how about I come "protest" by chaining myself to your front
door.
>
> It's idiocy, and I agree with what's been said, if it were a someone
> protesting against a leftist organization, the police in that armpit
of
> a city would be quick to "do their duty".
>
> john Belanger wrote:
>
>> i see this as democracy in action. when seen from abroad, it shows
that american people can protest against aspects of their military 's
actions without fear of a swat team coming down on their heads. cooler
heads will prevail. and recruitment might increase due to the backlash.
win-win.
>>
>> Brad Haslett wrote: John,
>>
>> You are picking nits, they pay rent and have a legal right to be
there. If
>> Berkeley wants the Marines out, then let them pass a law much like
those
>> against porno shops. If these people were anti-abortion protesters
you can
>> bet Berkeley's finest would have them hauled off in minutes. When the
next
>> quake hits, let them fend for themselves. In the meantime, cut off
their
>> federal funds.
>>
>> Brad
>>
>> On Feb 2, 2008 11:33 AM, john Belanger wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>> don't want to nitpick here, but, since when is a military recruiting
>>> station, a business?
>>>
>>> Brad Haslett wrote: Robert,
>>>
>>> Here's an update on Berkeley-
>>>
>>>
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/02/BALTUQKOE.DT
L
>>>
>>> I posted the link rather than the text so you can see the photos.
>>> Yesterday, protesters chained themselves to the door of the Marine
>>> recruiting office for 7 and 1/2 HOURS! Since when is it legal to
close
>>> down
>>> a business and where are the Berkeley police for 7 and 1/2 hours?
>>> Congresswoman Lee protested Sen. Demints proposal to de-fund
Berkeley by
>>> saying it wasn't right to deprive children of lunches and citizens
of
>>> first
>>> responders. I'd say these people don't need to be having children
and if
>>> it
>>> takes over 7 hours for the police to respond, they don't need them
either.
>>>
>>> Brad
>>>
>>> On Jan 31, 2008 6:59 PM, Robert Skinner wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> Sorry to hear about this stupidity - but it looks as
>>>> though the Leathernecks picked a poor beachhead.
>>>>
>>>> Any town that does not welcome the Marines does not
>>>> deserve them. What kind of dweeb confuses the loyal
>>>> Marines with the leadership and policies that they are
>>>> sworn to follow?
>>>>
>>>> I, for one, am damned glad to have a fellow Marine
>>>> next to me under any circumstances, whether or not we
>>>> share political views.
>>>>
>>>> /Robert
>>>>
>>>> -------------------------------------------------------
>>>>
>>>> Brad Haslett wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Boys and girls, here is a perfect opportunity to solve our energy
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> problem.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> I say we take spent nuclear fuel and dump it right smack in the
center
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> of
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Berkeley. That, or pull every last federal dollar out of that scum
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> infested
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> city. Brad
>>>>>
>>>>> ----------------------------
>>>>>
>>>>> Berkeley council tells Marines to leave
>>>>> By Doug Oakley
>>>>>
>>>>> STAFF WRITER
>>>>> Article Launched: 01/30/2008 01:48:16 PM PST
>>>>>
>>>>> Hey-hey, ho-ho, the Marines in Berkeley have got to go.
>>>>>
>>>>> That's the message from the Berkeley City Council, which voted 8-1
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> Tuesday
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> night to tell the U.S. Marines that its Shattuck Avenue recruiting
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> station
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> "is not welcome in the city, and if recruiters choose to stay,
they do
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> so as
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> uninvited and unwelcome intruders."
>>>>>
>>>>> In addition, the council voted to explore enforcing its law
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> prohibiting
>>>
>>>
>>>>> discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation against the
Marines
>>>>> because of the military's don't ask, don't tell policy. And it
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> officially
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> encouraged the women's peace group Code Pink to impede the work of
the
>>>>> Marines in the city by protesting in front of the station.
>>>>>
>>>>> In a separate item, the council voted 8-1 to give Code Pink a
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> designated
>>>
>>>
>>>>> parking space in front of the recruiting station once a week for
six
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> months
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> and a free sound permit for protesting once a week from noon to 4
p.m.
>>>>>
>>>>> Councilman Gordon Wozniak opposed both items.
>>>>>
>>>>> The Marines have been in Berkeley for a little more than a year,
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> having
>>>
>>>
>>>>> moved from Alameda in December of 2006. For about the past four
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> months,
>>>
>>>
>>>> Code
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Pink has been protesting in front of the station.
>>>>>
>>>>> "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 after votes were cast.
>>>>>
>>>>> A Marines representative did not respond to requests for comment.
>>>>>
>>>>> The resolution telling the Marines they are unwelcome and
directing
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> the
>>>
>>>
>>>> city
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> attorney to explore
>>>>> ------------------------------
>>>>> ------------------------------
>>>>> issues of sexual orientation discrimination was brought to the
council
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> by
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> the city's Peace and Justice commission.
>>>>>
>>>>> The recommendation to give Code Pink a parking space for
protesting
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> and
>>>
>>>
>>>> a
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> free sound permit was brought by council members Linda Maio and
Max
>>>>> Anderson.
>>>>>
>>>>> Code Pink on Wednesday started circulating petitions to put a
measure
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> on
>>>
>>>
>>>> the
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> November ballot in Berkeley that would make it more difficult to
open
>>>>> military recruiting offices near homes, parks, schools, churches
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> libraries
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> or health clinics. The group needs 5,000 signatures to make the
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> ballot.
>>>
>>>
>>>>> Even though the council items passed, not everyone is happy with
the
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> work of
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Code Pink. Some employees and owners of businesses near the
Marines
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> office
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> have had enough of the group and its protests.
>>>>>
>>>>> "My husband's business is right upstairs, and this (protesting) is
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> bordering
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> on harassment," Dori Schmidt told the council. "I hope this
stops."
>>>>>
>>>>> An employee of a nearby business who asked not to be identified
said
>>>>> Wednesday the elderly Code Pink protesters are aggressive, take up
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> parking
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> spaces, block the sidewalk with their yoga moves, smoke in the
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> doorways,
>>>
>>>
>>>> and
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> are noisy.
>>>>>
>>>>> "Most of the people around here think they're a joke," the woman
said.
>>>>>
>>>>> Wozniak said he was opposed to giving Code Pink a parking space
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> because
>>>
>>>
>>>> it
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> favors free speech rights of one group over another.
>>>>>
>>>>> "There's a line between protesting and harassing, and that
concerns
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> me,"
>>>
>>>
>>>>> Wozniak said. "It looks like we are showing favoritism. We have to
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> respect
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> the other side, and not abuse their rights. This is not good
policy."
>>>>>
>>>>> Ninety-year-old Fran Rachel, a Code Pink protester who spoke at
the
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> council
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> meeting, said the group's request for a parking space and noise
permit
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> was
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> especially important because the Marines are recruiting soldiers
who
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> may
>>>
>>>
>>>> die
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> in an unjust war.
>>>>>
>>>>> "This is very serious," Rachel said. "This isn't a game; it's mass
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> murder.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> There's a sickness of silence of people not speaking out against
the
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> war. We
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> have to do this."
>>>>>
>>>>> Anderson, a former Marine who said he was "drummed out" of the
corps
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> when he
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> took a stand against the Vietnam War, said he'd love to see the
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> Marines
>>>
>>>
>>>> high
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> tale it out of town.
>>>>>
>>>>> "We are confronted with an organization that can spend billions of
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> dollars
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> on propaganda," Anderson said. "This is not Okinawa here; we're
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> involved
>>>
>>>
>>>> in
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> a naked act of aggression. If we can provide a space for ordinary
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> people
>>>
>>>
>>>> to
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> express themselves against this kind of barbarity, then we should
be
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> doing
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> it."
>>>>>
>>>>> E-mail Doug Oakley at doakley at bayareanewsgroup.com
>>>>> __________________________________________________
>>>>> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Robert Skinner "Squirrel Haven"
>>>> Gorham, Maine 04038-1331
>>>> s/v "Little Dipper" & "Edith P."
>>>> __________________________________________________
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>
>
--
Herb Parsons
S/V O'Jure - O'Day 25
S/V Reve de Pappa - Coronado 35
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