Berkeley, California: Marines are "uninvited and unwelcome intruders" [Updated]
Can you believe this? The city of Berkeley, California, has passed two resolutions to harass and kick out a US Marine Corps recruiting station in the city, and are aiming for more:
"By taking a stand against recruitment we are protecting the health and safety of our youth," said PhoeBe sorgen, a member of the Berkeley Peace and Justice Commission. "I see the protest as taking a proud and courageous stand."Good luck with that last bit, since the UCMJ and United States Code are mandated by Congress. Michelle Malkin is all over this story, as well as Move America Forward, but I had to say a couple things as well.
Code Pink, a national anti-war grassroots organization, will be granted a parking spot for their regular Wednesday afternoon protests and will not need to apply for a sound permit for the next six months, under one resolution.
The other resolution more directly criticizes the presence of the center in Berkeley. The city manager was directed to send a letter to the U.S. Marine Corps saying they are "uninvited and unwelcome intruders" in the city.
In addition, the city attorney has been directed to investigate whether the city's anti-discrimination laws can be enforced at the center, based on the military's consideration of sexual orientation in hiring.
In addition to defending our own nation in every major conflict in its history (as if that's not enough), the US Marine Corps has been involved in peacekeeping missions all over the world. In recent years, they provided humanitarian and medical relief after the 2004 tsunami that hit SE Asia, after the 2005 earthquake that hit Kashmir, and after Hurricane Katrina hit the Southern US the same year.
Boycotting the Marine Corps is not only myopic, but incredibly short sighted. The US Marine Corps was officially founded in 1798. It's been around long before the Iraq War started, and will be around long after it's over. Boycotting them because you oppose the war in Iraq is like boycotting the police because you don't agree with one particular police raid. The United States has a legitimate need for the Department of Defense. Who would protect these pacifists if the kind of people who joined the Marines just packed up and left the country one day?
In fact, these are sad and miserable cowards, who, from the safety of their easy chairs, congratulate each other for their "courage" (e.g. Mrs. Sorgen's quote above) and enjoy all the benefits of their free nation, while attacking those that have kept it so.
Oh, and I just had to say this: I question their patriotism. Am I allowed to say that now?
UPDATE: 02/01/2008 11:08:00 AM:
See great response in the comment section.
Also, great quote by American Legion National Commander Marty Conatser:
"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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4 comments:
Sure you're allowed and encouraged to express your opinion and dialogue. Different strokes for different folks. That's part of the beauty of America.
The Berkeley initiative is not about weakening the military. We need to solve conflicts intelligently instead of escalating violence. How about strengthening our nation's moral standing and reputation by taking care of our vets and by abiding by our own laws and our own Constitution! When our soldiers follow orders to torture, disregarding the Geneva Conventions (the supreme law of our land,) they only ensure that U.S. prisoners of war will be tortured, they obtain only false or highly unreliable info that can endanger our nation and the world, and they injure their own psyches, often permanently since help for vets is woefully inadequate. There are 195,000 homeless vets!
I would not mind dying in EFFECTIVE defense of DEMOCRACY here. I intend no disrespect to courageous, well-intentioned young Americans who want to defend our country, but I particularly grieve those brave souls who enlist "to protect our freedom" but end up killing and being killed, instead, to protect Haliburton, Bechtel, Lockheed Martin, Blackwater, the oil industry etc. Bring democracy to Iraq? What we have here in the U.S. is no longer democracy, but an auction, a corporatocracy.
Yes, we still have the right to protest, and thank goodness we are exercising that right. Thanks for serving your country and helping to protect that right.
I want to be clear that I recognize that most people serving in the military are GOOD people. I like to think that most would abide by the Geneva Conventions and NOT break the law and would refuse to torture if ordered to.
Perhaps most recruiters, also, are ethical. But there have been too many cases of deceptive recruiting, and as a parent I want to shield Berkeley youth from that. We're not prohibiting recruiting, just keeping it away from schools, libraries, parks, etc so that children won't pass by and fall for the glossy propaganda.
I know of a case in which 17 and 18 year old potential female recruits were raped by Marine recruiters. In another case, two young fathers signed up for one year only under the "Try One" program, only to be "stop lossed." They learned too late about the "back door draft." The military can keep them against their will, enslaved until the year 2035. There have been many other cases of deceptive recruitment, young people who were promised that they would not be sent overseas or into combat, signing up without reading the fine print, and returning from Iraq in coffins.
Defending our country is an honorable thing to do. Being ordered to kill or torture unarmed civilians who did not elect Sadam and had nothing to do with 9/11 is another question, and that has happened sometimes. It is not easy, but it is never too late to declare conscientious objector status and the GI Rights Hotline will help: (800) 394-9544. If your experience in the military is positive, I am happy for you.
We are not attacking or boycotting or harrassing the military. We are in the streets and speaking out at City Hall to champion the values we share such as negotiation instead of violence, objective and accurate reporting, respect for differences, responsibility as members of families and communities to protect our young ones, and security including economic security with access to education, health care and other necessities for human dignity.
Just as you do, I love my country, but I think defending my country also entails holding our elected officials accountable and abiding by the laws and Constitution they are sworn to defend. You and I probably have different sources of info. Republicans tell me I can't have known 5 years ago that Iraq had no WMD's. I did know, thanks to www.democracynow.org and other non-corporate sources for news.
Thanks for caring, "listening" (reading) and good luck to you.
Be safe and God bless,
PhoeBe
To PhoeBe Anne: Thank you for your comments. I take it you are the same "PhoeBe sorgen" from the article? I thought that strange capitalization in your name was a typo in the article. I have corrected it in my blogpost.
You are wrong in so many things here, I hardly know where to start:
1) I understand you don't agree with the war, the way vets are treated, and believe the Constitution is being undermined etc. Well, here's the problem: The recruiting sergeants don't have anything to do with any of that. In fact, even the military as a whole can do next to nothing about that. The decision to go to war was proposed by the President and authorized by Congress. They are the ones you need to talk to about you concerns. Ditto for the Constitution, Veteran's care, and the policy of homosexuals in the military. Even the generals have no power to change these.
2) The Geneva Convention is a treaty we signed, not "the supreme law of our land"!
3) Torture is not legal for use by the US military, and anyone doing it is liable to be prosecuted. Yes, of course you will mention waterboarding - but even waterboarding was only authorized for use on two or three occasions, and then by the CIA, not the military.
4) Of course, some recruiters behaved unethically. Welcome to the world; I can say the same thing about college recruiters as well. Are you going to ban colleges in Berkeley?
5) No one is involuntarily obligated until the year 2035!! I don't know where you got that ridiculous information, but it is totally wrong. The "back door draft" as you call it, is simply every servicemember's individual ready reserve commitment, which is for EIGHT years. That's it. During these eight years, anyone is subject to recall to active duty. No one would be obligated until 2035, unless they joined up in 2027. (Retirees who take a military pension are also subject to recall in certain situations).
6) I'm sorry, but what you are doing is boycotting and harassment. What else would you call sending a letter calling someone an "uninvited and unwelcome intruder"?? Granted special parking priveleges to protestors is also legally suspect. How would you feel if a town voted for the same kind of aid to Operation Rescue, to assist them in protesting a nearby abortion clinic? I'm guessing you would probably think that was unconstitutional.
Godspeed.
As a daughter of a Marine who was critically wounded as a 21 year old on Iwo Jima, I thoroughly detest these people and their so-called intelligence. They are not worth my time nor trouble to get too worked up over them other than I would like to see the govt withdraw any monetary support. I am also the sister of a retired Navy Crew Chief, the grandmother of current Navy Sonar Tech., and the first cousin of a (female) Naval commander currently serving with a Marine Med. Unit in Anbar. Of course, since I live in the South, I realize that my opinions do not matter to people living on either coast. My guess is she/he wouldn't die in defense of anything as she would surrender as soon as the first shot was fired. I wonder if they realize how really really stupid they appear to the rest of us.
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