This is a load of cr@p!
 

I'm completely disgusted. Berkeley is an embarrassment to our nation. :rolleyes:

From KTVU.com:

Berkeley Could Lose Funding Over Anti-Marine Stance

POSTED: 9:31 pm PST February 6, 2008
UPDATED: 10:55 pm PST February 6, 2008

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Republicans in Congress are playing hardball with Berkeley after the liberal city council issued a declaration urging the U.S. Marines to move its recruitment office out of the East Bay college town last week. Now conservative lawmakers are fighting back with legislation that could eliminate millions of dollars in funding for UC Berkeley and a variety of city programs.

The controversy erupted last week after the City Council passed an item condemning the Marines' downtown recruiting center on Shattuck Avenue. The item told the U.S. Marines that if its recruiters choose to stay in their rented downtown space "they do so as uninvited and unwelcome guests."

A small band of GOP lawmakers is fighting back with legislation that could eliminate millions of dollars for UC Berkeley, public safety programs, a new ferry service, and the Alice Waters foundation, an organization that provides lunches to public schools.

It was quiet Wednesday evening in front of the Marine Corps recruiting station on Shattuck in Berkeley, but the battle between city officials and the federal government is escalating.

An anti-war protest vehicle remains parked in front of the recruiting station, and now some republicans are retaliating by trying to slash $2.3 million in federal funds from several Berkeley programs after the city council voted last week to ask the Marines to leave.

Wednesday night, Berkeley's Mayor Tom Bates backed down from those earlier calls for the Marines to hit the road.

"We went too far when we passed [the resolution]. We said things we probably shouldn't have said," explains the mayor.

Pictures of the vocal protests that took place in front of the Marine Corps recruiting office from last week's demonstration infuriated some members of Congress.

Republican South Carolina Senator Jim Demint was among those angered. "Patriotic American taxpayers won't sit quietly while Berkeley insults our brave marines and tries to run them out of town, and the city doesn't deserve a single dime of special pet project handouts," said Senator Demint in a statement.

Senator Demint has joined forces with five other Republican senators and an Orange County representative to introduce companion bills called the Semper Fi Act of 2008.

One cut amounting to almost a quarter million dollars would impact the Chez Paniesse Foundation, which helps provide school meals to thousands of Berkeley public school students. Not surprisingly, Berkeley residents are shocked that the proposed legislation would go to such lengths.

"If you want to give a slap on the hand of a community because of their opinion and viewpoint, that in itself is questionable. But to attack our children to do that is absolutely unconscionable," said Berkeley School District spokesman Mark Coplan.

On the streets of Berkeley Wednesday night, many people said Berkeley city leaders went too far in their anti-war efforts.

"I'm against war, but I think if we didn't have the Marines we'd probably be all be speaking German," said Ralph Kratz of Richmond.

"I think Berkeley has a right to their opinion and I think the Marine Corps does too. I don't think federal funding has anything to do with whether there's recruitment or not," said San Leandro resident Ed Shapiro.

Mayor Tom Bates says he hopes the city can clarify it's position: "I'm not saying we're anti-Marines or anti armed forces. We're just trying to set the record straight that we're against this war. We think it's illegal. We think it's immoral. We think it's wrong and we think we've been lied to. We want this war to be over."

The showdown between Berkeley's city council and its critics comes to a head on Tuesday when the city council will vote again whether or not to urge the Marines to leave. Some council members appear to be softening their positions.

A pro-military group called Move America Forward says it will hold an all-day protest in front of City Hall the try to get Berkeley to back down.

God I hope the terrorist understand 'prevailing winds theory' and aren't stupid enough to set off their nuke on the EAST COAST!!

May I suggest....

they should drop the funding....

Like a say, If you want to play hard ball, make sure you brought your glove.:eek:

Proof yet again that college administrations are awash with educated fools!SmileWavy

Buck Ferkeley. Cut em off, let em fend for themsleves. Maybe we can give Berkeley to France, they'd fit right in.

A case of allowing your past reputation to define your future. Sad.

"Escape from Berkley" I can see the ghost of Jerry Garcia dodging bullets & jumping fences.

The B HO poster was fitting.

Seems like the wrong people are being punished for the misguided actions of their City Council. I think the GOP lawmakers are making bigger fools out of themselves.

The American People are being punished by the actions of Bush.

The Berkeley citizens are being punished by the actions of the City Council.

The Marines are being punished by the actions of Bush.

The Marines are being punished by the actions of the Berkeley City Council.

Plenty of punishment to go around.

Can we get the Berkeley City Council and Bush to punish each other and leave everyone else alone? :)

The list of companies, people and so on who are now halting any business or vacations to the area has gotten longer by the day after this happened.

Hope that Bezerkley dies on the vine and Code Pink members and the city council who voted this in end up being crack loving hookers on the street.

Biased? Nah, not much but you do not mess with the Marines and get away with it for long.

I prefer a public hanging of both parties.

The city council did not chain themsleves to the doors of the recruitment office, the students who go to school at bezerkeley did.

If the people who live in bezerkeley or the students who go there do not agree with the city council, why don't they protest them? Why don't they stand up and show their outrage? Who voted for the city council and put them in office?
Answer: the citizens and students support the city council. The city and the university has been known as the hotbed of fanatical liberalism since the 60's. IMO the blame is right where it belongs.

Yep. No matter how one feels about war(s), our troops are serving our country and providing for the nation's defense. Anyone that doesn't feel a need to respect them for that should seriously consider why they remain citizens of this country.

I will be sure to never ever spend a dime in Beserkely.

Berkeley city council and quite a number of groups in the city like to do things for symbolic value. Pandering to their choir.

Apparently, these Republican congressmen like symbolism and pandering just as much. I see some of their choir, lapping it enthusiastically up, right in this thread.

It is a dumb thing all around.

Disagreeing with the City Council doesn't require protests, and lack of protests doesn't mean many don't disagree with them. I'd be surprised if there isn't plenty of opposition. Berkeley's a very liberal town. That doesn't mean the Council members always are acting in a way that those who elected them wish. Yes, Berkeley has been in the forefront of protest. Do you think they were wrong about Vietnam? Do you think they helped raised the consciousness about the wrong situation there?

I'm simply saying that those that benefit from programs for public safety, a new ferry service, and the Alice Waters foundation are the wrong people to punish.

These are the people who elected the city council and Mayor. These are the people who support (in most cases) these actions.

They can be against the war all they want to but taking this out on the Marines is not the right way. I hope that they drain the city of all Federal monies and the entire city and its occupants suffer. Next time there is an election hopefully those who were effected by this will remember and vote someone with a bit of common sense into the offices.

I'm on record here as being very disgusted by the Berkeley city council; however, I am not part of the "Republican choir" that, as you say, is "lapping it up enthusiastically." I just think the city council is morally wrong on this issue. I think they are an embarrassment to America.

Net Net: The People need to take responsibility for their Government.

Ridiculous. These f*cking hippie liberal jackasses ought to be either shot or cut off from the rest of the country. I don't really care which.

The People's Republic of Santa Monica is much the same way. Frankly I wouldn't be disappointed to see that one go away either.

So apparently none of those protesters have little things called jobs.

Please show me how the beneficiaries of public safety programs, funds to UC Berkeley, a ferry service, and lunches at public schools voted for these Council members or support their actions. Some of them voted for these Council members, I'm sure. Does that mean they support this resolution? You're throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

I never said taking this out on the Marines is right. I disagree with it. Please don't assign a false opinion my way.

Punishing innocent people is a much bigger wrong than a misguided resolution and misguided protests. It's an abuse of power. Two wrongs don't make a right.

ahh yes....America, home of the free unless you disagree with Jeff ;)

Taking this out on UC is moronic. If the DC politicos want to make an example of someone, then do it to the city council, not the university. The university admin had nothing to do with this.

I disagree Todd. Citizens must take responsibility for the government it elects. If the good citizens of Berkeley elect nutballs, then the only way it will elect officials that are more in line with its core values as a community is to get the nutballs out and elect new people in.

the only way to do that is to make the community pay for its actions: electing nutballs.

I want to see a group of folks in Berkeley rise up, call for the ousting of these officials, put together a petition or whatever means necessary (by the books) to get them out of office and then get new people in.

People need to take responsibility for the government it elects.

You say that like it's a bad thing. . .

:D

Unless I missed where Cal officials were complicit in the protest, I completely agree.

There is so much misunderstanding about Cal as an institution...there are very conservative disciplines within the university that never get any pub, which is how they like it;)

So are you willing to amend your post to specify that the Berkeley city council is an embarassment?

UC Berkeley is one of the top scientific institutions in the world, and one of the best educational institutions too. LBL is a pre-eminent research lab and has done its share of military weapons research. The city of Berkeley is one of the nicest, most livable towns in the US - well, excluding the parts that border on Oakland.

Yet everytime some whacko in Berkeley does something controversial, a bunch of people here - who mostly have never been to the city nor know anything about it - rise up panting and lapping. Like Pavlov's dogs - bell rings, PPOT rants. It's just brainless.

John, my disgust is with the city council and those that support their decision are pretty fuched up, too. Beyond that, I am not a hater.

I hope that my opinion on this is now clear. :)

Especially annoying when you consider that this pack of sniveling beeches couldn't protect themselves from a troop of Brownies.

Then we don't disagree.

:)

So its about MONEY not their true beliefs? What a bunch of hacks....

I feel for you John. BTW, why are there so many Berkeley wackos?

Flouridation

The town has a lot of politically active people. They've pushed for residential solar, mass transit, controlled development, free speech, reducing emissions, urban forest, opposed the Iraq war, lots of good things. Berkeley was one of the center of opposing the Vietnam war, attacking apartheid in So Africa, etc. So there are occasionally whacko things done, well, you take the bad with the good. Its not like you notice it in daily life, outside of a couple particular areas.

Disclaimer: I don't live in Berkeley any more, but I imagine it hasn't changed in the past 2 years.

actually most of us up here would like to charge you down there for all the water you steal :)