MARINES attacked in Berkeley, CA

[Guest]

[dmh1566]

Check out this poll --->  http://www.military.com/#

[DoggyDaddy]

I voted.      I would like to see the results of a gallup poll also.

[IJK3770]

Of course, I too went and voted.
Cheerily
IJK

[BB John]

Berkeley sure had a bone-headed idea, and they will probably reverse it, but watch out for the indignant senators trying to garner some publicity for themselves with their "Semper Fi Act". Do they REALLY support the troops? Votesmart's last rating on senators is for 2006:
 
Disabled American Veterans: Cornyn and DeMint each get a rating of 60%.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America:  Cornyn got a D-, DeMint got an F.
Retired Enlisted Association: Cornyn got a rating of 6%. DeMint got a rating of 18%.
 
Talk is cheap. Senators who don't actually vote for veterans won't get my support.

[DoggyDaddy]

Red, White and Blue Rolls Over Berkeley - “Eagles Up” Leads Effort to Show Support for ‘Lightning Rod’ Marine Office - Berkeley, CA -

Grassroots group ‘Eagles Up’ (www.EaglesUp.us) will muster this Saturday in Berkeley to pushback against the anti-American antics of the City of Berkeley and its anti-military minions, while showing overwhelming support for U.S. Marines.
Hundreds of patriots on motorcycles are expected to roar into town from around the western United States, while other supports will come to Berkeley to stand with the bikers at the Marine Recruiting Center on Shattuck Avenue.
Melanie Morgan, popular radio personality and chairwoman of ‘Move America Forward” (MAF) (www.MoveAmericaForward.org) and Catherine Moy, MAF’s executive director, will address the crowd assembled Saturday to show support for the Marine Corps office that protesters have attacked. Move America Forward is the nation’s largest pro-troop organization and has been on the frontlines against the anti-war crowds harassing our Marines in Berkeley.
“We encourage all American patriots to stand with Eagles Up and the Marines,” Morgan said. “I hope to see Move America Forward’s supporters at the muster to show our love and support for our troops.”
Eagles Up led a march last week in the nation’s Capitol to counter demonstrations planned by antiwar groups.
‘Code Pink’ has protested at the Marines office since October, when MAF first staged a counter-protest. On January 29, the Berkeley City Council gave Code Pink a free regular event permit, sound permit and reserved parking for their protests. The City Council also called the Marines “uninvited” and “intruders” and has refused to apologize for the slander.
The mayor has expressed a willingness to extend similar rights to other organizations, but only for recurring protests of the Marine office. Move America Forward’s request for similar rights to protest the city council were denied, and Eagles Up is paying for the permits for Saturday’s events.
Many patriotic motorcycle groups are expected to attend and stage formal rides to and from the event, which will feature speakers at noon.
*   *   *   *   *   *
Three of those motorcycle groups will be American Legion Riders - District 28, the California VFW Motorcycle Riders Group, and the Patriot Guard Riders.  I am a proud member of all three.

[ZAP44]

Thanks for the info DD....hope it goes well.

[dmh1566]

March 28, 2008

Most of you already know that at Move America Forward we’ve been defending the defenders for some time and that lately that has meant running up against the Berkeley City Council.  The radical “peace” group CodePink has been trying to run the Marine Corps office out of town for some time now and the city council signed on to the effort in full in January.  They voted to send a letter to the Marines saying that if they remain in Berkeley, that they do so as “uninvited and unwelcome intruders.”  We weren’t about to stand by while the US military gets uninvited from a US city, so we brought about a thousand of our close fiends to the next council meeting and the council agreed not to send the letter.  But don’t be fooled: some very offensive provisions are still on the Berkeley books.

What the council refused to rescind included provisions giving free event and sound permits to CodePink every week in front of the office during business hours to harass recruiters as they try to do their jobs.  As someone who has worked on getting permits from the city of Berkeley, let me be the first to tell you that this is no small gift—I would have liked to have had the city council’s help in planning our events!  Worse yet, the council stood by language that encouraged Berkeley citizens to “impede” the work of the recruiters: a direct call to interfere with the duties of a federal officer.  To top it off, the council indignantly and repeatedly insisted that they owed no apology to anyone—truly petty and belligerent.

UNLAWFUL?

The Berkeley City Council is formally encouraging harassment of our troops.

By now, we’ve shown up for several demonstrations in Berkeley and they might even be getting used to free speech again, but we hope to expose them to some more serious consequences, too.  Our lawyers have drafted a letter to the US Attorney for Northern California that demands an investigation into whether the city engaged in unlawful or illegal behavior.  We’re concerned about the legality of encouraging citizens to impede the work of recruiters as well as the treatment we received when we came to protest.

Our 2/12 protest was marked by a heavy police presence, but no response to constant heated and sometimes physical confrontations.  Our pleas to the Berkeley PD for help were consistently brushed off.  This is further unacceptable behavior from the city and threatens to create both a slippery slope and a bad role model.  Help us stop this lunacy in Berkeley before other city councils are tempted to follow suit in any way, shape, or form.

You probably know that lawyers are not cheap.  And I can tell you we have more work we want to have our lawyers complete, so to cover the cost and make this effort possible, we are asking all of our supporters to make a financial donation.  You can contribute online here:


It is important that we keep the pressure on Berkeley on multiple fronts.  Just last week, hundreds of patriots stepped up to the plate to hold another demonstration of support for Capt. Lund and the Marines recruiting in Berkeley and 2 weeks ago we presented the Sedition report at DC’s National Press Club to draw attention to the growing danger that recruiters at home face from antiwar radicals (covered by the Washington Post, FOX News Channel and more), but now we cannot rest yet.  The Berkeley city council probably thinks that they’ve ridden out the storm now and that they basically got away with it after all; the legal avenue will be vital in applying new pressure and making it count.

The city council has responded to our demonstrations and our ad campaigns, but they’ve been resistant and even seem not to mind if Berkeley businesses lose money.  Harassing recruiters is that high of a priority for them, but there’s something about legal action that can get someone’s attention, and we don’t want a day to go by that they don’t think of patriotic Americans and our response to their shameful actions.

You can contribute to Move America Forward's legal fund against the Berkeley City Council:

Online Here:
https://www.completecampaigns.com/FR/contribute.asp?campaignid=Move

Or Via PayPal Here:
http://www.moveamericaforward.org/index.php/MAF/Contribute#PayPal

Or by mailing in a donation to our world headquarters:

Move America Forward
ATTN: Berkeley Legal Fund
770 L Street #1400
Sacramento, CA 95814

 
Thank You for Your Support!

 
Danny Gonzalez, Director of Communications- Move America Forward
http://www.MoveAmericaForward.org

[easingwr670]

The last time I checked, Voicing one's opinion does not cost one cent. Letter/e-mail campaigns work well if enough citizens are concerned.
Any money I donate is to my children's and grandchildren's future.
None of my hard earned money will go to lawyers "acting in my best interest".
Hell, they even don't know me!!!

[dmh1566]

heh 

[DoggyDaddy]

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein responding to your message
Date:    Tue, 8 Apr 2008 17:24:39 -0400
 
Dear Mr. Kleinsmith:
 
Thank you for writing about recent Congressional actions regarding the Berkeley City Council. I appreciate hearing your views on this issue, and welcome the opportunity to respond.
 
First, let me express my appreciation for those who have answered the call to duty and have selflessly sacrificed for our country. I firmly believe that the brave men and women who serve America with honor, courage, and distinction deserve to be held in the nation's highest regard.
 
You should know that I also disagreed with the Berkeley City Council's action on January 29, 2008. The City Council approved a resolution directing the City Manager to write to the Commandant of the Marine Corps to convey that the Marine Corps were "unwelcome" in the City. On February 12, 2008 the Council voted to reverse this action.
 
After the initial Council decision, Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina introduced S. 2596, which would have rescinded congressionally directed Federal funding from the City of Berkeley and other entities located in the city. I believe that this bill is unwarranted, not only because the Council reversed its decision, but because the other organizations, such as the University of California, had no part in the Council's decisions. On March 13, 2008, during consideration of the fiscal year 2009 Budget Resolution, the Senate voted on Senator DeMint's proposal, which was defeated by a bipartisan vote of 57 to 41.
 
Again, thank you for writing. I hope that you will continue to write to me on issues of importance to you. If you have any more questions or comments, please feel free to contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3841.

Sincerely yours,
Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator