Marines can stay in Berkeley, without an apology from City Council

It just keeps getting better folks.  I can't make shit up like this:

The Berkeley City Council attempted to make nice with U.S. Marines recruiters early today by taking back a letter it planned to send calling the Corps 'uninvited and unwelcome intruders' in the city.

But a motion to formally apologize failed.

Yep, sounds just like they are trying to "make nice".

At the same time, the council let stand four other items it passed at its previous meeting, including one encouraging "all people to avoid cooperation with the Marine Corps recruiting station," another asking the city attorney to investigate whether the recruiting station is breaking the city's law against discrimination based on sexual orientation and two items giving the peace group Code Pink a free weekly parking space and sound permit to protest at the Shattuck Avenue recruiting station once a week.

So, they basically said "we won't look to kick you out and treat you like an enemy, but we'll do everything we can to make your life miserable".  And this is "making nice"?  But, the gem in the article is this one:

Berkeley High School student Lily Wynkoop, 14, told the council she would like to see the recruiters leave town. The recruiting office is a few blocks from the high school.

"We should feel safe on our own school grounds," Wynkoop said. "But when (the Marines) come around, that's not the environment we get. To those who say Berkeley is un-American, we say we love America, but we hate war."

Let me get this straight;  you don't feel safe around US Marines?  You're in no safer spot then to be around a US Marine.  But then again, Lily here contradicts herself.  She says she hates war, but she feels unsafe around US Marines.  I guess she can't differentiate Marines from the war in Iraq.  Of course, I expect this kind of idiotic way of thinking from a 14 year old high school student. 

Sweety, if you can't make the distinction, perhaps you should go back to class and read up on the situation instead of listening to your peers and think for yourself.  I know it goes against the grain of the fabric of the Berkeley City Council, but try to learn to think for yourself.  It'll get you much further in life then you can possibly imagine.

Even City Council Members know they've fucked up:

"To err is human but to really screw up it takes the Berkeley City Council," said council member Gordon Wozniak. "We failed our city. We embarrassed our city."

And then they started to backtrack like the cowards that they are:

"We do not want to ostracize our troops," said council member Linda Maio. "They are our sons and our daughters. We care about them. We love them and we want to bring them home."

So, voting on a resolution that says they will be looked upon as "unwelcome guests and intruders" isn't ostracizing them?  Act like a fucking adult and stand behind your words instead of tucking tail when the backlash mounts on your statements.  Cowards.

 

Travis

travis@rightwinglunatic.com