Enough is enough…
Have the people in
Berkeley, California
lost their
ever-loving minds?
These misguided
individuals have
taken to the streets
and to the chambers
of the city council
in an attempt to ban
the United States
Marine Corp. from
having a recruiting
office in their
city.
A spokesman for the
protest group states
that “If recruiters
choose to stay, they
do so as uninvited
and unwelcome
intruders.”
Say what?
Excuse me while I go
throw up, but the
last I looked, the
Marine Corp. had
certain freedoms of
speech the same as
any group of
protestors.
What galls my liver
is the fact that the
Berkeley City
Council actually
took a vote and was
considering banning
the Marine Corp.
from having a
recruiting office
within the city
limits of the town.
I do believe that if
the Marine Corp. had
suggested that some
protest group such
as Code Pink needed
to be restricted or
not allowed to
operate within the
city limits, you
would have heard
about it on all of
the major news
networks for weeks
and weeks on end.
As it was, I doubt
you even knew this
was going on at all
until I told you.
The protest and
outcry was stopped
when a couple of
Washington lawmakers
(Senator Jim DeMint
(R-SC) and Senator
David Vitter (R-La)
introduced a bill
called the Semper Fi
act of 2008 which
essentially cuts the
annual $2,300,000 in
Federal funds that
the University of
Berkeley and the
city of Berkeley
receives each year.
After this bill was
introduced, the city
council backed off
of their motion and
the issue has died
down for the time
being.
Not to worry, I’m
certain the fair
citizens of this
town will wait for
the next opportune
moment to strike
again. As one of the
organizers stated…
“If there are no
wars, then there can
be no warriors.”
Wonderful. I guess
in her opinion it
would be perfectly
acceptable for all
of us to be speaking
in German. Why,
shame on us… we had
no business taking
up arms against
those Germans back
in the forties, they
were only interested
in expanding their
economic base. We
should try and reach
a peaceful
compromise and live
together in harmony.
I think a guy named
Neville Chamberlain
tried this, if you
don’t know what
happened to him, you
need to read up on
it.
The mayor of
Berkeley, some guy
named Tom Bates says
he sees nothing
wrong with the
proposed action. In
his mind they are
still ‘for’ the
marines, and that
their city council
action should not be
interpreted to
offend anyone in the
armed forces or
military.
Typical political
statement.
I’m all for free
speech, but there is
a limit to my
patience. I may not
agree with the war
and all of it’s
aspects, but I will
never, ever say
anything against the
men and women who
have made the choice
to serve in our
military.
I recently gave a
eulogy for a dear
friend of mine who
had served in the
Army for many years.
You might have read
my column on him.
In my eulogy I
repeated what has
come to be called
….the service prayer
of remembrance which
was written by
Father Dennis
O’Brien. It goes
like this:
It is the Soldier,
not the reporter,
who has given us
freedom of press.
It is the Soldier,
not the poet, who
has given us freedom
of speech.
It is the Soldier,
not the campus
organizer, who gives
us freedom to
demonstrate.
It is the Soldier
who salutes the
flag,
who serves beneath
the flag,
and whose coffin is
draped by the flag,
who allows the
protester to burn
the flag.
I think the city
council, the mayor
and the citizens of
Berkeley, California
need to read what
Father O’Brien wrote
and think long and
hard about it. Think
about the abuses of
civil rights back in
Germany in the
1930’s or in the
Soviet Union before
it collapsed, you
think those folks
could stand up and
protest and still be
alive to tell about
it? The sands of
Iraq and Iran are
filled with the
bodies of those who
spoke out against
the abuses of their
government. You
think those bodies
were the result of
the freedom of
speech?
I think not. What is
a shame to me is
that the city
council didn’t back
down as a result of
patriotism or shame
for their actions.
No, they backed down
when their almighty
dollar was
threatened to be
taken away.
People of strong
convictions? Not
hardly.
Shame on these
people, they have no
business calling
themselves
Americans. No one
will need to remind
me not to visit any
part of this
country. I’ll
remember on my own,
thank you.
I’m using my freedom
of speech to make a
statement such as
this.
