The Corn Beltway Boys

The Iraq war causes just about as much verbal and political conflict as the combat itself, albeit without the risk of life or the sacrifice of service to one’s country. Right or wrong, good or bad, the soldiers fight and the citizens bitch. Freedom doesn’t mean fair, because if it did the Marine Corp wouldn’t have to put up with this type of crap:

Berkeley council tells Marines to leave

Hey-hey, ho-ho, the Marines in Berkeley have got to go.

That’s the message from the Berkeley City Council, which voted 6-3 Tuesday night to tell the U.S. Marines that its Shattuck Avenue recruiting station “is not welcome in the city, and if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome intruders.”

In addition, the council voted to explore enforcing its law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation against the Marines because of the military’s don’t ask, don’t tell policy. And it officially encouraged the women’s peace group Code Pink to impede the work of the Marines in the city by protesting in front of the station.

“I believe in the Code Pink cause. The Marines don’t belong here, they shouldn’t have come here, and they should leave,” said Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates after votes were cast.

Ninety-year-old Fran Rachel, a Code Pink protester who spoke at the council meeting, said the group’s request for a parking space and noise permit was especially important because the Marines are recruiting soldiers who may die in an unjust war.

“This is very serious,” Rachel said. “This isn’t a game; it’s mass murder. There’s a sickness of silence of people not speaking out against the war. We have to do this.”

It’s a sickness alright and it’s called Californication.

Here’s my bitch with this story. They are protesting against the Marines but the real issue is truly the war in Iraq, because you can bet your sweet ass that if Berekely was invaded they’d want to hear more Ooh-rah and little less George Micheal. Somehow I don’t think tossing DVDs from the first season box set of Will & Grace is going to slow militant intruders.

You can hate the war. Fine. By all means hate it. I hate it. I hate war. My distinction is that I sometimes believe war IS the answer. Sometimes you have to make war then love. Freedom of speech gives everyone a voice even when the rest of us would prefer they remain mute, but don’t protest the armed forces. Get a fucking clue.

I can only wonder how the Berkeley city council would react if a local resident proposed an ordinance calling for the removal of a gay bar? Hell, remove the word ‘Marines’ from the Berkeley proposal and insert any number of other minorities; how progressive do they look then? Ironically while looking to ‘explore enforcing its law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation against the Marines because of the military’s don’t ask, don’t tell policy’ Berkeley ends up discriminating against the Marines. Stealing the First Amendment rights from a group that fights to protect our rights. I can only conclude that Berkeley banned common sense decades ago.

Pass the duct tape…