Hind sight is always 20-20, but I have to wonder if Berkeley had an incling in what there inept city council step in when then voted to ban the Marine Recruiters. Not that it would have changed there mind - if there is one thing that Berkeley seems perfect comfortable with, it’s attacking American values.
Things are continuing to heat up.
A pre-dawn confrontation broke out this morning in Berkeley between peaceniks and pro military groups, more than 12 hours before the City Council considers to rescind its statement telling the U.S. Marines they’re unwelcome in this leftie town.
Police were forced to form a line between the two groups to keep them apart shortly after 6 a.m. at the park across Martin Luther King Jr. Way from old City Hall, where the City Council meets.
An hour and a half later, the shouting continued, but there had been no arrests, a police dispatcher said.
The Berkeley City Council tonight is scheduled to revisit the council’s Jan. 29 approval of a resolution calling the U.S. Marines’ recruiting office on Shattuck Avenue “uninvited and unwelcome intruders.” The vote was 6-3 in favor.
The 6-3 vote on that item caused a nationwide backlash against the city, prompting Republicans in Washington and Sacramento to introduce legislation to take away money for things like school lunches and police communications equipment.
I guess my only surprise here is find that Berkeley actually found more than 2 or 3 people to protest in support of the Marines. I can only hope they are sufficient to cost some of these city council members there seats.
But tonight, the city is likely to host the mother of all meetings in its recent history. Councilman Gordon Wozniak, who opposed the council’s actions two weeks ago on the recruiting station, said he received 26,000 e-mails on the subject in the past 10 days (24,000 supporting the Marines, 2,000 against), and he is just one of nine council members.
It is going to be a busy night in Berkeley. Between the Marine issue and another issue proposing restrictions on Pacific Steel they are expecting nearly 1,000 people - in a meeting hall which holds 123.
