Talk Radio Mobilizes Public Against Anti-Troops Berkeley

ENERGIZED

Talk Radio Responds To Berkeley's Anti-Troops Hatred





*** UPDATE: Kooks Up The Ante ***


An anti-troops hate movement in Berkeley is fueling a powerful counter- protest effort in the Bay Area and beyond, with talk radio once again leading the way. The firestorm is now so intense that it threatens to overshadow discussions of Super Tuesday's mega- presidential primaries.

Berkeley's anti- American resolution against the troops was tailor- made for a political backlash. In fact, it's so loaded with extreme "progressive" rhetoric that one could almost wonder if conservative hosts themselves had written it:

(Oakland Tribune- Doug Oakley) BERKELEY — 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, with Gordon Wozniak, Betty Olds and Kriss Worthington dissenting, to tell the 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."

It also voted 7-2, with Wozniak and Olds dissenting, to explore enforcing its law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation against the Marines and to encourage the women's peace group Code Pink to protest in front of the station.

In a separate item, the council voted 8-1 to give Code Pink a designated parking space in front of the recruiting station once a week for six months and a free sound permit for protesting once a week from noon to 4 p.m.

Councilman Gordon Wozniak opposed both items.

The Marines have been in Berkeley for a little more than a year, having moved from Alameda in December 2006. For about the past four months, Code Pink has been 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," Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates said after votes were cast.

A Marines representative did not respond to requests for comment.The resolution telling the Marines they are unwelcome and directing the city attorney to explore issues of sexual orientation discrimination was brought to the council by the city's Peace and Justice commission.

The recommendation to give Code Pink a parking space for protesting and a free sound permit was brought by council members Linda Maio and Max Anderson.

Jumping right into the fray was KSFO / San Francisco's Lee Rodgers and Melanie Morgan, who denounced the council's action. In particular, Morgan's Move America Forward organization has utilized Berkeley's anti- American move to call attention to local extremism, issuing statements and planning counter- protests:

“It is disgraceful that in the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement, anti-military activists would attempt to silence the same military men and women who serve this country and give their lives to protect the free speech rights of all Americans, including these ungrateful and despicable people on the Berkeley City Council,” said Melanie Morgan, Chairman of Move America Forward.

The actions by the Berkeley City Council followed continuous protests by Code Pink and other anti-military organizations that vandalized and defaced the U.S. Marine Recruiting Center in September 2007.

One of the two resolutions passed by the Berkeley City Council last night granted a parking spot in front of the Marine Recruiting Center to be used by anti-military activists to harass Marine recruiters. The anti-military activists would not need to apply for a sound permit for the next six months – allowing them free reign to disrupt the day-to-day operations by the Marines.

Move America Forward organized a counter-protest in support of the Marines last October that attracted over 400 pro-troop supporters who stood in solidarity of the Marine Recruiting Center.

“We have hundreds of thousands of military men and women serving honorably overseas to protect our freedoms. Imagine how they feel when they go to turn on the news and see that they are being stabbed in the back by shameful people here at home, it’s disgraceful!” said Catherine Moy, Executive Director of Move America Forward.

Berkeley's off-the-rails hatred has also enraged the blogosphere and the Drudge Report is also highlighting the story today. Thanks to the uproar, lawmakers are taking notice. Today, US Senator Jim DeMint (R- South Carolina) is poised to introduce legislation that will strip Berkeley of more than two million dollars in planned federal spending:

(Fox News) WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., says the City of Berkeley, Calif., no longer deserves federal money.

DeMint was angered after learning that the Berkeley City Council voted this week to tell the U.S. Marine Corps to remove its recruiting station from the city's downtown.

"This is a slap in the face to all brave service men and women and their families," DeMint said in a prepared statement. "The First Amendment gives the City of Berkeley the right to be idiotic, but from now on they should do it with their own money."

"If the city can’t show respect for the Marines that have fought, bled and died for their freedom, Berkeley should not be receiving special taxpayer-funded handouts," he added.

If the Bay Area's anti- American extremists continue to push this ugly hate movement, there's no doubt the topic could completely dominate talk radio discussions after Super Tuesday. Keep it up, guys.


FOR New England regional talk radio updates, see our other site.

Your Amazon orders that begin with clicks here, regardless of what you ultimately purchase, help to further this site's efforts.

Support this site: please contribute at the Honor System box to the right. Thanks again!


Technorati tags: talk radio code pink code pinkos berkeley anti-troops resolution move america forward ksfo melanie morgan lee rodgers berkeley hates the troops berkeley anti-american