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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

“We’ve Served This Nation to Protect the Rights of Ingrates Like You!”

posted by on February 26 at 13:55 PM

When the Berkeley City Council stupidly approved a measure stating Marine recruiters were unwelcome in the city limits, the shit, predictably, hit the fan.

And when the council then rescinded the vote, but made a point of refusing to apologize, the shit hit the fan all over again.

This is the result of all that shit hitting all those fans, currently airing on Fox News:

RSS icon Comments

1

Well, I predict this will lead to an immediate Republican tide sweeping away the Berkeley City Council.

In thirty or forty years.

Posted by NapoleonXIV | February 26, 2008 2:26 PM
2

believe what you will about the current war, Berkeley stepped over the line on this one.

ddv

Posted by ddv | February 26, 2008 2:38 PM
3

@1 - more like 400 years.

Posted by Will in Seattle | February 26, 2008 2:39 PM
4

Speaking of weird stereotypes... Berkeley is actually probably one of the most uptight cities in America. It's like Lydon, WA, but for "activists".

Posted by Dougsf | February 26, 2008 2:40 PM
5

Whoops, meant to spell Lyndon.

Posted by Dougsf | February 26, 2008 2:42 PM
6

Lynden.

Posted by NapoleonXIV | February 26, 2008 2:45 PM
7

How did Berkeley disrespect the troops? I thought that they just objected to recruiting more troops for the war effort.

Posted by AKgrl | February 26, 2008 2:45 PM
8

Yeah, I hate the war and the move towards hard core militarism we have taken as a nation over the past generation but Berkely did kinda go too far.

On the other hand my hometown high school decided that the military recruiters could no longer hang out in the halls to grab passing students to enlist between classes. Instead they have the indignity of having to stay in the counsulor's office (like they did when I was in high school) and wait for students to come in to see them on their own accord. I think this story in Berkely may have more to it than the ad shows.

Park High School, Livingston Montana: Supporting TERROR !!!!!

Posted by Andrew | February 26, 2008 2:47 PM
9

to AKgrl@7

they called the marines "uninvited intruders", i'd say that is a bit disrespectful considering what the corps has done for our country and countries around the world for decades....

Posted by ddv | February 26, 2008 2:50 PM
10

Go berkeley! Marine recruiters are annoying assholes. Talk about being harassed. I started a petition to get them banned at my high-school. Berkeley didn't go too far. The government and military go too far with how low their willing to stoop to recruit new blood.

Posted by Lee | February 26, 2008 2:52 PM
11

@9, like rape underage girls on our military bases in Japan? Wait that was the Navy...

Posted by Huh? | February 26, 2008 2:53 PM
12

Why is it, mono-browed ingrates like this always pull out the "if it weren't for our sacrifice, you wouldn't have these rights" canard immediately upon hearing that someone has actually had the temerity to exercise those same rights?

I mean, if you DIDN'T want people to exercise their Constitutional Rights, what the FUCK were you-all fighting for in the first place?

Posted by COMTE | February 26, 2008 2:57 PM
13

COMTE~

are you suggesting that the Marines (or any military branch) is the same as a vacuum salesmen or some other type of solicitation?

I'm also not sure which of the "same rights" Berkeley is trying to exercise. Can you please clarify for me?

Posted by ??? | February 26, 2008 3:03 PM
14

If it weren't for the You-nite-ed States Marines, the People of the People's Republic of Berkeley would be speaking German!

USA! USA! USA!

Amen.

Posted by NapoleonXIV | February 26, 2008 3:05 PM
15

Doesn't have a goddamn thing to do with "our troops." The resolution was about banning recruiters - who can be pretty damn aggressive.

Look...I'm all for Dairy Queen, OK? But I don't want to be hassled in parking lots or at school with, "You look like a person who could use a milk shake, " or, "Ever think about having a strawberry sundae?" "Cmon, don't be a wuss. Come with us to Dairy Queen and we'll give you money for college and get you in shape!"

Posted by Bauhaus | February 26, 2008 3:08 PM
16

@14, Uh, why would the "People's Republic of Berkely" that you imply to be Communist speak German, which implies Germany would have won WWII, and since Germany was not a Communist state....your comment does not compute.

Posted by Andrew | February 26, 2008 3:09 PM
17

So this Marine is taking a piss at a baseball game, and a little boy at the urinal next to him says "Hey mister, thats a neat hat you have!" and the Marine says "Want to wear it?" and the kid says "Would I?!" So he puts on the Marine's hat and then looks into the urinal on the other side and says "Hey, mister, that's a HUGE cock you have!" The man says "Want to suck it?"

The kid says "Oh! No! I'm just borrowing this hat!"

Posted by elenchos | February 26, 2008 3:10 PM
18

Most of the people that whine about the troops and how we need to respect them never served.

And we did used to speak German.

Posted by Will in Seattle | February 26, 2008 3:10 PM
19

@17, OMG!!! HA HA HA!! And True, all Marines are bottoms; I have yet to meet a Marine that was a top.

Posted by HA HA HA | February 26, 2008 3:18 PM
20

Doesn't seem like Berkeley is down with freedom of choice. For shame.

Posted by Jason Josephes | February 26, 2008 3:25 PM
21

this is how berkeley clings to their ever-fading relevance in the "culture war." all they've accomplished is giving bill o'reilly yet another reason to spring out of bed in the morning.

Posted by brandon | February 26, 2008 3:26 PM
22

#6 - thank you, I was getting there.

Posted by Dougsf | February 26, 2008 3:28 PM
23

@13:

Well, Eisenhower didn't call it "the military-industrial complex" just for shits and giggles, now did he?

As for "which rights", I believe "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" would be the applicable ones in this particular instance.

Posted by COMTE | February 26, 2008 3:31 PM
24

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!

GO RUMSFELD!

Posted by markinthepark | February 26, 2008 3:35 PM
25

It is not progressive to ban potential employers from talking to potential employees.

Period.

It's a restriction of speech and it is paternalistic.

Berkely would do better to have schools that teach the real history of US forces and foreign policy including progressive concepts like following unjust orders is a crime.

And if you think the entire US military is a crime, then you need to go get a gun and revolt instead of banning recruiters and writing on blogs and other equivocal cowardly actions that don't change fundamentals.

Posted by unPC | February 26, 2008 3:40 PM
26

The military could be thought of as a tobacco company. "When used as directed, it CAN lead to death." What's so romantic about dying in wars that didn't need to happen in the first place?
The only wars that were fought for OUR rights is the Revolutionary war/war of 1812 and the civil war(against slavery and secession). Berkley has nothing to be ashamed of.

Posted by backdaFup | February 26, 2008 3:45 PM
27

I've got a friend who's a Marine veteran, including a tour in Iraq.

He just about shit bricks when I directed him to Major General Smedley Butler's more

Apparently, the Marines give their recruits a rather limited overview of the history of the man they consider their patron saint.

Posted by NapoleonXIV | February 26, 2008 3:46 PM
28
Posted by NapoleonXIV | February 26, 2008 3:48 PM
29

I hate this war as much as the next libtard. But banning recruiting from any city is going too far. Keeping them out of public schools? Sure. I served 8 years in the military, and actually did a brief stint in a recruiting office. They can be very aggressive and put a lot of pressure on people. And I don't think that belongs in a high school. But banning them from an entire city isn't a protest against this particular war. It is a statement that we don't need a military at all, and refuse to have anything to do with it. Which is ridiculous.

Posted by Reverse Polarity | February 26, 2008 3:49 PM
30

i always thought the whole idea is that you tolerate people you disagree with and not restrict their freedom. when you start banning people or kicking groups out, you're legitimizing the idea that only people that we "agree" with can have the right to free speech.

i mean, if berkley can get rid of the marine recruiters, can we lock up all those green peace fanatics on the ave, too?

Posted by some dude | February 26, 2008 3:50 PM
31

Oh puhleeze.


The US military doesn't have anything to do with protecting our rights and freedoms, quite the opposite.


Their job is to murder people on behalf of sociopaths, profit-seeking warmongers, and "defense" industry CEOs.


They happily follow every illegal, amoral, evil order that George W Bush can think of while serving a government that has shredded the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The only honorable thing to do would be to resign and they don't even have the basic integrity to do that.


Fuck 'em.

Posted by Truth Hurts | February 26, 2008 3:56 PM
32

Go Bears!

Posted by kebabs | February 26, 2008 4:22 PM
33

Some Dude, "all those green peace fanatics on the ave" are not trying to manipulate kids into risking their lives to assist with the continued American occupation of Iraq.

Potential recruits should be given legal representation to make sure they're actually getting into what some recruiter told them they are getting into.

This isn't a new vacuum cleaner they're signing up for; they're signing away their lives. And we all know damned well that what they're told by recruiters doesn't always fit with reality. Until we hold recruiters accountable for their actions, I don't think we should let them do any recruiting in Seattle, either.

Good for Berkley.

Posted by Phil M | February 26, 2008 4:33 PM
34

The marines wouldn't be anywhere if it weren't for the innovations in technology that are devised at the US public universities, so they should just shut the fuck up.

It's like the American Legion getting all high and mighty on their crazy rants. The only reason people join it is because they don't quailify for the VFW, and they had no life after they got home from their military service. Like that old fart who was babbling. He's probably got the biggest tab at the local American Legion post.

Posted by The troops work for us , not the other way around | February 26, 2008 4:56 PM
35

those three folks they dredged up at the end of the video are a pathetic looking lot. The young guy looked like he might be the type to climb a clock-tower and start gunning down coeds

Posted by tco | February 26, 2008 5:40 PM
36

What, do we have to start giving them free blowjobs too?

Posted by Big Sven | February 26, 2008 8:01 PM
37

Saying that marine recruiters are unwelcome in the city is asinine and counterproductive. However, this thought shall not be construed as supportive of marine recruiters, who are dicks.

Furthermore, the US as often as not sends troops overseas to take away others' rights; I suppose that counts as 'protecting' ours? Our rights are protected by courts, public votes, police, and sheer cussedness, not necessarily in that order.

Posted by Greg | February 26, 2008 11:14 PM
38

Restricting recruiting in places like Berkeley ensures that the military is filled with fundamentalist retards and that the officer corps consists entirely of graduates from Texas A&M.

I can't imagine something more counterproductive.

Posted by MHD | February 27, 2008 10:00 AM
39

Re: 31

Either you're a troll, or you know absolutely nothing about the Constitution and the military. You criticize the military for obeying Bush's orders and then you complain about shredding the Constitution? Well, guess what, dickhead: the Constitution says that the President is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. If the military, en masse, were to refuse to obey Bush's legal orders, that would constitute a military coup. Is that really what you want? Talk about shredding the Constitution...

To those of you who think the military doesn't do anything to protect you, you are idiots. I'm just as opposed to the war as any of you are (and with better reason, since my friends are over there risking their lives and I could be sent myself, although I haven't been deployed yet). But if this country didn't have any way of defending itself, what do you think would happen to it? Reading about the history of the Mongol conquests is a good way to learn what happens to wealthy nations that can't defend themselves.

Posted by Marya | February 27, 2008 6:36 PM
40

I'm all for us defending ourselves. But we don't need to defend everyone else, and we don't need to spend as much doing it.

Europe is richer than we are, as is Asia. Let them take care of themselves. Cut the military budget down to that of some reasonable country, and let's spend some money on our country.

Posted by catalina vel-duray | February 27, 2008 7:09 PM
41

#40 -- I have no problem with the notion that we should pursue a more isolationist foreign policy. I just get annoyed with people who deny that the military does anything useful, and people who don't understand the difference between supporting the President and supporting the troops who are required by the Constitution to obey him.

Posted by Marya | February 28, 2008 8:09 AM

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