Support The USMC against Berkeley

dgriego

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Cita

 I am trying very hard to bite my tongue, as I'm pretty incensed reading this thread.

Have those of you bashing Berkeley ever visited the town? Have those of you bashing the school spent any time at all on campus? Met any of the professors or, better yet, the students?

Berkeley is an excellent school with some truly brilliant professors and students. The town is most definitely eccentric with all sorts of radicals (both liberal and conservative), but I find it quite charming and a welcome sight in a country that is filled with so many nameless suburban towns that are indistinguishable from all the rest. Berkeley at least has character, and while you are welcome to disagree with the general "feel" of the town, it is as far from a homogeneous population as I can imagine!

UC Berkeley was my #2 choice school, I have about 15 close friends who have gone there for undergrad or grad work, and I have had the privilege of working with a couple of professors from Berkeley. Of all of those, only about 5 would really be considered "liberal," and only 2 were ever "activists" of any sort. (One was a human rights advocate who now does a lot of pro bono civil rights law and the other was an environmentalist who showed her "radicalism" by organizing tree planting groups in local communities. Yep, sounds like a terrorist to me.)

I understand completely being angry at a city's political decisions, ordinances, or political leaders. But please, please, please take it easy on the stereotypes and entire city-bashing. Please?

Same thing holds for France. They have many beautiful things, and make delicious cheese, therefore they're a-okay with me.  

How about Pepperdine Univ., now school down at the beach would be fun!  But, no I wouldn't consider visiting Berkeley, not even for a free trip.  Does Howard Zinn stop by often?

My wife is filling up my daughters head with pipe dreams of NYU and I am animately opposed!

BTW some of those tree-huggers are indeed terrorists.  Have you heard of tree spiking? 

I have heard France is really coming around of late...the new guy is pretty good from what I understand, very pro USA.  However, that is another place I would never visit, not even with a free ticket.  They can keep their wine and cheese too, I would rather go Italian.

CC

dgriego

but I have been there and when I went it was as a US Military member and I and those I was with were treated very poorly. I had policemen tell me to f off and die when all I was doing was asking them for directions to my hotel, had cab drivers drive away once we spoke and they realized we were American and almost everyone outside of the normal tourist spots was downright rude and made no attempt to hide their disdain of Americans,

How odd...when I visited, I was treated very kindly indeed. Funny how that works out...given some of the things said...one has to wonder if it's all in the delivery. The ONLY rude behavior I was treated to view in Europe, was delivered by Americans.

I have spent a lot of time in Europe, as a child and as a grown up due to military..............France is not a very friendly place to visit for US citizens which I find to be a major insult to all those who gave their lives and their families during two major wars......and the ones who are still serving in Europe.

Cita

I have about 15 close friends who have gone there for undergrad or grad work, and I have had the privilege of working with a couple of professors from Berkeley. Of all of those, only about 5 would really be considered "liberal," and only 2 were ever "activists" of any sort. (One was a human rights advocate who now does a lot of pro bono civil rights law and the other was an environmentalist who showed her "radicalism" by organizing tree planting groups in local communities.

cc431

BTW some of those tree-huggers are indeed terrorists.  Have you heard of tree spiking? 

Are you actually insinuating that my close friend is a terrorist who spikes trees?? So wanting to improve local air quality by planting trees in public parks and parking lots not only makes you a "tree-hugger" but a terrorist?

As for making sweeping, stereotypical, insulting, ignorant statements about a city you not only haven't visited, but would never visit... well, I think it says a lot more about the person making the statement than it does about the city itself. That's about as nicely as I can put it.

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I'm sorry to have run OT so much, I'm bowing out of this thread because I don't know if I can bite my tongue much longer.

CC, some of the things you have said are extremely insulting, and if you didn't intend them to be I suggest you attempt to rephrase your ideas. 

I think CC's quote was "some of those tree-huggers" are terrorists. That does not mean that your friend is one. as fpr sweeping, stereotyical, insulting and ignorant statements about the city, well for me the city of Berkeley has proved their colors enough times for me to know that until their goverment is changed and those colors change I would never spend my tax dollars there.

"""""The City of Berkeley, California has passed two resolutions attacking the United States Marine Corps, calling the Marines, “uninvited and unwelcome intruders in the city.”

The Berkeley City Council voted to condemn the Marines on Tuesday night (January 29th) as part of a campaign by anti-war activists to shut down a U.S. Marine Recruiting Center located in the city of Berkeley.

The votes by the Berkeley City Council were immediately condemned by Move America Forward (website: www.MoveAmericaForward.org), the nation’s largest grassroots pro-troop organization.

“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. """"""

 

So for me the city government has openly stepped out against the military, against the government, which makes them traitors to the country.

• Not only that but they have openly and with the power vested in them by their election, supported terrorism against the United States by supporting Code Pink and using their power as elected officials to provide free parking and to allow this group to forgo the normal permits required by any other protestor. In order to qualify for the free parking spot one must be an "anti war" protestor.
• If it is all about free speech then surely the pro Marine demonstrators should have access to the same free parking and the same waiver of permits in order to protest.

                     Anyway I cannot speak for CC, but for me I feel no remorse or sorrow for my attitude toward the city of    Berkeley, Ca. I do feel some for those who do not support these moves that happen to live there. I hope they protest and I hope they vote.

I love visiting Berkeley. The food there - divine. I went to high school near Berkeley and went there quite a bit to hang out. My husband and many of my best friends are graduates of UC Berkeley. It is a fun and funky place, and yes the city council loves the drama.

I don't condone defacing Marine Corp property or any acts of violence or destruction.

I won't get into my ideas on the military and the way it uses those who enlist. I admire people who are willing to devote themselves to service. I only wish the government were as dedicated to its soldiers as the soldiers are dedicated to our country.

Berkeley is one of the few cities in this country where far leftists get to speak up freely. I think we need cities like Berkeley.  

dgriego

I think CC's quote was "some of those tree-huggers" are terrorists. That does not mean that your friend is one.

Thank you.

cc431

How about Pepperdine Univ., now school down at the beach would be fun!

jenn52

Hey I went to Pepperdine. And yes it was lovely seeing the coast every morning walking to class. But I think I went to the beach more when I didn't live in Malibu...LOL! Kind of a boring campus town honestly. Nothing to add to the rest of the discussion, just saw Pepperdine and had to say I went there. Go Waves!

Nice!  Now to me that seems like a great place to go to school! 

Student talent:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalyan3/7451805

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalyan3/7451806/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jakes_shoebox/138821341/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jcather/1162032896/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kliu/318474827/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kliu/318465983/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andydr/14857619/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andydr/14857619/

And of course, the protesters always get upset with the counter-protestors:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andydr/3439549/in/set-86170/

What's funny sometimes is the counter-protesters will show up and the protesters have no clue they are counter-protesters.

CC.

PS: Cita, please don't take any of this as a personal insult directed at you or any of your friends.

Cita

 CC, I respectfully request that you consider editing your previous post, as I found it highly offensive (and I don't even go to Berkeley).

OK, I'll rephrase:  It would be my opinion the students of Berkeley are lacking in the mental capacity to think of this stuff of their own and probably get help from groups with a terroristic style approach like Code Pink.  The lack of mental capacity may come from the excessive use of drugs in the smokable form.

cc431

OK, I'll rephrase:  It would be my opinion the students of Berkeley are lacking in the mental capacity to think of this stuff of their own and probably get help from groups with a terroristic style approach like Code Pink.  The lack of mental capacity may come from the excessive use of drugs in the smokable form.

Unfortunately I missed your edited post but this HAS to be better.