Semper Fi Act
Bill # H.R.5222
Original Sponsor:
John Campbell (R-CA 48th)
About This Legislation:
To rescind funds appropriated by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008, for the City of Berkeley, California, and any entities located in such city, and to provide that such funds shall be transferred to the Operation and Maintenance, Marine Corps account of the Department of Defense for the purposes of recruiting.
Cosponsor Total: 82
(last sponsor added 02/14/200 
1 Democrats
81 Republicans
Status:
02/06/2008: Referred to the House Committee on Appropriations.
Amendment(s):
***NONE***
View the entire bill here:
semper-fi-act.pdf
Commentary:
On February 1, 2008, the Berkeley City Council permitted a protest of the war to be held in front of the Marine Corps recruting office. The protest consisted of far left-wingers and included the infamous organization Code Pink. Their objective, which is supported by the Berkeley City Council, was to run the Marine Corps out of town.
Berkeley City Council, which voted 6-3 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.”
The Contra Costa Times noted: 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. 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. The Marines have been in Berkeley for a little more than a year, having moved from Alameda in December of 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,” said Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates after votes were cast. An employee of a nearby business who asked not to be identified said Wednesday the elderly Code Pink protesters are aggressive, take up parking spaces, block the sidewalk with their yoga moves, smoke in the doorways, and are noisy. “Most of the people around here think they’re a joke,” the woman said.
The protesters chained themselves to the doors of the Marines Recruting office at 7am and it wasn’t until 7 1/2 hours later that the police snipped their chains and arrested them. Two of the three were cited for blocking a business and released, and the third was booked into jail on an unrelated traffic warrant, police said.
In the past, protesters have placed bloody hand-prints on the windows while calling our Marines such things as rapists and baby killers.This bill will cut off certain earmarks appropriated to the City of Berkeley. The funds rescinded will be awarded to the Marine Corps to help further their recruitment.
There are 81 Republicans cosponsoring this bill and only 1 Democrat. I hope this isn’t an indication of a hold-up in Congress. The Marines are tough and have stood up to much stronger groups than these. Let this be a lesson to any State across the Nation that we will fight back against unethical, immoral and outrageous behavior, such as the Berkeley City Council has exampled.
Click on the following link to view Mayor Tom Bates statement.
City of Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates Web Release
Related articles:
Michelle Malkin Special report: Tracing the Left’s escalating war on military recruiters
Some Earmarks for the City of Berkeley:
$87,000 - Berkeley Unified School District, for a nutrition education program
$94,000 - Berkeley, CA Public Safety Interoperability Program B
$735,000 - Berkeley/Albany Ferry Service
The following link is a complete list of Earmarks FY2008:
Earmarks FY2008
Filed under: Code Pink, Key Bills and Issues, Pork | Tagged: berkeley city council, bill, Code Pink, earmarks, marines, mayor tom bates, politics, Pork
[...] Ozymandias wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptBill # H.R.5222 Original Sponsor: John Campbell (R-CA 48th) [...]
jOIN THE BOYCOTT of california products at the- bring berkeley to its knees blog. the city council ignores the thousands of emails it has been sent, as liberals do. wines, fruits and vegatables represent a multi-billion dollar industry, with much of the money going to the berkeley area.