Posted on 02/01/2008 7:55:54 PM PST by SmithL
BERKELEY - As the right-wing blogosphere railed and a U.S. senator vowed financial retaliation against the Berkeley City Council for its effort to boot the Marine Corps out of town, three anti-war protesters ratcheted up pressure from the left by chaining themselves Friday to the front door of the downtown Marine recruiting office.
The demonstrators snapped their locks shut at 7 a.m. and spent the next 7 1/2 hours blocking the door, waving and chanting as hundreds of cars driving by honked in support. Finally, at 2:30 p.m., police snipped the 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.
The demonstrators promptly said they would keep protesting outside the recruiting station at 64 Shattuck Square until the Marines leave Berkeley - which is what the City Council advised the service to do in a vote Tuesday night that called the Marines "unwelcome intruders."
The council also voted to allow members of Code Pink, the protest group that helped organize Friday's blockade, to park at a designated space in front of the recruiting office every Wednesday afternoon and operate a loudspeaker.
The council's action apparently made Berkeley the first city in the nation to call for the ouster of a military recruiting station from its borders.
"We made really great statements by blocking the door," said one of the three blockaders, 64-year-old Mary Ann Thomas of Oakland. "It's time we became more articulate about what we're doing."
Conservative bloggers and Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., also believed more articulation is necessary - from the opposite political spectrum.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
How about ten thousand? On maneuvers! >Bo)
I like your description. Fits the lice to a tee.
Sometimes I wish the draft would come back to able to teach some of the younger pinkos some manners.
Semper Fidelis
I'm sure there will be some good replies to accompany your witty remark.
I’m old and I’m tired, but for the first time in my life I really want to be in Berkeley. There was a short time in my life when I was one commie killin mofo.
They had to get their quota of tickets written first. Writing tickets makes them money, protecting property rights, the right to come and go, costs them money.
Love your screen name. Chesty Puller, a Marine’s Marine.
Semper Fi! (P.S. Thank you for your service to our country.)
It would be real unfortunate if a bee hive was accidentally dropped in front of chained up hippies.
And Mayor Bates is an piece of carp.
http://www.cityofberkeley.info/mayor/PR/webrelease2008-0201.htm
How is chaining yourself up like an organ grinder monkey in any way "articulate"?
“And Mayor Bates is an piece of carp.”
he swims with the fishes
Get thyselves to Move America Forward dot org, and sign the petition!
http://petition.moveamericaforward.org/Berkeley2008.asp
You need to fill out the entire form, and they ask you for name, e-mail addy, street address and phone number, for it to register, and you may have trouble submitting the first time, but keep trying.
You have to wonder what the police etc would do if the same tactics were done in front of an abortion clinic?
Can someone transfer these people with their chains to Gitmo and have them handcuffed to some jihadist?
I wish I knew who that black guy with the dark glasses is. I would like to send him an email thanking him for showing the hippy-dippy leftover 60’s scum of San Francisco that not all Americans are cowardly ingrates who hate and disrespect the very same brave men and women who are putting their lives on the line every day far from home and family in the hard places of the world to protect the freedom and safety of far lesser men who lack the courage, manhood, character, and will to defend themselves.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.