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Mayor to Marines: Leave downtown - He says urban exercises scare people
Toledo Blade ^

Posted on 02/09/2008 5:54:38 AM PST by Sub-Driver

Mayor to Marines: Leave downtown He says urban exercises scare people

By JC REINDL BLADE STAFF WRITER

A company of Marine Corps Reservists received a cold send-off from downtown Toledo yesterday by order of Mayor Carty Finkbeiner.

The 200 members of Company A, 1st Battalion, 24th Marines, based in Grand Rapids, Mich., planned to spend their weekend engaged in urban patrol exercises on the streets of downtown as well as inside the mostly vacant Madison Building, 607 Madison Ave.

Toledo police knew days in advance about their plans for a three-day exercise. Yet somehow the memo never made it to Mayor Finkbeiner, who ordered the Marines out yesterday afternoon just minutes before their buses were to arrive.

"The mayor asked them to leave because they frighten people," said Brian Schwartz, the mayor's spokesman.

"He did not want them practicing and drilling in a highly visible area."

So after a brief stop at a friendly base in Perrysburg Township, the Marines by early evening were back on their way home to Grand Rapids.

"I wish they would have told us this four hours ago," Staff Sgt. Andre Davis said.

Sergeant Davis, who traveled ahead of the five-bus convoy, stepped from his vehicle into downtown about 3:20 p.m. and was told by a city employee that the mayor wanted him and his soldiers packed up and out by 6 p.m.

Members of the 1st Battalion, 24th Marines have trained periodically in downtown Toledo since at least 2004 and most recently in May, 2006.

(Excerpt) Read more at toledoblade.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Ohio
KEYWORDS: finkbeiner; holytoledo; marines; toledo; training; urban; urbanwarfare
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To: Crim

Yes, and thankfully you and some other cheerleaders of Military Law Enforcement(the potential of) of our streets are not allowed to repeal posse comitatus.


81 posted on 02/09/2008 8:48:05 AM PST by sit-rep
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To: Sub-Driver

Mayor Finkbeiner:

I cannot believe that you sent the US Marine Corps packing and would not allow them off their bus. This training, which was arranged beforehand btw, could have saved lives. Is this how you treat America’s Finest?! Perhaps you should move to Berkeley, you would fit in there better. One would have thought that you would have learned something from mistakes made recently there. Or are you doing this for the attention? Sir, you are a treasonous traitor that does not deserve to hold office. The USMC are always faithful and will cover your sorry behind from terrorists foreign and domestic regardless of your stupidity and hatefulness. People like you do our enemy proud. I hope that you are proud of yourself in knowing that you have deprived Marines of training and have put their lives at risk.

Sincerely,

Renée Brunner Houser
Proud Mother of a Marine


82 posted on 02/09/2008 8:55:09 AM PST by Enough_Deceit (Proud Mama of a US Marine! Ooorahh!)
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To: sit-rep

O K—YOU are one of those that sent TOP GUN to Fallon, Nevada (incidence of Cancer= 20%)
You want Marines to leave Pendleton so developers can have it—and there will be continuous city from the Grapevine Pass to Tijuana.
Your Pelosi took the Presidio away and sold it to George Lucas.
The BRAC also closed NTC-San Diego. The city polticians promised that Lindberg Field would be expanded. Eighty per cent of it went to local developer Corky McMillan, who buit a development titled, “Liberty Village”, and is in the flight path for departures from Lindberg Field and is 3 story Condos and shops.


83 posted on 02/09/2008 8:59:15 AM PST by radar101
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To: Sub-Driver
The Marines are welcome in my town! They don't scare me!!!

What a bunch of idiots to say such dumb things about the very people who protect our sorry butts day in and day out.

You have to be pretty miserable to sit around thinking up things like this to worry about.

84 posted on 02/09/2008 9:04:07 AM PST by kcvl
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Comment #85 Removed by Moderator

To: don-o
who reports to P.I. on June 30!

...God Bless him. May he be safe and sound, honor his God, Family, Country and the Corps.

dang blurry screen. Let us know how he does. Have his friends and family write often...... and if your son has a sense of humor, take pictures of some goats, sheep, pigs, cows and dogs.... and tell him that they miss him....

His DI will make him "share" that with his brothers...hahahahahahahahaha...dang funniest thing that ever happened.

86 posted on 02/09/2008 9:11:24 AM PST by Dick Vomer (liberals suck....... but it depends on what your definition of the word "suck" is.,)
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To: Crim; Admin Moderator
NO profanity, NO personal attacks, NO racism or violence in posts.

Did not know Free Republic has fallin to this. But hey! I may deserve it because I do not think the Military should be doing exercises in are city streets...

87 posted on 02/09/2008 9:11:47 AM PST by sit-rep
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To: sit-rep

are = our


88 posted on 02/09/2008 9:12:14 AM PST by sit-rep
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To: radar101

No one ever said anything about closing bases. Your reaching tells me you have no ammo in your magazines.

Military training does not belong in our cities. There are more than enough bases arounf the country that have adequate structural capabilities.


89 posted on 02/09/2008 9:15:44 AM PST by sit-rep
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To: radar101
This was posted to me on another thread...

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/call/call_96-7_part6.htm

90 posted on 02/09/2008 9:23:08 AM PST by sit-rep
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To: sit-rep

Typical.

Run for help.

Little nark type punk...mouthing off then hiding behind someone else...

You and the Mayor have much in common...

Bet you had to look up felcher too....LMAO....


91 posted on 02/09/2008 9:24:49 AM PST by Crim (Dont frak with the Zeitgeist....)
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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy
Personally, if I was going to direct a military urban warfare training exercise, I would want it as far as possible away from civilians, to protect my personnel from unpredictable civilian idiots who might do heaven knows what.

With all due respect, that's just the wrong way to look at this. You play like you practice and you practice like you play..... In war, especially urban guerilla warfare, there are innumerable variables presented that the planners haven't thought our in advance. After proper training of basic combat, you are placed in STRESSFUL environments that you can control somewhat.... like a city. There is nothing like moving through a city to show you how hard it is to "move through a city" .

The men that have returned, and officers, have informed the Marine leadership the tales of operations in the field. With the experiences that they have, plus dedication, discipline and hard work...you can develop a force that will hopefully have fire discipline, adaptability of maneuvers and tactics, logistic info (how much fuel, ammo, supplies you need per day/hour/week in an urban environment)

The only way to do this is to do it in the field.... it also shows the captain, lieutenant, major or whatever how to deal with civilian authorities.

This mayor has actually screwed with the Marine grunts but has really helped the commanding officers learn about the importance of "attention to detail" in that the chain of command of the city needed to be up to speed.

Just like going into a South/Central American village or any village/city/ you have to deal with the "big chiefs" in order to move safely in and out of their area. This shows respect, gives you a heads up about who really is in charge (in case you've got to kill him) and can provide insight on the physical layout of the place you're going to sweep, destroy, search or whatever.

So in spite of this pussy mayor of Toledo thinking he was screwing with the Marines, a smart Marine will take this as a lesson learned and move on and adapt.

........... I'd still like to stick a 10 1/2 so far up his keister that his nose bleeds.

92 posted on 02/09/2008 9:26:42 AM PST by Dick Vomer (liberals suck....... but it depends on what your definition of the word "suck" is.,)
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To: Sub-Driver

This guy is somewhat of a loose cannon - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carty_Finkbeiner


93 posted on 02/09/2008 9:27:44 AM PST by Old Professer (The critic writes with rapier pen, dips it twice, and writes again.)
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To: sit-rep; Squantos

see my post 92...


94 posted on 02/09/2008 9:35:14 AM PST by Dick Vomer (liberals suck....... but it depends on what your definition of the word "suck" is.,)
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To: don-o

John M talks a good game about our war effort but you just wait and see. Good luck to all our troops even if John gets elected. This man turns quicker than pancakes.I am sorry but John will not get my vote.


95 posted on 02/09/2008 9:47:08 AM PST by VaRepublican (I would propagate tag lines but I don't know how...)
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To: Old Professer

Thanks for the link! These two were good:

....”Finkbeiner was the focus of a segment on the Daily Show poking fun at statements he made suggesting that Toledo could be the next Hollywood. During the interview, Carty expressed his ideas while the camera fixated on Toledo’s most rundown neighborhoods, contrasting them with the glitz and glamor of Hollywood. The segment aired during the 1997-98 season. “....

....”Finkbeiner suggested relieving the problem of noise complaints from neighbors of Toledo Express Airport by selling homes nearby at low cost to deaf people.”.....


96 posted on 02/09/2008 9:50:46 AM PST by Girlene
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To: mass55th

Think about what you are saying here man...

Paint me a realistic picture of a battle in one of our cities! You think it is going to be as easy as the Marines waltzing in, setting up a perimeter on one building down town and them stopping the militants? Has Iraq taught you nothing about this urban warfare issue?

This threat had better be stopped well before it has time to entrench and grow, otherwise you’ll have a absolute blood bath on your hands. What do you think they will do? Call in sorties and laser guide munitions on the Merrill Lynch building on 4th street because of the Snipers all over the place. I think not.

Response for the other thread...

How would you handle mass evacuations from a city?

Be realistic. Sending in a company of Marines to plar war games in a city is not going to do sqwat but get the masses used to seeing it. It’s got to be stopped before muslims get in and set up shop, and this is NOT the job of the Marines. Intimidating the enemy with their presence is NOT going to work.

Seriously, think about it real hard...


97 posted on 02/09/2008 9:51:32 AM PST by sit-rep
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To: Dick Vomer

In addition to post 97, I’d like to add that it is my hopes that the Marines already know what this takes in regard to logistics. They had better already know.


98 posted on 02/09/2008 9:56:47 AM PST by sit-rep
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To: sit-rep

The Marines think training in an urban setting is an appropriate way to achieve urban training.

A liberal mayor and an anonymous FRiberal think the Marines are just playing and scaring people.

I think I’ll take The Marines’ word for it.


99 posted on 02/09/2008 10:07:03 AM PST by LilAngel (FReeping on a cell phone is like making Christmas dinner in an Easy Bake Oven)
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To: Squantos

Good Idea


100 posted on 02/09/2008 10:07:41 AM PST by OPS4 (Ops4 God Bless America!)
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