Feb 12, 2008 3:00 pm US/Pacific
Berkeley Marines Stance Comes To A Head
BERKELEY (AP) ―
Dozens of protesters demonstrated outside City Hall Tuesday ahead of a planned debate by city officials on whether to soften their anti-recruitment stance toward the U.S. Marines.
The Berkeley City Council drew a deluge of criticism nationwide two weeks ago when it voted to send a letter to a downtown recruiting station advising the Marines they were not welcome and they would be considered "uninvited and unwelcome intruders" if they chose to stay.
On Tuesday, the council was scheduled to consider a second resolution put forward by two council members that would rescind the letter and draw a line between opposing the war in Iraq and "our respect and support for those serving in the armed forces."
"This is very personal," said Lonnie Piet, of Sacramento, who joined the pro-troop organization Move America Forward outside City Hall hours before the scheduled vote. Piet, whose son is a Marine, said he wants a personal apology from council members and anti-war group Code Pink.
"The Marines have the right to recruit anyone, anywhere," Piet said.
Move America Forward demonstrators waved flags and held signs including "Boycott Berkeley for Bashing Our Boys" and "Support our Troops."
On the other side, protesters with Code Pink held bouquets of flowers and waved signs saying "Peace Now" and "Bring Our Troops Home."
"We want to ask the Marines to not recruit in our community. The majority of citizens here are fervently against the war," said Code Pink protester Cynthia Papermaster, who has lived in Berkeley since 1965. "We're not against the Marines, but against what they're recruited to do."
The recruiting office opened in Berkeley in late 2006. It operated quietly until four months ago when Code Pink began holding regular protests.
The City Council's initial vote Jan. 29 outraged several lawmakers, who have threatened to withhold millions in state and federal money destined for Berkeley.
On Tuesday, more than 40 House Republican members asked President Bush to immediately rescind over $2 million in earmarks awarded to Berkeley.
The military does not "selectively defend our country, its people, or our freedom," the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Bush. "Therefore, we should not reward jurisdictions that selectively support our troops."
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
