Berkeley to Marines: You're 'not welcome...

[This_person]

Update:

WASHINGTON — The mayor of Berkeley, Calif., has issued an apology to servicemen and women serving in Iraq following a flap over a City Council vote that told the U.S Marine recruiting station there it should leave, and if it doesn't, is staying only as "uninvited and unwelcome intruders."

The apology follows the introduction this week of the Semper Fi Act of 2008, pushed by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., that would rescind more than $2 million in federal earmarks destined for Berkeley.

Following a public uproar, Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates argued Wednesday that the council's actions last week shouldn't be linked to federal money dedicated to schools and other services, according to tan San Jose Mercury News. Bates is a retired U.S. Army captain.

"There's really no correlation between federal funds for schools, water ferries and police communications systems and the council's actions, for God's sake," Bates said.​

Seems it's all fun and games until you're held accountable for your actions.

 

[vegmom]

Hmm...I wonder if the mayor approved of the council's actions? I mean really- a retired Army Captain? I'm the child of an Army Captain and I know my father would not get behind something so ludicris. As far as cutting off the Federal dollars, I say leave the School and Law Enforcement money alone, but the other stuff they had listed should be cut. Hell- I may be a liberal, but I'm full of Scottish genes too. The mere thought of wasteful spending makes me break out in hives.

 

[itsbob]

Hmm...I wonder if the mayor approved of the council's actions? I mean really- a retired Army Captain? I'm the child of an Army Captain and I know my father would not get behind something so ludicris. As far as cutting off the Federal dollars, I say leave the School and Law Enforcement money alone, but the other stuff they had listed should be cut. Hell- I may be a liberal, but I'm full of Scottish genes too. The mere thought of wasteful spending makes me break out in hives.

Being a retired Army Cpt, without knowing his background, there's no way of knowing.

He maybe a guy that had Uncle Sam pay for his education, and at the first chance claimed some kind of disability to get out with retirement benefits at the age of say 28 or 30?

CPT (Army) is an awful low rank to be retired at.. not saying that maybe he was wounded, but we don't know the whole story.

Of course another explanation could be he was enlisted for 15 years worked on his own time to earn a degree, than got commissioned late in life retiring at 20 years as a CPT..

Wonder which one it may have been?