Skip to comments.

Posted on 03/15/2008 6:00:36 PM PDT by RedRover

Jon Stewart: One of the downsides of having an all-volunteer military is that you need people to volunteer. It’s not usually a huge problem, you just have to ask nicely. But some people don’t want to hear the question. Rob Riggle has more.

Rob Riggle (VO): The United States Marine Corps has fought in countless battles over the years. From Iowa Jima to Khe Sanh to the Battle of Fallujah. But today the Corps faces its toughest fight yet.

Tape, Berkeley City Council meeting (woman): The Marines ought to have better sense than to come here.

Rob Riggle (VO): Yes, the Marines dared to rent office space and open a recruiting center in Berkeley, California. I headed to the front lines to get the story. Not only as a reporter but as a veteran of the Marines.

Man on the street interviewee: Berkeley is a bastion of liberal thought and the Marines are just the opposite.

Man on the street interviewee # 2: I kind of felt probably like the Iraqis felt, like we were being occupied here in Berkeley.

Rob Riggle (VO): He’s right. The two are practically indistinguishable.

That’s Berkeley. That’s Iraq.

Berkeley. Iraq.

Not sure.

Berkeley.

The city fought back and hit the Marines hard…with a resolution telling them to leave.

To earn the trust of the locals, I had to blend in.

Bob Meola, Berkeley Peace and Justice Commissioner (studio interview): I don’t know a good use of the Marines in my lifetime. And what is offensive about Marine recruiters in Berkeley is the fact that they are recruiting people for mass murder. They are here to out-front recruit people into their killing machine that’s perpetrating educational institutions…

Rob Riggle: Excuse me, Bob. (Leaves set.) Whooooo-aaargh!!! Hippies! Boards! Hi-yaaaaaaaa! (Karate kicks boards and calms down. Returns to interview.) Sorry, I had to go cool out for a minute.

Bob: Oh, what happened?

Rob Riggle: My buzz. It was getting a little wrecked, know what I mean?

Bob: Right on. So that Marine train people to kill people. The Marines are not a moral influence and…

Rob Riggle: Excuse me, Bob, I hate to do this again. I’ve got to excuse myself…[Crashing through wall] Hippies! Hippies! Aoooorgh!

Rob Riggle (VO): With this amoral force refusing to live their stripmall desk, Berkeley enlisted its own fighting force.

[Protesters outside recruiting center, singing:] We are hugging, we are hugging for a peaceful world!

Rob Riggle (VO): Code Pink! You may remember them from Operation Annoy Senator Feinstein.

[Voice:] Waterboarding is torture!

Rob Riggle (VO): Or Operation Yell At George Bush Doll.

Rob Riggle (VO): And who can forget Operation Senate Interrupt?

But their tactics in Berkeley may be their most innovative yet. They called it, Don’t Enlist, Stay and Kiss. I called it, Shock and Awe.

Code Pinker # 1: It is our responsibility as the public to shut this station down, to shut this recruiting station down.

Code Pinker # 2: Code Pink stands for free speech.

Code Pinker # 1: It is very important to protect free speech and so we clearly have the right to be here.

Rob Riggle: If only there was an organization that was sworn to defend that free speech.

Code Pinker # 1: That would be great.

Rob Riggle: That would be outstanding, right?

Rob Riggle (VO): Why can’t these Marines see that they have no right to be recruiting troops on US soil?

Code Pinker # 3: The Marines…we don’t need to be worrying about their rights. It’s not an equal relationship.

Rob Riggle (VO): That’s obvious. Any giant-handed Constitutional scholar will tell you that.

Code Pinker # 1: Wars in general would stop if we didn’t have weapons just like violence on our streets would stop if we didn’t have weapons.

Rob Riggle: So if we got rid of police we wouldn’t have crime?

Code Pinker # 1:Potentially.

Rob Riggle (VO): It just makes sense. If they can shut down this recruiting center, it will become yet another of Berkeley’s famous Crepes A Go Go. And world peace will be at hand.

Bob Meola: Well, just think if we had a Department of Peace, it could reach down into every community talking about peace studies and conflict resolution

Rob Riggle: Sounds like a magical place, man.

Bob: Um...

Rob Riggle: Oh, I’m sorry, you think that could be a real place?

Bob: Yeah!

Rob Riggle: Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you were totally kidding.

Bob: No.

Rob Riggle: Oh, I’m embarrassed.

Rob Riggle (VO): With the Marines refusing to leave, giving Code Pink the last word was the least I could do.

Code Pinker # 3: This is Berkeley, the most peace-loving city…

Code Pinker # 4: US out of Iraq!

Rob Riggle (VO): Really, you’re interrupting your own interview?

Semper Fi, Code Pink. Semper Fi.

LOL!!! Perfect synopsis. Yes, that was classic, clueless, Code Pink. I loved this part, too:

To earn the trust of the locals, I had to blend in. - Nice shades, dude.

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.