Berkeley Chamber of Commerce To Honor Besieged USMC Recruiter at Annual Crab Feast - 02/28/08

Doctor Raoul learned this afternoon that the Berzerkistan (aka Berkeley) Chamber of Commerce is going to place a large thumb in the eye of the Revolutionary Communist Party and the Marxist Code Pink groups tomorrow, at the Chamber's annual Crab Feast fundraiser, by honoring the USMC recruiter in charge of the Berkeley recruiting center that has been targeted by these radical groups.

On the Berkeley Chamber website it is evident that Chamber members and leaders are not at all happy with the City government's actions against our military:

For any local or nearby Freepers interested in attending the Crab Feast - or Freeping outside, here are the particulars:

February 28th – Annual Crab Feed at La Quinta Inn
Goes GREEN for 2008!
All you can eat!

920 University Ave.
5:30 P.M. – 7:00 P.M.
Tickets $40. Purchase here.

As has been noted in several recent articles, Berkeley area businesses are bearing the financial fallout from the City government's unconstitutional decision to give Code Pink a permanent, free parking space in front of the recruiting center, as well as their decision refusing to apologize to the recruiters and refusing to rescind the special treatment they are giving the radicals.

Who do they regularly donate money to, politically, in their personal lives?

While I don't know the answer to that specific question, I did find this interesting link about the Berzerkistan Chamber of Commerce PAC going out of business. Most interesting in this article is this paragraph about who got donations from the CoC PAC:

In 2006, the PAC collected and spent more than $100,000 to defeat Measure J, the Landmarks Preservation Ordinance, to elect Mayor Tom Bates and to attempt to unseat Councilmembers Kriss Worthington and Dona Spring.

Perhaps some other local Freepers more knowledgeable about "who voted how" on the recruiting center debacle can tell us if Kriss Worthington and Dona Spring were the council members who spoke out against Mayor (Master) Bates' attempt to move Code Pink in and USMC out.

In fairness to new CoC CEO Garrett, this all happened before he took his position on the CoC. I may find something that shows him to be a committed lefty, too - but as yet I have not. Still looking...

The petition

We, the undersigned condemn the Berkeley City Council’s treasonous attack on US Marine Recruiters stationed in their city. We ask that Congress cut off funds from any and all municipal entity within the confines of the city of Berkeley, California, until such time as the city council withdraws it’s action.

The City Council has voted to tell the Marines their downtown recruiting station is not welcome and “if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome guests.”

The measure passed last week by a vote of 8-1.

The council also voted to explore enforcing a city anti-discrimination law, focusing on the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

In a separate item, the council voted, also 8-1, to give the Marxist protest group Code Pink a parking space in front of the recruiting office once a week for six months and a free sound permit for protesting once a week.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/cutoffberkeleynow

If you wish to, please share with your friends or e-mail to your address books. You DO NOT have to donate at the petition site, there will be a page asking for one for the site after you sign, just back out or exit. Your signature will already be on the petition.

http://www.fourfriedchickensandacoke.blogspot.com

" Perhaps some other local Freepers more knowledgeable about "who voted how" on the recruiting center debacle can tell us if Kriss Worthington and Dona Spring were the council members who spoke out against Mayor (Master) Bates' attempt to move Code Pink in and USMC out." - tgslTakoma

Mayor Tom Bates, Dona Spring, and Max Anderson have aligned themselves with Code Pink. In fact, Mayor Bates conspired with Code Pink on Jan 9, prior to the Jan 29 Council meeting, according to this letter to the editor to deliver what culminated into the Permit Waiver & Parking Space Designation for Code Pink. While Spring and Anderson did introduce the resolution, it is apparent that Mayor Bates had a hand in it.

Kriss Worthington joined Olds and Wozniak in opposing the section that called the Marines "unwelcome intruders." and he supported the other two parts of the Marine Corps resolution. Worthington spoke in favor of the Council issuing a formal apology to the U.S. Marines at the Feb 12 meeting, which didn't pass. The Council did not even vote on the question of apologizing, it was only discussed, Spring, Anderson and Bates objected to issuing an apology. At the Feb 26 Council meeting Worthington read his personal prepared statement of apology to the Marine Corps, his constituents, and the City of Berkeley. He seems thoroughly repentant imo. There's a video of him reading his apology on YouTube.com, but I can't find it in their search

Here you can access the "Berkeley City Council Video Page" where all agendas and meetings are archived.

Let's put this in perspective.

In the Public Relations field this is called Damage Control. Look how cost-effective it can be: (credit card ad analogy)

Decades of sedition and anti-Americanism. Price: Billions of dollars.

American Lives Lost and America besmirched by hippies. Cost: Hundreds, maybe thousands of lives.

Very publicly, take one of the victims of the very public persecution you have enabled to dinner and get out of economic embargo jail almost free! PRICELESS.

This gesture is a good thing but not enough, this is a drop in the bucket.

We have more Gold Star Parents than we need, we have less waterboarding than we need, because of Berkeley and this annual dinner isn't going to fix that.

It's time for Regime Change in Berkeley. If the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce is willing to work for that, I say LET THAT let that be the true test of where their loyalties are.

Beware FLATTERY

Psalm 5:9
My enemies cannot speak a truthful word.
Their deepest desire is to destroy others.
Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
Their tongues are filled with flattery.

Psalm 12:2
They speak vanity every one with his neighbour:
with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.

Proverbs 23:1-3
When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider who and what are before you;
For you will put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to desire.
Be not desirous of his dainties, for it is deceitful food [offered with questionable motives].

Proverbs 26:28
A lying tongue hates those it crushes,
And a flattering mouth works ruin.

Proverbs 29:5
A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet.

Thanks for the post, USMC Brat

At the Feb 26 Council meeting Worthington read his personal prepared statement of apology to the Marine Corps, his constituents, and the City of Berkeley. He seems thoroughly repentant imo.

There's a video of him reading his apology on YouTube.com, but I can't find it in their search

I couldn't find it on You Tube either, but it will be rebroadcast tomorrow (Sun Mar 2) Here

The link should go to the rebroadcast tomorrow at 9 am Western Real Time.

I think there may be some doubt as to his being thoroughly repentant.

Statement by Kriss Worthington:

Since I know all the members of the Berkeley City Council, I am certain they did not mean to insult our veterans, or the people risking their lives in the military today, or their friends, families, and supporters.[Disingenuous, pandering]
The councilmembers who voted for the original letter that caused the hurt feelings simply thought this was one more way to say no to an unpopular and illegal war. [Fighting to keep America free from terrorism is not illegal.]
Unfortunately this well-intentioned goal stumbled and bumped into a perception of insulting the reputation of the Marines and all the military. I believe it was an innocent accident, and no one intended this to be taken as an offensive insult to our veterans and our military.[No, most of the council offends and insults our veterans and our military]

We will see tomorrow as we watch the rerun. The whole meeting is over 6 hours long, bring popcorn.

Some of his actions show him to be unpatriotic, such as his Sponsoring This:

From: Councilmembers Worthington and Anderson
Recommendation: Send a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Diana Finley and Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion requesting that the government of Canada establish provisions to provide sanctuary for U.S. military service members who are living in Canada to resist fighting in the Iraq War.
Financial Implications: See report
Contact: Kriss Worthington, Councilmember, District 7, 981-7170

Asking Canada to give sanctuary to traitors.

On the positive side of Worthington:

Additionally, the City Council has an opportunity to turn the phrase "we support our veterans" into action. Local veterans used to meet in the Berkeley Veterans Building, but in recent years they have been told they cannot use their traditional space for seismic safety reasons.
Veterans learned that other people are now meeting in their traditional meeting space, and are currently seeking access for monthly veterans meetings.
...perhaps we can turn this trial into a triumph and show our local veterans we really do care and are willing to prove it through our actions.

Check This

Of course he kept his options open, and asked for "short term" use for Veterans.
I doubt other groups have that restriction.

Look who’s calling for the Marines now