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Berkeley and the Marine Corp

The Berkeley city council (also known as the Stalin Youth Corp) recently passed a resolution condemning and opposing the US Marine Corp, for among other things:

"WHEREAS, the United States has a history of launching illegal, immoral and unprovoked wars of aggression and the Bush Administration launched the most recent of those wars in Iraq and is threatening the possibility of war in Iran; and

WHEREAS, the people of the City of Berkeley have long voiced their stand for peace and against unnecessary wars; and support people following their consciences to do what is morally and ethically right to resist illegitimate authority; and

WHEREAS, the United States Marine Corps is being used as one of the means of perpetrating and prolonging illegal, unconstitutional and unnecessary wars of the United States; and

WHEREAS, military recruiters are sales people known to lie to and seduce minors and young adults into contracting themselves into military service with false promises regarding jobs, job training, education and other benefits; and..."
Berkeley is asking the US Marine Corp recruiting office to leave Berkeley.

These claims are of course utter nonsense:

1) note that progressives/socialists are again calling people they disagree with, "liars". Apparently progressives are incapable of understanding that it's possible for rational, well-intentioned people to disagree without resorting to name-calling or for the other party to be a liar, scoundrel, or thief.

2) The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are constitutional and legal under both US law and international law - no international law or treaty requires the US (or any country) to subordinate its use of the military to any third party, including the UN. Under the US Constitution, the President has sole and exclusive command of the military, subject to funding by Congress - and in point of fact, Congress specifically authorized and continues to authorize both the Iraq and Afghanistan missions. Immoral and unnecessary are a matter of opinion, one in which Berkeleyites are in a small minority.

I have some advice for the Marines. When the big San Francisco earthquake hits, and Berkeley is beseiged by rioters, and the dead line the streets, I think the Marines should heed Berkeley's call and stay out. Berkeley neither needs nor wants you.

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