The moonbats are upping the ante and pouring gallons of fresh fuel on their anti-military fire in Berkeley. Following on the heels of the Berkeley City Council’s move to grant them special parking privileges and free sound permits to protest the Marine recruiting center, Code Pinkos held a mock debate at the recruitment office. Medea Benjamin gloated (via Daily Cal):

A local activist group drew a crowd of 50 onlookers yesterday when they staged a mock debate against a military recruiting office in Downtown Berkeley.

Although conservative radio talk show host Melanie Morgan was originally scheduled to participate, she was ultimately replaced by a member of activist group Code Pink pretending to espouse conservative views.

Issues ranged from the congressional race between Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan to the military presence in Berkeley.

“We are the defenders of democracy, the upholders of the Constitution,” said Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Code Pink. “If it weren’t for people like the people in Berkeley, standing up for what they believe, we’d be living under Hitler.”

A few e-mailers wonder if a pro-life group should apply for parking privileges and free sound permits in order to protest outside one of Berkeley’s abortion clinics.

Anyone up for a constitutional challenge? Maybe it’s time for some public interest law firms to join the American Legion and Sen. DeMint in the growing backlash.

One Berkeley City Councilwoman now says she’s “ashamed” of her vote. Idiot:

The vote to award the Code Pink parking spot was 8-1, and the condemnation resolution was 6-3. On Thursday, the polarized emotions that went into those votes had not abated.

“I’m ashamed of my vote,” said Councilwoman Betty Olds, who helped approve the parking spot but not the condemnation. “The protesters should have free speech – this is where Free Speech was born, after all – but to tell the Marines they are not welcome is shameful. If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t even go for the parking spot.”

The Berkeley Daily Planet reports on the one dissenter who voted against awarding the parking spot to Code Pink:

The question of dedicating space—a parking space—for Code Pink’s weekly demonstrations in front of the downtown Berkeley Marine Recruiting Center (MRC) raised hackles at Tuesday night’s Berkeley City Council meeting, when Councilmember Gordon Wozniak likened the demonstrations there to protests at abortion clinics.

“There’s a line between protesting and harassing,” Wozniak said, referring to possible harassment of recruits.

Wozniak was the lone vote in opposition to a resolution authored by Councilmembers Linda Maio and Max Anderson designating a parking space in front of the recruiting center for the demonstrators from noon to 4 p.m. every Wednesday for six months.

The dedicated parking space “is showing favoritism to one side of the argument,” Wozniak said, adding, “My concern is giving a parking space in front of the Marine Recruiting Center seems confrontational.”

While Dori Schmidt, whose husband owns The Berkeley Review, a test preparation business above the MRC, told the council that the demonstrations disrupt the business with their noise, other public speakers supported the parking space designation.

“It’s not favoritism,” said PhoeBe Sorgen, a member of Code Pink and the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Social Justice Committee. Rather, it’s following the Berkeley “tradition to stand up for peace,” she said.

More:

The debate follows Tuesday’s City Council decision to grant Code Pink a parking spot in front of the military recruitment center on Shattuck Avenue, facilitating the ongoing protests. Another resolution passed by the City Council directed the city manager to send a letter to the U.S. Marine Corps informing them that they are “uninvited and unwelcome intruders” in Berkeley. PhoeBe sorgen, a Code Pink activist and member of the city’s Peace and Justice Commission, said the resolutions were supportive of the group’s continued resistance and showed the city was taking an official stand against the center. Code Pink has staged protests against the center on Shattuck every Wednesday since Sept. 26.

At the debate, local activists and Code Pink members also promoted a proposed initiative for the November elections that would require the center to obtain a special use permit to remain in Berkeley. Yesterday’s debate was only one of many steps to remove the recruitment center from Berkeley, Joi said. “We’ll be here as long as they’re here,” she said.

Decent citizens of Berkeley, speak now or forever hold your peace.

This stain is going to be indelible.

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Contact info:

Mayor – Tom Bates

2180 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA 94704

Email: [email protected]

TEL: (510) 981-7100

FAX: (510) 981-7199

TDD: (510) 981-6903

Office Hours: Mon-Fri 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS

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Linda Maio

Phone: (510) 981-7110

FAX: (510) 981-7111

Email: [email protected]

Darryl Moore

Phone: (510) 981-7120

Email: [email protected]

Maxwell Anderson

Phone: (510) 981-7130

Email: [email protected]

Dona Spring

Phone: (510) 981-7140

Email: [email protected]

Laurie Capitelli

Phone: (510) 981-7150

Email: [email protected]

Betty Olds

Phone: (510) 981-7160

Email: [email protected]

Kriss Worthington

Phone: (510) 981-7170

Email: [email protected]

Gordon Wozniak

Phone: (510) 981-7180

Email: [email protected]

City Auditor

Ann Marie

TEL: (510) 981-6750, TDD: (510) 981-6903

Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm

Email: [email protected]

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An e-mail from a recruiter:

I am a recruiter in the GA Army National Guard. I just read your story on Berkeley and am at a loss for words. As a successful recruiter in Athens, GA, I want to tell you thanks for exposing this horrible city, and that although it seems to be a disease spreading throughout the country, I have had positive experiences in my area. In fact, most of my soldiers have come through the high schools that I recruit for. Hopefully some of the “big brass” will do the right thing and cut federal funds to the city. Again thanks and keep up the good work.