There's a lot to catch up on, and most of it is just annoying. Code Pink persists, and is making no headway, but yet they persist. They balance their lack of progress with statements CLAIMING progress.

Just last week a judge instructed the "Wailing Four" (Medea Benjamin, Toby Blome, Pam Bennett and Zanne Joi) to stay away from the building in which the USMC OSO is housed. They declared it a victory because they only have to stay 4 feet away -- not 30 feet or yards or whatever. Zanne Joi is quoted in the Berkeley Daily Planet as saying that it doesn't matter that they can't touch or stick things to or enter the building, because there are lots of other Code Pinkers to do that.... the arrogance is appalling. The story of the court date appeared in several progressive sources, with accounts based on the Code Pink press release and claiming unmitigated victory for the forces of "free speech". One source based an account on the facts of the case: http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_9709941?source=rss and the Berkeley Daily Planet was at least savvy enough to attribute all their information to Zanne Joi as quotes.

I'm sorry to have grown quiet. I'm just so tired of the manipulation and fibbing that the "anti-war" groups use in the service of what they think is a noble cause. If the ends justified the means they'd be out of several of the arguments they've made about the USMC OSO in Berkeley. Fortunately their positions are so many and so inconsistent that any action or reaction can be massaged into a show of support. Morally vacant. Pathethic.

I had a nice talk with someone this morning who was supportive of this effort - so this afternoon I wrote to one of the local newspaper people who have been covering this mess. Since no one showed up on Tuesday, I wanted her to have an idea of what happened. Also this morning I found a site called protestshooter.com that is pictures of events like this, but some local person. Anyway - here's today's letter:

"I went by the Marines' Office on Tuesday to see what kind of turn out they got for free food. While Code PINK publicity for the event may claim victory for the Pink Ladies, there was no food and ALL the students from Berkeley High who showed up were in support of the Marine's presence in Berkeley. Code Pink was a little confused to see them, but the students were polite (and hungry) and Code PINK really had nothing else to do, so there was some good discussion.... There are tons of pictures of the event on a site called protestshooter.com... though I think the point of those pictures was to document the non-event nature of the event.

Another person who showed up on Tuesday was the Berkeley City permit guy, who did not allow un-permitted activity, including standing in the street, blocking the sidewalk and distributing free food. His behavior was calm and professional for the entire time I was there, even when a Code PINK member yelled to Medea Benjamin from across the street that "the problem" was that "he's being a JERK!". Police on the scene also gently re-directed jaywalkers, enforced smoking bans and other city rules. I was really pleased to see Berkeley Police and Permit Department enforcing existing regulations, evenhandedly and firmly. (I hope they can do the same tomorrow when World Can't Wait! arrives to provoke them. A balanced, "neutral" but not passive police presence is crucial for dealing with WCW - a group that seeks out violence they can frame as brutality and arrests they can characterize as unjust).

It distressed me that Rebecca Lyman (CodePINK) tearfully cried harassment Tuesday night at the Berkeley City Council meeting. The gist of her remarks was that IF the Police were just following Berkeley laws, she'd like to see some flexibility in enforcement of those laws -- for Code PINK. I'd encourage you to find her statement from Tuesday night -- to see what constitutes harassment to her, and her friends. Rebeca Lyman also appears on YouTube accusing Marines of war crimes and various other things --- maybe she doesn't know what THAT means, either.

I'm writing you with additional information you might not have, because you and Doug Oakley have done such a good job covering this. If you are interested in talking to Pro-Marine High School students, email me and I'll direct you to my son and group. They are truly radical in the current context. I hadn't seen them in action until Tuesday, and was quite pleased at their ability to have discussions with Medea Benjamin et al without losing either their tempers or their senses of humor.

Thanks for helping to keep Berkeley accountable. It could be a full time job, but you seem to get a lot else done, too.

I posted this on a blog by Amy Proctor earlier, and then ended up at the site for a group called "Protest Warriers" which is pretty outrageous:

"I'm here in Berkeley with my family, living as ex-patriot Americans in the People's Republic. The City Council has gone mad, and their encouragement has now made it possible for World Can't Wait! to surplant Code PINK in front of the Recruiting Office.

World Can't Wait! as a group seems willing to be punched - so they can claim brutality, or arrested - so they can claim injustice. Despite the problem with the Berkeley Police mistaking "neutral" for "passive", my sympathy is with them. They are caught between the 60's and the Anarchists.

I would like to start a group (Berkeley Marine Sanctuary) for people who support the presence of the USMC in Berkeley. My goals are 1) to supply material aid to the Marines (cookies and handshakes seem to be appreciated), 2)to support the Police in enforcing existing laws to control the protesters or put them away, and 3)to start asking Berkeley's quiet people to speak up, so the Council doesn't mistake volume for numbers, next time. I can be contacted at a yahoo email address, berkeleymarinesanctuary (at) yahoo (dot) com.

I met Roger Young yesterday - retired career Army and dad of a Marine - he has now driven up from Orange County twice to be sure someone counter-protests the World Can't Wait! thugs. In honor of the loose law enforcement, I double-parked upstream of the water boarders and megaphones, to thank Roger for his presence in Berkeley, and to apologize for being home with a sick kid while he was out on the sidewalk. I asked him if he was hungry and he said folks had been bringing him food and coffee coupons all day (yay!), so he was "all set". When I told him I was from Berkley, he smiled and said "but you seem so NORMAL!"

How sad is that?"

I apologize for not writing sooner, but I have been using a lot of time just following the ongoing drama of Marines in Berkeley. I assume you all have been following, too, if only what's been on the news. At the risk of ruining the punchline of my story I will tell you right away that I wondered at 1am on Wednesday if I was out of a "job" because the Council backed down and admitted that the Marine Office had the right to be located in Berkeley.

Well, job security isn't really that great if its a job you don't want to be necessary...but it looks like we'll be here awhile longer.

I'm  going to put in some links to stuff I've found that I thought was particularly useful or descriptive concerning the demonstration on Tuesday and what has gone on since. Of course, if you are reading this you have the same capability to find those sources -- I would encourage anyone to try a Google search for "Berkeley vs. Marines" or "Code PINK vs. Marines" to see what you turn up.

In my opinion local papers have been more fair than I expected (I didn't expect much), with the best coverage from Doug Oakley of the San Jose Mercury News. The local television stations have been fascinated in their fashion, at 5:00am Tuesday there were 6 television trucks plus print journalists, etc. following a protest which at that time numbered about 50 people on each side of Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center Park. I was there, because I found out the night before that my college-aged daughter was coming by to drag my high school-aged son to the protest... so I got to do the right thing AND see my kids. The little guy was home with dad and we were back for breakfast before either one noticed.

The other assembled anti-war groups A.N.S.W.E.R. and World Can't Wait! almost made Code PINK look reasonable. That is the biggest condemnation I can give. There were people of goodwill on all sides, and there were people hellbent on getting attention by behaving badly, or in a shocking fashion - which is sometimes hard in Berkeley. Its not true that "all" the pro-troops demonstrators were from somewhere else, but some were and came amazing distances to be there. I'll try to add links to some stories. Its sad that Medea Benjamin of Code PINK can dismiss people who sacrificed so much to be here as "outsiders" instead of hearing something in the fact that they were committed to BEING HERE.

World Can't Wait recruited hundreds of high school students into their ranks at lunchtime using of a ploy Code PINK has condemned (when used by the military) --- FREE STUFF! It was sad to see hatred and vulgar language coming out of 15 year-olds who had just been given t-shirts and bandannas by World Can't Wait! in exchange for their participation -- during lunch and beyond. Next week I will have to ask the school what their policy is on the kids who were photographed while cutting school (right across the street) and shouting "1,2,3,4, We don't want your F***ing War!" at senior citizens who may also have been Veterans of Foreign Wars. I ran into my son and his friends at lunchtime, too.  A group later dismissed by an anti-war blogger as "short haired para-military youth." The blogger probably thought she was being open-minded and loving, because she didn't ACTUALLY call them neo-Nazi skinheads....My son does have short hair, and he did wear a shirt with a flag on it....so I guess that's proof that there's something sinister about him. Nice shirt, too - from the Jelly Belly Factory, with "Proud to Bean American" on it.

Some teachers brought their kids out to participate in the protest as well. Arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!   I've tried in the past to get teachers at Berkeley High to behave in a more professional manner and they don't see it. The worst ones cannot conceive of stifling their own opinions to the higher calling of behaving like an adult and creating a safe place for students to have their own opinions. When my daughter was at Berkeley High the issue was complying with Ed Code to put a flag in every classroom. The Superintendent of Schools and the Principal came down on the side of flags being an unnecessary expense and infringing on teachers' personal rights --- but put up the flags when money was threatened. Last year they proudly folded again under federal pressure to comply with the "Opt-Out" legislation attached to "No Child Left Behind" and again it was because money was threatened.  Berkeley was the last high school in the country to use an "Opt-In" strategy with military recruiters, "return this form if you want to be contacted", and by last year the Department of Defense had had enough arrogance and ended the stand-off with a single phone call. (Oh to have been a fly on the wall!!!) Berkeley is horrified that Sen DeMint has threatened to take our Earmarks - and now the State wants to take $3.3 in transportation money because the City ceded space on a public roadway to a private political group....well. There is a precedent. Its worth it if it works.

Oh wait, arrogance and unprofessional behavior...that reminds me. Berkeley City Council doesn't get it, either. Indeed, a large part of the communication I've had with the BCC in the past two weeks has been respectfully reminding them that while they are entitled to their personal opinions, they are pledged to perform objective public service. Gordon Wozniak is the only one who actually expressed that concept publically on Tuesday night, but Mr. Capitelli and Mrs. Olds actually do believe it. Of the rest, most don't get it but only Max Anderson actually seems to have a personal hatred of the military, based I think on his own experience (which I'll have to research). More than ever, its clear that our Mayor is clueless, which leads to his doing evil things without comprehension. The rest of them are just a waste, at least on this issue.