Beginning on September 12, 2001 I looked at our national will and overall support for our military with great pride and a sigh of relief that we would never, it appeared, return to the politics of the 60’s and 70’s. A time when the men and women of our nation, who so honorable served our country, were pointed out as the villains in the conflict in Vietnam. A time when even some of our national and local politicians were taking sides with the hate mongers who despised our service men and women. Musicians, entertainers, and actors stood in line to condemn our military in Vietnam, an actress took it upon herself to go to Hanoi and show solidarity with the North Vietnamese while we had men fighting and dying in South Vietnam as well as prisoners of War being held within miles of her show boating for the cameras. This was also a time when is was not safe for a man or women in uniform to enter some university and college campuses with running a risk of being verbal harassed and in some documented cases, physically abused.
Today as 35-40 years ago, we are beginning to see the vocal abuse of our military men and women, an overt disdain for what they represent and their service to our Country. During the past few years the dislike of our military men and women and what they represent has been covered by an apparent, dishonest, and disingenuous phrase “we support our troops but not the war in Iraq”. I am not here to make a statement on whether we should or should not have gone to war with Iraq, but I am here to make a LOUD statement that politics and the hate mongering of a political few needs to be stopped by you and I. We must unite, regardless of our political convictions, to stop our political figures from emboldening what is today a very loud and yet small group of people who are determined to undermine the vary foundations of our freedoms that provide them with the ability to dissent. Without our brave and honorable service men and women who have fought so bravely and have offered their lives so we have a country where dissent is possible, the very issue that allows anyone to dissent would not be guaranteed today if this political movement where to succeed. Plainly and bluntly, there would be no military and therefore no way to insure our freedoms.
Within the past 6 months the City of San Francisco denied the Marine Corp a permit to film a commercial on the streets of San Francisco because a vocal few on the city council are opposed to the idea that every American has the right to decided what to support and how to support. By attempting to place a muzzle on the Marine Corp. they have alienated many of us who have proudly served our country and proudly serve our country today. Now we have the City of Berkeley, telling the Marine Corp to stop recruiting in the City of Berkeley and to close their recruiting office in Berkeley. To aggravate the situation even more, this same city council by the same 8-1 vote has provided the protest group Code Pink, parking space in front of the recruiting office once a week for six months and a free sound permit for protesting once a week. We as citizens of this country, regardless of our political beliefs, must stand up to these groups and let them know that we do not appreciate a few, making decisions for the majority. My friends, if we do not get angry with this type of political tactic, if we do not stand up for the rights of ALL Americans, and if we do not stand up and honor our brave and honorable men and women who serve in our armed services, then we will wake up on day and realize that we have let the Greatest Nation in the history of the World become a nation run by a few for the benefit of a few.
I ask each of you to send a note to your local media outlets, state representative, national representatives, and tell them we have had enough of politicians and political parties showing utter disrespect for the men and women who serve in our military today and those who have served since the founding of this nation. I also ask that you cc: vbagley@projectweremember.org on each email sent so that we can show the world on our web site that most Americans DO NOT agree with the City of Berkeley and that MOST Americans support our troops and our country in time of peace and in time of war. Congresswoman Barbara Lee represents the 9th District of California and if you wish to contact her the website is http://lee.house.gov/.
Thank you for your support of our troops and Project “We Remember”.
Vernon Bagley
Executive Director
Military Families Foundation, Inc.
BERKELEY, Calif. — Local officials in this liberal city say it's time for the U.S. Marines to move out.
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 this 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 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.
Marine Capt. Richard Lund of the recruiting office declined comment on the council action.
The recruiting office opened in Berkeley about a year ago, operating quietly until about four months ago when Code Pink began regular sidewalk protests.
"I believe in the Code Pink cause. The Marines don't belong here, they shouldn't have come here, and they should leave," said Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates.