Reposted, with permission, from Leaning Straightt Up.

The Berkleey Recruiting Office story is heating up.  If you recall, this story started earlier this month when Code Pink vandalized a Marine Corps Officer Recruitment station in Berkeley. 

Via Sister Toldjah:

The “pro-peace” (uh huh) movement strikes again   

(CBS) BERKELEY Marine Captain Richard Lund recruits college students and graduates as candidates for officer positions in the marines. But carrying out that job in Berkeley is not always an easy task.  

He has listened to a variety of complaints from members of the anti-war group Code Pink in recent weeks.  

“We are so shocked and horrified that the Marines have come to Berkeley to prey on our children,” said Zanne Joi, a Code Pink member.  

Last week, the Code Pink group protested by defacing the recruiting center and calling the recruiters liars.  

…  

The Marines did receive a couple of visitors who approve of their presence.  

“It seems to me by trying to shut down recruiting on or near college campuses, you’re really violating the principles of free speech. And I find that repugnant,” said Berkeley resident Nancy Klein. “But we have to be a little bit crazy here, it’s kind of our persona.”  

Yeah, that’s for sure.  

The Recruiter fought back with a well written letter, which I will post below.  

Lund wrote this letter to Code Pink after they defaced the recruiting office.  

If you want to see unhinged peace activists, Gateway Pundit has photos of their accomplishments.  

Now, the story continues with dueling protesters:  

Supporters, protesters wage a war of words over Berkeley recruiting station  

Dozens of flag-waving military supporters squared off boisterously with peace activists Wednesday in the first major showdown over a U.S. Marine Corps recruiting station that until recently had been operating below the radar in downtown Berkeley.  

Demonstrators led by conservative radio talk-show host Melanie Morgan shouted down members of Code Pink, a group created by Bay Area women, and other peace and social justice groups. The two sides stood on Shattuck Avenue near Addison Street just outside the recruiting station, which was closed Wednesday  

Shortly before noon, there was some pushing and shoving between at least two people, which prompted Berkeley police Sgt. Randy Files to bellow at the anti-war protesters to “move back,” forcing them to gather across the street.  

“I determined for everyone’s safety to separate the two groups,” Files said.  

Several police officers stood watch, including Berkeley Police Chief Doug Hambleton at one point. There were no arrests, but one protester affiliated with the group The World Can’t Wait was cited for burning an American flag, in violation of a city law banning possession of flaming substances in public. The World Can’t Wait is opposed to President Bush’s policies and wants him out of office.  

I would never have expected Berkley to arrest someone for a burning flag.  

Some demonstrators squared off individually.  

“None of us is pro-war! I’m pro-defense,” Kevin Graves, 50, of Discovery Bay shouted at one protester. Graves, whose son Army Spc. Joseph Graves was killed in Baghdad in July 2006, continued, “My son died so you and I can stand here and disagree.”  

In an interview, Graves said, “I think they’re misguided,” referring to Code Pink.  

But David Santos, 15, of Oakland, said the conservative element was on the wrong side of the issue.  

“They represent the social base that’s giving rise to this imperialistic war. Their so-called patriotic attitude,” he said, “just shows their blatant disregard for humanity and what the flag stands for. The very fact that they’re holding it up is enough for us to be out here.”  

Sweet kid.  Holding a flag=bad.  

Georgann Seavey, 63, of San Ramon said she was a flight attendant who shuttled troops back and forth from Vietnam.  

“I just don’t want to go down that road again, where they’re disrespected,” she said. “We need to support the troops.” Asked for her thoughts on Code Pink, Seavey demurred, saying, “I don’t want to give them any publicity.”  

But a pink-clad Carly Hue, 26, of Berkeley said, “I think you can’t make sense out of people who don’t make sense. You can’t talk to people who won’t listen.”  

Medea Benjamin, a co-founder of Code Pink, said members plan to return to the recruiting station each week to protest. “We feel that it’s our obligation because of this war to shut down the recruiting station,” she said.  

Nothing like a futile gesture towards people who are just doing their job.  

Then again, the city is listening (via Michelle Malkin):  

Meanwhile, the city government of Berkeley continues to wage war on the recruitment center:  

“It’s very unfortunate that they opened a recruitment office in Berkeley,” said City Councilmember Linda Maio. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for this town. I don’t think it reflects the sentiments of the citizens.”  

The City Council plans to voice its disapproval of the center’s mission through its Peace and Justice Commission, which is spearheading a proposal to make Berkeley a sanctuary for officers who choose not to serve in the Iraq conflict, meaning the city would not assist in locating or prosecuting war resisters.  

…  

The proposal reaffirms a year-old city resolution in support of Ehren Watada, an Army First Lieutenant who refused to deploy to Iraq may face a court martial.  

…  

Despite the opposition, the center has no plans to relocate, said head recruiter and Marine Capt. Richard Lund.  

“I think the vast majority of people understand that my mission of helping college students become Marine Corps officers is not somehow driven by the conflict in Iraq,” he said. “This office was functioning before the war and it will continue to function long after the war.”  

Lund said he chose to move the Marine Recruiting Center from its previous location in Alameda in order to be close to UC Berkeley.  

 Here is the letter from Lund:  

An Open Letter to Code Pink
 

While the protest that you staged in front of my office on Wednesday, Sept. 26th, was an exercise of your constitutional rights, the messages that you left behind were insulting, untrue, and ultimately misdirected. Additionally, from the comments quoted in the Berkeley Daily Planet article, it is clear that you have no idea what it is that I do here. Given that I was unaware of your planned protest, I was unable to contest your claims in person, so I will therefore address them here.  

First, a little bit about who I am: I am a Marine captain with over eight years of service as a commissioned officer. I flew transport helicopters for most of my time in the Marine Corps before requesting orders to come here. Currently, I am the officer selection officer for the northern Bay Area. My job is to recruit, interview, screen, and evaluate college students and college graduates that show an interest in becoming officers in the Marine Corps. Once they’ve committed to pursuing this program, I help them apply, and if selected, I help them prepare for the rigors of Officer Candidate School and for the challenges of life as a Marine officer. To be eligible for my programs, you have to be either a full-time college student or a college graduate. I don’t pull anyone out of school, and high school students are not eligible.  

I moved my office to Berkeley in December of last year. Previously, it was located in an old federal building in Alameda. That building was due to be torn down and I had to find a new location. I choose our new site because of its proximity to UC Berkeley and to the BART station. Most of the candidates in my program either go to Cal or to one of the schools in San Francisco, the East Bay, or the North Bay. Logistically, the Shattuck Square location was the most convenient for them.  

Next, you claim that I lie. I have never, and will never, lie to any individual that shows an interest in my programs. I am upfront with everything that is involved at every step of the way and I go out of my way to ensure that they know what to expect when they apply. I tell them that this is not an easy path. I tell them that leading Marines requires a great deal of self-sacrifice. I tell them that, should they succeed in their quest to become a Marine officer, they will almost certainly go to Iraq. In the future, if you plan to attack my integrity, please have the courtesy to explain to me specifically the instances in which you think that I lied.  

Next, scrawled across the doorway to my office, you wrote, “Recruiters are Traitors.” Please explain this one. How exactly am I a traitor? Was I a traitor when I joined the Marine Corps all those years ago? Is every Marine, therefore, a traitor? Was I a traitor during my two stints in Iraq? Was I a traitor when I was delivering humanitarian aid to the victims of the tsunami in Sumatra? Or do you only consider me a traitor while I am on this job? The fact is, recruitment is and always has been a part of maintaining any military organization. In fact, recruitment is a necessity of any large organization. Large corporations have employees that recruit full-time. Even you, I’m sure, must expend some effort to recruit for Code Pink. So what, exactly, is it that makes me a traitor?  

The fact is this: any independent nation must maintain a military (or be allied with those who do) to ensure the safety and security of its citizens. Regardless of what your opinions are of the current administration or the current conflict in Iraq, the U.S. military will be needed again in the future. If your counter-recruitment efforts are ultimately successful, who will defend us if we are directly attacked again as we were at Pearl Harbor? Who would respond if a future terrorist attack targets the Golden Gate Bridge, the BART system, or the UC Berkeley clock tower? And, to address the most hypocritical stance that your organization takes on its website, where would the peace keeping force come from that you advocate sending to Darfur?  

Finally, I believe that your efforts in protesting my office are misdirected. I agree that your stated goals of peace and social justice are worthy ones. War is a terrible thing that should only be undertaken in the most dire, extreme, and necessary of circumstances. However, war is made by politicians. The conflict in Iraq was ordered by the president and authorized by Congress. They are the ones who have the power to change the policy in Iraq, not members of the military. We execute policy to the best of our ability and to the best of our human capacity. Protesting in front of my office may be an easy way to get your organization in the headlines of local papers, but it doesn’t further any of your stated goals.  

To conclude, I don’t consider myself a “recruiter.” I am a Marine who happens to be on recruiting duty. As such, I conduct myself in accordance with our core values of honor, courage, and commitment. I will never sacrifice my honor by lying to anyone that walks into my office. I will never forsake the courage that it takes to restrain myself in the face of insulting and libelous labels like liar and traitor. And, most importantly, I will never waver from my commitment to helping individuals who desire to serve their country as officers in the Marine Corps.  

Ooh-Rah!  

Trackback URL for this post:
http://peacethugs.com/wp-trackback.php?p=14

Categories: Berkeley, CA, assaults on recruiters
Tags: