Or so implores the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of Code Pink — a fringe Chicks-for-Peace group. (Has anyone found Women for War?) They, along with the Berkeley City Council*, are heading the effort to rid this Bay Area hotbed of pointless activism of its Marine recruiters.
Military recruiting has long been a target of the San Francisco-hippee-hey-dayers, longing for their misspent youth, plus a large number of younger wannabes — all lunatic-fringers just the same. This is just the latest move in a game of vanity veiled as activism. In downtown Berkeley, it’s about who can outdo whom on the Absurd-O-Meter.
Oddly, it’s also about denying the Marine Corps its right to maintain an office on Shattuck Square and denying young adults access to information and restricting their free choice. “My rights trump your rights” is alive and well. Live in the Bay Area and one begins to understand that brand of activism. Again, we digress.
So, our friends at Code Pink pretty much encourage people to harass the Marines within the law. Here’s the plan for the Feb. 14 Kiss-In:
” ‘Stay & Kiss, Don’t Enlist — then EVERYBODY Makes out!’ Bring a partner or just BE THERE! Join Vee and Travis today and every Friday this year for a Kiss-In for Peace as part of our How Berkeley Can U BE actions in front of the Marine Recruiting Station. Make-out for two hours in front of the Marine Recruiting Station and tell them — and the nation — THIS is what we want in Berkeley, NOT soldiers!”
Dude! As a more daily reminder of what’s really important, Pinkers encourage you to go to the recruiting station before or after hours and chalk the sidewalk with your message — but watch out for the “young, angry white male [who] has taken it upon himself to try to erase our chalk messages — he comes by around 5-5:30pm on his way to the suburbs.” He’s white, male and lives in the ‘burbs — obviously he can’t be trusted.
In the tradition of lemons and lemonade, we see opportunity outside the Marines’ door. Our guess is the Kiss-In could attract qualified prospects (recruiting, not romantic) for the officer selection officer and any recruiter. Our Chicks-for-Peace might be onto something, and hopefully our studs and sirens in uniform will make the most of this love fest.
When in Rome …
*The city council seems officially to have backed down somewhat amid threats of funding cuts from both Sacramento and Washington. We’ll watch that wolf in sheep’s clothing.