Semper Fi Act of 2008

KTEN:

Today, U.S. Senators James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina), Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia), Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-Oklahoma), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and David Vitter (R-Louisiana) introduced the Semper Fi Act of 2008. The bill would rescind over $2 million in hidden earmarks for Berkeley, California in the 2008 Omnibus Appropriations bill, and transfer the funds to the Marine Corps. U.S. Congressman John Campbell (R-California) is introducing a companion bill in the House of Representatives.

...

One earmark provides $243,000 in taxpayer dollars for the organization Chez Panisse to create gourmet organic school lunches in the Berkeley School District. Chez Panisse is dedicated to "environmental harmony" and their menu features "Comté cheese soufflé with mâche salad," "Meyer lemon éclairs with huckleberry coulis," and "Chicory salad with creamy anchovy vinaigrette and olive toast."

...

Senator Cornyn: "The Berkeley City Council insulted our troops and offended people across the country. If the U.S. Marines are not good enough for Berkeley, neither are taxpayer dollars Congress would have sent there this year. That city closed its doors on the same individuals taking bullets on the front lines while fighting for the safety and freedom of families in Berkeley and throughout America."

...
This did not take long. Sen. Cornyn has a knack for bringing measures like this which are tough votes for some Democrats. It will be interesting to see if Sen. Obama votes present on this one or just skips it altogether. It is just another reason why Sen. Cornyn deserves reelection.

Comments

  1. scunnings9:21 AM

    My son is a Marine recruit. My wife and I are very proud of him.

    The Berkley city council is wrong and should be brought to task.

    But to retaliate against the city council by taking food from the mouths of children is repugnant and the sponsors of this bill should be ashamed.

    ReplyDelete
  2. angela11:52 AM

    I am appalled to read in the news today the idea of passing the
    Semper Fi Act of 2008. In the Constitution one of our rights as
    American citizens is the freedom of speech. No matter if the protest
    in Berkeley is agreed with or not, it is their right to express
    themselves and their opinions. Since when do we punish people for
    their right to protest?

    Also, taking away money from educational institutions will do more
    damage than good. I'm sure that not every single student, faculty
    member, and staff of Berkeley is participating in the protest, and
    therefore should not be punished. It almost sounds as though the
    government is trying to take away education in order to dumb-down the
    population and prevent protests such as this.

    This is unconstitutional.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Prariepundit12:03 PM

    The argument that this act somehow infringes on free speech is rather strange since the objective of the Berkley protest was to stop the free speech rights of Marine recruiters and the rights of young people to associate with them.

    Speech is still free, but it is not without consequences. It is Berkley's attempt to interfere with speech that has prompted the act. The Marine Corps is also a much more worthy cause for the expenditures anyway. It is not like the kids will go hungry without gourmet meals. What are they eating now? Perhaps we can send them some MREs, so they can have a better appreciation for what the Marines are doing for them.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Unknown1:26 PM

    As a Corporal in the Marine Corps Reserve I truly value our rights especially Freedom of Speech. I believe they do have their right to protest, but I do not believe our founding fathers wanted people to use their right of free speech to degrade the rights of others. I also do not believe that tax-payer dollars should be used for "gourmet meals" in public schools not only when there is a war on, but also when there are people still living in this nation without electricity and running water. This is a waste of good money that could be put to very good use in this country helping those in need. I hope that the people of Berkley as well as others learn something from this. Everyone has a right to EQUAL free speech no matter if you don't like what the other person is saying.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nicholas Provenzo7:47 PM

    >This is unconstitutional.

    Having a government body give preferential treatment to a private protest group's efforts to barricade a federal office is not free speech. In this case, it is a deliberate act aimed at thwarting a legitimate, non-political government body in performing its well-established mission and it plainly violates the spirit of the constitution.

    If different levels of government do not agree, it is an issue for the Courts, not the streets.

    ReplyDelete
  6. IrishAmerican2:34 AM

    We should invade Berkeley. It is a rogue city since it's attempting to subvert the mission of the United States military -- that is called treason.

    Imagine the extra space -- we could then build a new Marine Corps base on top of the ruins of Berkeley.

    Where will the displaced citizens of Berkeley go? Well, they're hippies and since hippies love nature so much they can build a commune in the woods. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Unknown9:58 AM

    Actually a good way to conteract this would be for the Marine Corps to bolster its prescence in Berkley. Send 30 Recruiters to that station., and at the same time donate MREs to the schools in lieu of their gourmet kiddie meals. Throughout our nation both Active Duty and Reserve Marines are deeply involved in our communities whether it be Toys For Tots, the Young Marines Program, and many other volunteer duties. Why don't we show the people there what we do when we are not kicking in doors and how we give back to American communities.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Unknown5:26 PM

    [i]Merv said:

    The argument that this act somehow infringes on free speech is rather strange since the objective of the Berkley protest was to stop the free speech rights of Marine recruiters and the rights of young people to associate with them.

    Speech is still free, but it is not without consequences. [/i]

    If the actions of the Berkeley City Council violate the Marines' free speech rights, it's up to the California Supreme Court to strike any measures they deem unconstitutional. It's not the U.S. Congress's place to try to bully citizens or city governments by withholding money from schools and first responders.

    Speech that has "consequences" isn't free at all.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Unknown5:34 PM

    [i]One earmark provides $243,000 in taxpayer dollars for the organization Chez Panisse to create gourmet organic school lunches in the Berkeley School District. Chez Panisse is dedicated to "environmental harmony" and their menu features "Comté cheese soufflé with mâche salad," "Meyer lemon éclairs with huckleberry coulis," and "Chicory salad with creamy anchovy vinaigrette and olive toast."
    [/i]

    I know that came from Sen. deMint's site, but, like a lot of "information" there, it's incorrect.

    The Chez Panisse Foundation is NOT the Chez Panisse restaurant: it's a non-profit organization that helps get healthier (not fancier, just healthier) food into public schools without costing the schools any extra money. You can read about it here, if you want to make an informed judgement:
    http://www.chezpanissefoundation.org/downloads/cpf_statement_021408.pdf

    ReplyDelete
  10. Stephen Denney7:47 PM

    Two points: 1. The menu of Chez Panisse restaurant has nothing to do with the school lunch program in Berkeley. It is highly misleading, albeit entertaining, to cite some exotic items from this restaurant’s menu when referring to the Berkeley school lunch program. 2. The University of California is a state institution and is a separate entity from the city of Berkeley. It has an ROTC program; does not oppose military recruiting; and its chancellor protested the city council action against the Marine recruiting center. Yet the largest cut in this act would be nearly $1 million to the university Robert Matsui center. It makes no sense to punish the university for the actions of a city council over which it has no control.

    ReplyDelete
  11. jpfreemon5:55 PM

    Speech by an elected government body is not free. They suck at the public trough and are subject to having their public funding cut if enough of the public demands it. The Bill may eventually be voted on like any other bill, only if it generates enough support. It's called Democracy.

    ReplyDelete

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