Monday, April 14, 2008
MAF Supports Gold Star License Plates and Siphoning Funds from Berkeley in California Legislature

Code Pink: Fails at What They Do Best, Disrupt.
AND
Common Sense? The Bizarre Fight for Gold Star Recognition License Plates

Proper Recognition for Families that Make the Ultimate Sacrifice

Midmorning today, Gold-star and Blue-star Families and pro-troop activists from Move America Forward gathered with California lawmakers and representatives from the Calif. National Guard on an issue that has been brewing into a tooth-and-nails fight, playing out in the California legislature.

Right now, over 22 states have Gold Star Family, Mother, or Wife license plates available to gold star families to apply for, or will have made such special plates available within the next few months. A list of which states is available from American Gold Star Mothers here:

For some reason though, California has not been able to institute such a program.

Last year, when the GS Fam License Plate bill was up for the first time, it passed the Assembly side no problem, however, when the Bill went to the State Senate, it was hung up in committee. There is an expectation that the same will happen this year, despite that fact that the bill has been reworked and it’s language has been improved quite a bit.

Salem-News piece on Gold Star Plates

Capitol Bureau Report

Senator Dave Cogdill, 14th District

Senator Jeff Denham, 12th District

Major General William Wade II, Adjutant General of Calif. Nat’l Guard

Mike Anderson, Gold-Star Father of Cpl Michael Anderson Jr. KIA Dec 12, 2004

Thomas J Fache, Secretary of Calif. Dept. of Veterans Affairs
He is holding a list of samples from other states that offer Gold Star Plates

A Chaplain with the National Guard who is ALSO a Gold Star Dad

Sample of the proposed plate design

The Press Conference for the Transportation Funding Bill

Later on in the afternoon Move America Forward also attended a press conference for Assemblyman Guy Houston who has a bill coming up before the CA Assembly Transportation Committee that would intend to strip some transportation funds (about $3.3M) from Berkeley coffers because of the misuse of city funds to subsidize one group’s point of view and freedom of speech over others (ie. Code Pink)

Assemblyman Guy Houston

With Blue-Star Moms

Deborah Johns, Mother of USMC Sgt. William Johns

In the press conference, Guy Houston explained this rationale for his bill, as quoted by the Contra Costa Times here.

“Berkeley’s City Council has granted anti-military activists a public resource to assist in barricading the Marine recruitment office,” Houston said. “The public right of way has been violated, and the state must not stand idly by.”

NBC 11 Coverage on Houston’s Bill

While it remains to be seen if this bill would ever make it through a democrat-controlled state legislature, this bill makes the statement that we cannot be allowing city governments to take sides on issues, especially when there are the civil rights of multiple parties to think about.

The city council has a right to pass a resolution stating their opinion on the war, and anti-war groups have the rights to protest like any other group but the situation is out of control and the city sanctions this type of thing. They called on citizens to “impede the work of recruiters” that is part of the resolution they passed and that language has never been rescinded.

It’s because of the city’s stance that Code Pink is bold enough and freely blocks roadways and sidewalks, parks their abomination of a vehicle in front of the office, graffiti’s and defaces the recruiting center regularly, blocks entry to the station, harasses the Marines who work out of there, and have no begun trespassing and occupying the recruiting station.

This goes beyond a simple protest: its harassment, it’s seditious and should not be permitted to continue.

It was not long after the press conference began that Code Pink’s Zanne Joi and friends began shouting out questions or making dissenting remarks out loud. One of them, who apparently has some kind of…Berkeley Liberation Radio credential (I guess you can get anything laminated at Kinko’s) posed a non-question along the brilliant rhetorical formula “what about…X”

I remember that one from 4th grade, I think the proper response is “So?”

Code Pink looking interested

Radio Personality

Anyways they tried to be disruptive as usual, but they just weren’t on their game today…or they just couldn’t bring enough whiney girls with them…so the troop supporters in the room easily drowned them out with the applause for Assemblyman Houston’s great bill.


Assemblyman Houston greets supporters of his legislation

After that press conference, both bills came up again in the Assembly Transportation Committee Hearing. Move America Forward and others testified their support for both bills, which went to votes. The License plate bill went out of committee, while Houston’s bill is waiting for more votes from members that were not present.

Deborah Johns said “this is an organization that is designed to harass a particular class of citizens that is protected by our constitution.”

John Bringuel said “It was appalling to me, to be in Berkeley on February 12, and watch the City Council support Code Pink.”

“Move America Forward believes that the State of California should send the city of Berkeley a strong message that this state will not spend taxpayer’s money in cities that work to impede the lawful work of a United States office.” said Catherine Moy, our Executive Director. “Would you find it appropriate to use taxpayer’s funds to sponsor an organization’s efforts to occupy your offices and impede your daily work?”

There was also a representative from Berkeley there who said, in defense of the City, something to the effect of, “the city of Berkeley did have a follow-up meeting ….that lasted until 2 in the morning and everyone had the opportunity to speak and rescinded much of that language”

Yes, we’ve heard it all before. That the speech-loving Berkeley city council has gone to such lengths to accommodate both sides, and give everyone a voice…yeah right.

Move America Forward has been fighting these un-American, hateful groups that try to undermine our troops for years now, and we’ve been fighting against some of the inept and quite frankly…stupid…people of the Berkeley City Council for months.

They haven’t been genuine in any of their supposed ‘offers’
They’re aligned with Code Pink, and they’ve been doing everything in their power to support that group at the exclusion of dissenting groups.

There’s no other way to slice it.