I just finished uploading the February issue of the Patriot. If you are anywhere near Berkeley you know the rain has hindered distribution today. If the weather permits, we will be out there tomorrow.

After several days of rain and gloom, today was sunny and activity on Sproul started to look normal. Megan has covered the major hoopla, all I have to add are a few pictures.

Today on Sproul the Berkeley Students for Life had a memorial. They placed white ribbons in the trees to represent unborn children whose lives were lost to abortion. As the sign explains, each of the 500 ribbons marks 100,000 lives extinguished by abortion since Roe v. Wade.

Also in the pro-life category, on Thursday Dr. Mary Davenport will be speaking on the population and fertility crises of the modern era. She is a graduate of the Tufts School of Medicine and has practiced Obstetrics & Gynecology in the Bay Area for over 30 years. She will be speaking at 7PM in 122 Wheeler Hall.

As classes start having real work due, I will engage in real procrastination, which often involves writing posts.

Via the MoveAmericaForward press page: (Link) it seems like the measure making it harder for Marines to get an office in Berkeley passed, and that Marines will be all but banned from the city.

The Daily Californian also has the story. (Link). However, something that I noticed is that this measure doesn’t just outlaw Marines in all but name, it also gives special priveliges to CodePink. From the Daily Cal:

“Members of the Berkeley City Council showed their opposition to a Marine Corps recruiting office in Downtown Berkeley last night.

Council members supported the two resolutions-one supporting anti-war protests and the other criticizing military recruitment practices-citing opposition to the war in Iraq, deceptive recruitment practices and the right to protest.

“By taking a stand against recruitment we are protecting the health and safety of our youth,” said PhoeBe sorgen, a member of the Berkeley Peace and Justice Commission. “I see the protest as taking a proud and courageous stand.”

Code Pink, a national anti-war grassroots organization, will be granted a parking spot for their regular Wednesday afternoon protests and will not need to apply for a sound permit for the next six months, under one resolution.

The other resolution more directly criticizes the presence of the center in Berkeley. The city manager was directed to send a letter to the U.S. Marine Corps saying they are “uninvited and unwelcome intruders” in the city.“

The lone dissenting voice on both parts of the vote was that of Gordon Wozniak, who spoke out on behalf of neighboring businesses. The Daily Cal quotes one such business as saying:

“Ziba Fanaian, manager of Z & S Beauty Studio, said the anti-war activists are disruptive when they create noise and block the sidewalk.

“Sometimes it is very crowded,” she said. “It is not easy for us, for business.’”

Other council members, Kris Worthington and Betty Olds, voted against one of the two parts of the measure.

My elementary analysis: The response from the Berkeley people is exactly what I would expect, and the response from the MAF people was exactly what I would expect. The bigger questions are along the lines of, is this legal, is this right, and will Berkeley stick to its (figurative) guns or will the Marines persist and get an office? On these points I have no idea what to expect.

For this lame-duck State of the Union, I am celebrating in a lighter manner with the State of the Union drinking game (patent pending). For those republicans uninterested in taking themselves seriously (and who are of age) I reccommend choosing a few of Bush’s favorite words and get yourself set with some drinks. For the occasion, I am enjoying Lone Star beer, which bills itself as the “national” beer of Texas, and Busch, while liveblogging the speech.

Stay tuned for notable quotables.

Bush suprises before the speech even starts, by rubbing a bald man’s head during the handshake-period on the way to the stage.

“Since then, our country has been tested in many ways we could not imagine”

“we recognize our responsibilities and are determined to meet them” (accompanied by commentary about bipartisan unity in congress)

“we have unfinished business, and the American people expect it to get done”

Economy
“We must trust in the abilities of free peoples to make wise decisions” (trust people with their own money)
He commented on the long run vs short run in our economy; and how in the long run the economy will turn out ok.
Taxes: Letting taxs relief expire is a tax hike. Hillary doesn’t look amused. “Make the tax relief permament”; “spend tax dollars wisely”–mentions eliminating porkbarrel spending.

“The people’s trust in their government is undermined by earmarks”–”I asked you to stop slipping earmarks into [things] that never come to a vote”. Promises to veto this spending. “Congress should debate them in the open, and hold a public vote” (the Democrat side actually stood for this one.)

Healthcare
“We must trust patients and doctors to make good decisions”–one applauding audience member. (Bush’s word of the night seems to be “Empower”. Also, the camera crew seems to be zeroing in on Obama and other blacks in the audience).
“Prevent junk medical lawsuits”; Congress shouldn’t decide on medical issues.

Education
“We must demand results from our schools”–will he mention No Child’s success? “No one can deny it’s results” (hrm…) “African-American and hispanic students posted all-time high [scores]”
“Congress: The No Child Left Behind Act is a bipartisan measure and we owe it to [students] to further this effort” (No democrat applause). “Help liberate poor children”

Trade
Open up markets; “I thank the congress for approving an agreement with Peru”; asks for approvement of deals with Colombia, etc. “Support good jobs for the finest workers in the world; those who’s products say “Made in the USA”

6:24 First mention of “Terror”. This is a surprise to me. Also, a surprise to see John Kerry in the audience. I mean, we know senators would be there, but still!

“Future of energy security: we must trust in the creative genius of American entrepreneurs”
Environment: “reduce consumption of oil”; fund new projects that cut down carbon emissions.
Nucular! He finally said it; both the pronuonciation, and the mention of the technology make me smile. “Eventually stop the spread of greenhouse gasses”. “This will only be a success if…it gives no free rides”. Awww global climate change? (Hillary could clap for that)

Government
“Funding is essential to keeping our competitive edge in the…physical sciences” (Woo!) I am glad he is harping on the intuitive and competitive nature of American science and invention. He mentions cell research “without the disruption of human life”. “We must ensure that all life is treated with the dignity it deserves”; no buying, selling, or cloning of human life. (That’s something everyone can applaud, apparently).

“The Constitution means what it says” (the camera pans to stone-faced justices). “The Senate should give each (judge) a prompt, up-or-down vote”.

“Armies of compassion”. Woah, there’s a new one. Mention of New Orleans; everyone can stand up for that.

“Two things this body has failed to address: spending, and immigration”. Right on! “Come up with a bipartisan solution to save these programs for our children”. Mentions increased worksite enforcement for immigration which appears to be working, “ended border catch-and-release”. Still wants a worker program, but I don’t think thats happening. “must be resolved in a way that reflects both our laws and our highest ideals”.

Enemies abroad
“We trust that people, given the chance, will pursue a life of freedom and peace”
Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq: “These images of liberty have inspired us” (Man, cheney has a poker face!).
“Lebanon and Pakistan have had beloved leaders taken”; mentions images of terror since 9/11, calls terrorists “evil men”. “We will deliver justice to our enemies” (At this comment, my friend says, ‘That’s the Bush I know!’)

“In the long run, men and women who are free to choose their own destinies will reject terror”.
Mentions positive signs in Iraq/Afghanistan; schools, hospitals, etc. “Train the Afghan soldiers” to lead their own country.
Iraq: “One year ago, our enemies were succeeding…so we reviewed our stragety and changed course”. Working with the Iraqi forces; sheiks/army. “Improvements in security were followed by improvements in daily life”. “Grassroots movements includes more than 80 thousand Iraqi’s”

“When we met last year, some said this was impossible”. Take that, Murtha/Reid! “Today, it is Al Qaeda that is searching for safe passage”. “But among the terrorists, there is no doubt. AQ is on the run in Iraq, and will be defeated”. Soldiers are beginning to come home; this is a credit to our troops and commanders.

“Soldiers and sailors, Arimen, Marines and Coast guardmen: in the past year you have done everything we asked for and more. We are proud of your accomplisments, and with the American people as our witness, we make a solemn pledge: you will have all you need to protect our nation” (Some of the Dem’s are standing; it looks like the wave over there.) “Any further draw-down will depend on the contition in Iraq, and the reccommendations of our commanders”.

“Time and momentum” seem to favor the enemy; “My fellow Americans; we will not rest until this emeny has been defeated” “Years from now, people will look back and see that people rose to the moment…and left behind a more hopeful region anda safer America”. Shifts to Israel: “A holy land with a democratic Israel and a democratic Palestine”.

“Seems the Iranian regime is there to oppose it”. I was sure this was going to be mentioned. “Iran: we have no quarrel with you…we look forward to the day when you have your freedom. Suspend your nuclear enrichment at once. Cease your support for terror abroad”

“To protect America, we need to know who the terrorists are talking to”; talking about legislation/intelligence. “Congress must ensure that the vital flow of information is preserved”. “The time to act is now”; standing ovation from the Republican side.

International issues
Belarus, Burma (Myanmar?). Deliver aid to countries with disasters; asking for funding to fight global hunger. “Break the cycle of famine”. Fight disease; Malaria, AIDS, etc. (Some interesting spirit-fingers going on at that rostrum…)

“We have a responsibility to prove for [soldiers]”; child care, education benefits (transfer to spouses or children), health care, etc. “Soldiers support our nation, inspire our nation, and tonight we honor them” (delayed reaction on the applause there!).

Reference “We the people”; “Our founders wagered that a great nation could be built…let us go forth and do our business”

My elementary analyis: He got the economy out of the way up front, to make room for his favorite subject, the war and international affairs. While I cringed a little at the climate change/education mentions, he did very well at the end. It was nice to get away from the present you/me/us focus and look at the past, and give some perspective.

With all the election hullabaloo and its friends and relations, let’s have an open thread for commentary, complete with an unrelated photo.

sign found posted on Sproul Plaza

First off, a big thanks to Chris for getting the site up and running. There are still some issues that are being worked out, so please be patient with us. Hopefully all the aspects of the site will be changed to reflect current events.

Also, I’d like to thank The Agitator for choosing us as one of ten blog-finalists in the America’s Future Foundation contest, that judges conservative/libertarian college blogs. We’re among good company, with the likes of the University of Oregon, Dartmouth, Indiana University, Norte Dame, and Claremont McKenna, among others. Check ‘em out!

That being said, we’ve always had a lively comment section, and I hope to continue that by asking for your input on things around the site, and to visit often so we can hear from you. (And so we can win the competition!)

From The Daily Cal’s website:

“In response to a Marine Corps recruiting office established in Berkeley last year, local activists are trying to make it more difficult for future recruiting centers to open in the city.”

This is how they intend to make it more difficult:

“If passed by a majority of Berkeley voters, a proposed initiative would require military recruiting offices and private military companies in Berkeley to first acquire a special use permit.

To obtain this permit, a business must hold public hearings and a public comment period.

If the initiative passes, recruitment offices could not be opened within 600 feet of residential districts, public parks, public health clinics, public libraries, schools or churches.”

Also, military recruitment offices have been compared to “pornographic stores“:

“In the same way that many communities limit the location of pornographic stores, that’s the same way we feel about the military recruiting stations,” said PhoeBe sorgen, an initiative proponent and a member of the city’s Peace and Justice Commission. “Teenagers that really want to find them will be able to seek them out and find them, but we don’t want them in our face.”

For those of you who aren’t acquainted with the non-residential areas of Berkeley, this process would make getting a recruitment office nearly impossible. First, the proposed recruitment office would have to have a special permit that they’d have to obtain through the “public hearing and public comment” process, which means entangling themselves in Berkeley’s sizeable and slugglish bureaucratic net. If they were successful, the 600 foot regulation basically covers anything they could be next to. The assumption that they have to be far away from public entities like schools, parks, and clinics indicates that the city still believes recruiters are “preying” on poor, weak, minority citizens. However, churches? Those aren’t “public” in the same way the other institutions are, and shouldn’t be put in that category (the whole church and state thing).

My elementary analysis: This is the “nice” way of banning military recruitment without actually doing it. I hope the public outcry is loud. But what am I saying, this is Berkeley.

update: welcome, Michelle Malkin readers. Come make yourselves at home!

The University has launched a couple of websites for the upcoming election.

Just today the Berkeley Newscenter reported the Institute of Governmental Studies Library has a website with information about the propositions in California’s upcoming February 5 election. It offers the basic facts about the propositions and has many links to polls, studies, and recent articles about the issues.

Last week, the University launched a website that highlights professors who specialize in different political and policy areas. They highlighted a couple of professors in areas of campaigning and politics, economy and taxes, education, environment, gender, health care, immigration, international relations, legal issues, and voting technology. Looking at the descriptions of their expertise, I would guess they are more liberal then the average group of people you would find on the street. The website is intended to help reporters covering the Presidential election get in contact with experts from the University.

As my majors take me far away from political science classes, I don’t know how any of the above linked professors are as teachers. If you are looking for a political science class to take, one person I have heard good things about is Dan Schnur. He worked on many campaigns, including John McCain’s 2000 Presidential effort where he was the communications director. While the department only considers him a lecturer and not a professor, he has a lot of experience.

On the front page of the Los Angeles Times today was an article about the University’s holding of Native American human remains.

The remains of about 12,000 Native Americans lie in drawers and cabinets in the gym’s basement. Most of them were dug up by university archaeologists and have been stored under the pool since at least the early 1960s.

Now the bones are at the center of a dispute between Native Americans, who want to rebury their ancestors, and university officials, who have been slow to hand over the remains. Some tribal leaders contend that the university is violating a federal law that governs the repatriation of artifacts and remains.

While the article does a great job summarizing the ongoing fight, there is one thing from the rally in October that deserves a mention.

In attendance was Berkeley’s favorite Native American, Zachary Running Wolf. At the demonstration he held a Che Guevara flag, which has far as I know has nothing to do with Native American remains.

When ZRW is not looking for his “MIAs” or Missing Indian Ancestors, he is a among the tree sitters in the oaks near Memorial Stadium.

From the San Francisco Chronicle, a federal judge ruled earlier today the City of San Francisco can continue with its law providing universal health care for adults.

From the Chronicle:

A three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted the city’s request to suspend a federal judge’s Dec. 26 ruling striking down a key funding provision of the ordinance. That provision requires large and medium-size companies to offer insurance to their workers or pay a fee to the city.

The appeals court said the city was likely to prove that U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White was wrong when he ruled that local governments lack the power to require employers to make financial contributions to a health care program. Today’s decision allows the city to enforce the entire ordinance while it appeals White’s decision.

While it has been talked about in the ruling, one of my first questions is what government body if any has the right to mandate and administer health coverage like this? I don’t think any of them do.

If the law is upheld after all the appeals are settled, what effect will it have upon San Francisco? While more employees will have some kind of health coverage, there will be other unintended side effects. If a company that does not offer health insurance suddenly has to pay fees, they will have to cut costs. Since it is money that is ultimately being spent on employees, some businesses will take this money out of the salary of their workers or even lay some off.

This requirement will also discourage companies from setting up shop in the city. If a business owner wants to open offices, he will have a reason to avoid San Francisco and find a nearby city without such a law.

As for the coverage itself, there is no guarantee of quality with any kind of government backed plan. While the current medical insurance industry has problems, companies or individuals that buy into it have the option of switching to a different provider. With the government backed coverage, there is no choice. Unless people can opt out of the program (from what I know they cannot), if the coverage quality nosedives they will still be stuck paying for bad insurance.

Health coverage is important and there will always be people willing to pay for it. The government should stay out of the process and let people and companies keep more of their money and make their own decisions.

Update: The East Bay Express reports some harassment at researchers’ homes.

There is a story in the San Jose Mercury News about some action against animal researchers.

Since August, activists have visited the homes and offices of several Berkeley researchers. An October protest at the El Cerrito home of toxicology professor Leonard Bjeldanes led to several arrests, although prosecutors declined to file charges.

Several researchers declined to speak about the harassment, which has become a problem across the 10-campus University of California system. Campus chancellors released a joint statement in December decrying the protests, saying the university supports free speech but that some actions “have crossed the line.”

“They’re not above putting bombs under people’s cars,” said UC Berkeley spokesman Bob Sanders, referring to an incident at the home of a University of California, Los Angeles professor. “They’re domestic terrorists.”

The chancellors’ statement is available on the UC website. The article reported yesterday was to be “a day of action” by the animal activists, but the papers this morning did not record any incidents.

I have not seen much action against animal research on campus. The most I remember is a random non-student looking person outside VLSB last spring who handed me a big packet about the evils of dissection in biology classes.

Last time I checked, people engaged in civil discourse about issues instead of threats.

After changing hosts, two dozen plus computer crashes, uploading tens of thousands of files, working with 50+ MB of text, changing tables in sql files, and seeing interesting things in wordpress the blog is back.

Let me know if anything blog related is broken. I will link all the the pictures correctly as soon as I can.

We will get back into posting and be back to normal by the start of classes.