Not Illegal, Just Really Shitty

What a surprise.

The Oakland International Airport did not break any laws or regulations when it denied 200 Marines and soldiers access to the passenger terminal during a layover last year from Iraq to the troops' home base in Hawaii, the Transportation Department says.

Calvin L. Scovell III, the department's inspector general, blamed the mix-up on security concerns and a communication failure between the Defense Department and the Homeland Security Department.

The contract to allow military layovers at the California airport "did not require that military personnel have access to the airport terminal; it only required that military personnel be allowed to deplane and stretch their legs on stops lasting over one hour," said a report released yesterday to House lawmakers who requested an investigation into the matter.

Yep, they weren't doing anything illegal, but showing how they appreciate those that stand in harms way is a really strong indicator of why you should just skip Oakland, and most of California for that matter.

This bit irritates me in a big way.

Airport officials were concerned that the flight's ground staff could not provide "an adequate level of escort and control of such a large group of military personnel in or around the terminal area," the inspector's report said.

The report also said the Homeland Security and Defense departments have no coordinated policy to conduct security screenings or a communications process to allow the Marines and soldiers in passenger terminals.

Thats right. Those guys who are defending your right to be a jackass are not trustworthy enough to be allowed in passenger terminals without security screenings. Sorry, I just don't buy it. I trust them more than I trust most of the TSA people.

And if that all isn't irritating enough, here's a gem that I found at QandO.

The city council of Berkeley, California, hateful, spiteful, small-minded little idiots that they are, have giving notice to the Marines to get out of town:

[T]he Berkeley City Council...voted 8-1 Tuesday night to tell the U.S. Marines that its Shattuck Avenue recruiting station "is not welcome in the city, and if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome intruders."

In addition, the council voted to explore enforcing its law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation against the Marines because of the military's don't ask, don't tell policy. And it officially encouraged the women's peace group Code Pink to impede the work of the Marines in the city by protesting in front of the station.

In a separate item, the council voted 8-1 to give Code Pink a designated parking space in front of the recruiting station once a week for six months and a free sound permit for protesting once a week from noon to 4 p.m.

OK. Then how about we cut off every penny of Federal funds that go into Berkeley? Including the University.

The level of moral vanity and sickening vindictiveness this demonstrates really sends me into a towering rage.

Nice. Berkeley and Oakland are adjacent aren't they? I wonder if the same jackasses get together for this crap.