2/1/2008 5:03:36 PM Vets for Freedom condemns the actions of the Berkeley City Council

(Washington DC) Vets for Freedom stands by the comments and actions of Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) regarding the recent actions by the City Council of Berkeley, California. Earlier this week, elected officials in Berkeley voted to have a recruiting station of the United States Marine Corps removed from city property, calling the Marines “uninvited and unwelcome intruders.” Vets for Freedom welcomes Senator DeMint’s proposed legislation that would rescind any federal money recently appropriated for the City of Berkeley.

“The man or woman who puts on the uniform of a United States Marine, Soldier, Sailor or Airman swears an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” said Executive Director of Vets for Freedom, Pete Hegseth. “Clearly, the elected officials of Berkeley, California see the Constitution as a mere roadblock in their radical left-wing agenda. What these fanatics fail to realize is that the fantasy world that they live in exists under the very cloak of freedom provided by the sacrifices of the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces.”

He continued “The Constitution is not conditional. The blatant favoring of one group’s freedoms over another’s because of political partisanship is exactly the type of divisive politics that is endangering the success of the missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Global War on Terror. The progress being made would not be possible without the brave soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines that serve in our armed forces. Recruitment is essential to success in the war on terror.”

Vets for Freedom is a nonpartisan organization established by combat veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its mission is to educate the American public about the importance of achieving success in these conflicts by applying our first-hand knowledge to issues of American military strategy. For more information, please visit www.vetsforfreedom.org.

For more information or to schedule interviews with Pete Hegseth or other Iraq/Afghanistan veterans, please contact Judy Mayka at (202) 338-4070 or Judy@VetsForFreedom.org.