Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Berkeley City Council: Good News for Bradley Manning; Not So Much for Gitmo Detainees
Breaking News / Politics / People Ellen Cushing — Wed, Feb 16, 2011 at 3:21 AM
In a marathon meeting Tuesday night, Berkeley's City Council split on two controversial resolutions, unanimously approving a measure in support of alleged Wikileaker Bradley Manning, but narrowly voting down one that would invite former Guantanamo detainees to settle in the city.
Neither measure — both of which have drawn national attention, not to mention making Berkeley quite a few friends at Fox News and its ilk — was even discussed before the four-hour mark, but when they were, it was about as much of a nail-biter as a city council meeting can be.
A slightly revised version of the Manning measure, which still called for an end to the alleged mistreatment of the Army private but broadened the language to clarify support for all human rights, not just Manning's, passed unanimously. (That version was itself a revised edition: the original, which was introduced in December, called Manning a "hero," but was since watered down.)
The second measure — which called for an end to the US's policy disallowing Guantamo detainees from living in the United States and invited two unspecifiied detainees (who'd been cleared of wrongdoing) to settle in the city —didn't fare so well, however. After another long public comment session, at which all but one person expressed unequivocal support for the measure, Councilmember Linda Maio, with three minutes left on the clock, introduced a substitute that essentially acknowledged the incompatibility between Berkeley's proposed measure and the US government's stance and amended the measure to say that the council would re-examine the matter when it was possible to take action under federal law.
After the meeting, Maio told The Express that she proposed the substitute precisely because of the outsize scrutiny the city and the council has been getting. "I wanted the media to get a message from Berkeley that wasn't a one-liner," she said.
Regardless, Maio's substitute failed, and the original measure was then put to a vote. It was defeated — four yeses, four abstentions, and one no — in the very last minute of the meeting.
Just another day at the rodeo, y'all.
Comments (5)
Showing 1-5 of 5
Last night's unsuccessful and undemocratic power grab attempt by the Berkeley City Council's "Agenda Committee" was backed by Bates, Wozniak, and Maio, fyi. None of the progressives who voted for the freed detainees Resolution are on the gate-keeping Agenda Committee.
Maio started off on a compassionate track, with excellent initial language for her substitute motion, but ended up catering to right wingers and Fox eating the hens "news." Berkeley is only 7% Republican. It's unprecedented that the City Manager would cater to them. It was actually the deputy City Manager who did so, Christine Daniel, who is training for the job.
Thank you--Anderson, Worthington, Arreguin, and Moore--for standing strong for justice last night! Courage, compassion, and conviction--that's the beautiful Berkeley way! And thank you, beautiful Berkeleyans who lobbied for it with so much intelligence and patience.
like
dislike
Lady Liberty,
Good catch! City Clerk Deanna Despain didn't have a final vote tally for reporters last night, but per an e-mail this morning, the vote on the original measure — "to adopt a Resolution to assist in the safe resettlement of cleared Guantánamo detainees" — went as follows:
Vote: Ayes: Moore, Anderson, Arreguin, Worthington. Noes: Wozniak. Abstain: Maio, Capitelli, Wengraf, Bates.
Once again, Berkeley farts and nobody notices. Except for, maybe, Fox News. Like I said, nobody notices.
Thank you for accurate and rather unbiased reporting. Most other "reports" on this topic belong in the opinion, rather than news, section. But why link to the lying "Fox eating the hens News"?
A tiny correction. There were only 4 abstentions re freed detainees. Maio was incorrect about incompatibility. The proposal was a lobbying effort to help Obama get the Guantanamo gulag closed. It was clear that the invitation would have been extended to 1 or 2 cleared detainees only if/when the feds allow it. The proposal supported 15 organizations' lobbying effort including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty Int'l, FCNL, and ACLU.
America used to stand for due process. Remember "and justice for all?" For too many people across the world, America now stands for torture. We can change that in time. Our democracy ain't what it used to be, but public pressure can still influence policy decisions, and a Resolution from a City Council carries more weight than most lobbying letters politicians receive.
Dozens of citizens waited for 4 hours last night to be able to speak for 2 minutes during public comment, including only one right-winger. Most of them then refrained from speaking so that the Council would not run out of time and adjourn before taking action. They did successfully speak out against an anti-democratic earlier agenda item that would have empowered 3 Council members to preview, remand, and thus delay Commission proposals.
Berkeley City Council members who voted for the Resolution-- Arreguin, Anderson, Worthington and Moore-- are to be commended for their support of human rights and for having the courage to take a stand for truth and justice. In addition, they were saying that cleared Guantanamo detainees should be allowed to resettle and leave the Prison, in support of our President's wishes. The others would appear to be more concerned about what Fox News says about Berkeley than what's good for Berkeley and the Nation. Shame on you, Mayor Bates, Linda Maio, Laurie Capitelli and Susan Wengraf. You appear to be under the thumb of the right-wing spinners who it appears are now making policy for Berkeley. The City Manager is seriously out of line telling the City Council to take no action, not based on fiscal implicaitons, of which he said there were NONE, but because someone on the Council asked him to get them off the hook so they wouldn't have to face the Fox News pundits. Am I right? Is our City Council working to please the right wing now?
At least Gordon Wozniak has the courage of his convictions to vote "no", but we didn't appreciate his attempt to skew his public opinion poll towards "no" by leaving out one of the most important facts about the resolution== that it would cost the City no money whatsoever. I wish I could be proud of Berkeley today. Instead I'm ashamed of how easy it is for the right wing to push our City Council around. The citizens of Berkeley need to take heed--- the fear-mongers, haters, liars and screamers are in charge now-- not us. Our Berkeley values of compassion and truth-telling have been sold out to the worst human values-- hatred, racism, lying, manipulation, cowardice and fear.
Author Archives
