In the End, Berkeley is Gonna Fold

UPDATE: Looks like Senator John Cornyn is throwing his support behind Demint.

In a story I found out about from Conservative Belle, the City of Berkeley wants to kick Marine recruiters out of the city. The reaction from the right has been to threaten to cut off all federal funding that gets earmarked to the city. Senator Jim Demint from South Carolina is leading the charge:

This is a slap in the face to all brave service men and women and their families. The First Amendment gives the City of Berkeley the right to be idiotic, but from now on they should do it with their own money. If the city can’t show respect for the Marines that have fought, bled and died for their freedom, Berkeley should not be receiving special taxpayer funded handouts. I am currently drafting legislation to ensure that American taxpayers aren’t forced to pay for this insult by rescinding all of the earmarks for Berkeley in the Omnibus Appropriations bill, and to transfer the funds to the Marine Corps.

The Senator is right, of course, I think that Berkeley should get completely cut off. On the other hand, what if Berkeley decided to say "screw you" and eschewed the earmarks? The city should escalate it further and say that since we aren't getting any earmarks, then the residents of Berkeley shouldn't send their tax money to the Feds.

Of course, that is not going to happen. Earmarks are crack and we (and I do mean all of us) have an addiction to it. If Berkeley were to quit cold turkey, they would earn my grudging respect on breaking that bad habit.