In an unprecedented move earlier this week, the Berkeley, California city council voted 8-1 to tell their local Marine recruiting station they are unwelcome because of the military’s "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy regarding homosexuals. In a related move, also with an 8-1 vote, the council approved a 6-month permit for an anti-war group called "Code Pink" to protest directly in front of the same Marine recruiting office.

In response, U.S. Senator Jim Demint (R-SC) plans to draft legislation to divert $2.1 million in federal dollars earmarked for Berkeley to the Marines. "This is a slap in the face to all brave service men and women and their families," DeMint said in a prepared statement. "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."